I'm Tim. I was diagnosed with Crohn's in 1998, after a month or so dealing with the initial symptoms.
That first night, I woke up with bad indigestion. I took some mylanta (an anti-indigestion remedy), and after about 20 minutes felt the pain drop out of my stomach.
For the next few days I had diarrhoea, but put it down to that bad indigestion. I still wonder if that bad acid was what triggered the Crohn's. Please note: I'm not saying it was the cause. I'm saying it was the trigger - the catalyst that kicked it off. I have also been diagnosed with acid reflux.
Over the next month or so I suffered the cramps and diarrhoea. I was losing blood and had anemia. I lost weight.
Finally my family got me to the Doctor, and the Doctor referred me to a specialist. After visiting the specialist, and a follow up colonoscopy, I was diagnosed.
Initially the treatment was prednisone and pentasa. Eventually I was able to stop taking the prednisone.
Five years after my diagnosis, I had a bad flare up. This flare lasted nearly two years, during which I was on 40mg of prednisone daily. I put on a lot of weight, got very hairy, and spent my days feeling dull and horrible.
Finally a new specialist - a young doctor who had recently started his specialist field work under supervision - tried a new drug. The drug was 6-Mercaptopurine.
It worked. So amazingly well. Within 6 weeks I was off the prednisone, and with a few more weeks feeling good and far more capable than previous.
Since then I've been on Mercaptopurine and Pentasa, and these have kept things settled.
I do have the occasional flare up, but my disease has been very manageable.
I have regular check-ups, colonoscopy every few years, and things have been good.
I do struggle sometimes with the mental aspects, but most days I'm good.
That first night, I woke up with bad indigestion. I took some mylanta (an anti-indigestion remedy), and after about 20 minutes felt the pain drop out of my stomach.
For the next few days I had diarrhoea, but put it down to that bad indigestion. I still wonder if that bad acid was what triggered the Crohn's. Please note: I'm not saying it was the cause. I'm saying it was the trigger - the catalyst that kicked it off. I have also been diagnosed with acid reflux.
Over the next month or so I suffered the cramps and diarrhoea. I was losing blood and had anemia. I lost weight.
Finally my family got me to the Doctor, and the Doctor referred me to a specialist. After visiting the specialist, and a follow up colonoscopy, I was diagnosed.
Initially the treatment was prednisone and pentasa. Eventually I was able to stop taking the prednisone.
Five years after my diagnosis, I had a bad flare up. This flare lasted nearly two years, during which I was on 40mg of prednisone daily. I put on a lot of weight, got very hairy, and spent my days feeling dull and horrible.
Finally a new specialist - a young doctor who had recently started his specialist field work under supervision - tried a new drug. The drug was 6-Mercaptopurine.
It worked. So amazingly well. Within 6 weeks I was off the prednisone, and with a few more weeks feeling good and far more capable than previous.
Since then I've been on Mercaptopurine and Pentasa, and these have kept things settled.
I do have the occasional flare up, but my disease has been very manageable.
I have regular check-ups, colonoscopy every few years, and things have been good.
I do struggle sometimes with the mental aspects, but most days I'm good.