Hello folks - new member

[enfilade]

Hi y'all. I'm a dude, 25 years old from the UK.

I'll try and sum up my history as concisely as possible ... I first had trouble with my bowels in the summer of 2011. It was holding me back and worrying me quite a lot. I noticed my poops were 'looser' and often had a bit of blood with them, and was going maybe 3-4 times a day >_>. For weeks I just hoped it would go away on its own so it was only by late that October I went to a doc about it. From there it took a long time for my appointments (the NHS were fairly crap tbh) but after a colonoscopy I was finally officially diagnosed with Crohns in Feb 2012. It was another couple of months before I was given an appointment to discuss treatments. However, from reasons I don't know, it calmed down quite a lot by then, and it wasn't causing me many problems. So I decided to not pursue any medication and the doctor seemed ok with that.

Ever since then I've still had symptoms, but they've been very mild most of the time. Although my stools are still quite meh in quality, I go a 'normal' amount of times. The main noticeable thing was just that I was gassy. My bedroom has been in danger of becoming a biohazard half the time. But still, I never went in for any medication. I just wanted to forget about it.

What has developed recently though is that I've had quite strong depression/anxiety issues for over a decade and I finally went to get treatment for that last month. I had just got worse and worse mentality and physically and wasn't sure why. So I was given a blood test to check if I had anything affecting my fatigue, low mood, motivation etc, other than depression. There it emerged I have anemia, and it seems that has developed from my Crohns. I never knew it was an effect before... Apparently anemia is a fairly common thing for people with Crohns? Now that it seems I've had anemia for god knows how long, its dawned on me that Crohns has affected me more than I realised. This also conveniently (sarcasm there) has happened to come at a time where my other Crohns symptoms have got a bit worse.

So I have a doctor appointment again in a week. I'm going to tell them what I should have done a long long time ago and ask about some treatments. Quite nervous, because I don't know what to expect. Also anxious, because I wonder if I'm gonna be torn into by the doctor for not bothering with getting help for so long.

Mentally I've not handled it well. For 2 years I've tried to almost ignore Crohns, because I'm too shy and embarrassed to talk about it. My family don't know a thing, and only a couple of friends have any idea either. Its been an unacknowledged secret of mine.

I'm finally trying to change that now. That includes signing up here too. So hi to everyone :smile:. Thanks for reading all this if you have. Didn't mean for my intro post to be quite this long lol.

 

[nogutsnoglory]

Welcome and I'm happy to hear you are taking charge of your health. It's critical for many of us to be on maintenance therapy and don't be afraid to ask about what options might be best for you.

You also don't need to be shy or afraid about talking about Crohn's here or with others most people are pretty understanding and just want to help you.

 

[Luckystar715]

Hi enfilade!
I think you will find this forum quite helpful, especially you have only shared with a few people what is going on. That's quite the added stress on yourself having a small support system. I think it's a good thing you are going to discuss with your doctor all your symptoms. The doctor isn't going to yell at you so try not to be nervous! Just remember he/she can only help you if you tell them exactly what's going on.

I can relate to your symptoms as well. I too an anemic. in saying that, you may want your dr to check into your iron and vitamin B levels, sometimes those are also low and often go hand in hand with anemia and contribute to your symptoms.

I think most of us initially put off our symptoms until they get too hard to handle. Do don't beat yourself up about it. The important thing is you are taking care of yourself now!

 

[Honey]

Hi there, and welcome,
Crohns is a fickle illness which can change so quickly, even on treatment. We all have different experiences of it and do not always require powerful meds. It sounds as if you are in remission. How you feel and blood tests to determine level of inflammation will give your doctor an idea of treatment needed. So speak honestly to you doctor about your symtoms and ask questions. I hope all goes well for you and you feel better soon. Let me know how you are.:welcome:anda-wave-t:

 

[enfilade]

Wow, thank you to all 3 of you for the quick welcomes and messages .

Your messages have been encouraging to me. Despite having this for 2 years I still didn't know that much about the condition until recently. Feels like a weight off my back just being able to talk about it here. I'll take this progress to the doctors appointment coming up and lay it all out to them, it can't come soon enough now lol.

Luckystar - Yes, I think iron deficiency is a problem of mine in particular atm. I've probably had anemia for a long time and put the symptoms down to depression, so I'm kicking myself a little bit that I didn't realise until now. I see what you mean about how people can often put things off until it's too much to handle. I guess that does apply to me with this. Never thought of it quite like that. Thanks!

Honey - I wish I was in remission! lol. Not sure if I am though. It's been a while since I had the more severe symptoms, but I still have persistent problems. I'll update with my progress of course ^_^

 

[Luckystar715]

Well, it could be worse, just think of it that way. I always knew I was anemic but didn't realize it was a problem until I almost passed out one day. That got my attention to say the least. My iron and RBC were really low. So it's just important to stay in tune with body. Don't let the depression get you down either. It's fairly common with crhonic illness. I started a bad flare a yr ago and still recovering, it's been a long process. With that said, I too recently sought out treatment fo depression. But I try and embrace the fact now that I am taking care of my body and am not ashamed of that. And I have to remind myself in order to stay healthy I have to take my medicine (I tend to not be good at remembering to take pills daily)

Keep us posted with your drs appt, everyone here is a good resource of knowledge and support