Hello

[Mr.BrightSide]

Hello i was Diginosed with Crohn's Disease about 2 years ago. I weighed 180 pounds at the age of 16 I was a chunky boy. For 2 years straight i was going to the restroom abnormally, And dropped alot of weight. I was enbarresed to tell anyone. My parents started to notice something was up, i also knew something wasnt right. My worst fear was going to the doctors and finding out i had a worm in my stomach. At this time i was weighing 150 pounds. I went through all the steps to find out what i had bloodwork, CT scan, Endoscoptomy, and Colonoscopy. They Diginosed me with Crohn's Disease when i was 18. It was in the small intestine and they said it wasnt a bad case. I was going to the restroom 2-4 times a day but it was never solid.I thought okay ill take some medicine and in a couple a months ill be better. not the case. The doctor told my parents i might become depressed. I did but i never let anyone see it. Because before this i was that happy charismatic kid. I have only used one pill for 2 years now Sulfazine 500mg. 4 pills a day.No side effects. In the past 2 years i have gone off and on the pill and up and down in weight 140-150 the range I try working out and it works for awhile but something comes up and stop. 1 month ago i got really sick with the stomach flu and my weight dropped to 127 pounds. I am now up to 135 but now is the time i take this Disease seriously. I have read many other storys in here and found that i am one of the fortunate ones that caught it early and dont have it that bad but i am still angry that i got Crohn's and just to damn tired to fight it to get healthy i really just want to give up sometimes but tonight i have decided yes i want to change. I am now 20 years old. I hope you guys can help me out and e-motivate me to get better.

 

[mikeyarmo]

Hello Mr. BrightSide,

Welcome to the forum! I am glad that you enjoyed reading other's stories, and have commited to fighting the disease. While some cases are not as bad as others, it is still challenging to have to put up with Crohn's Disease. We are here if you need any support or have any questions, so feel free to ask.

There was a time when I thought I might have a worm also. My science teacher one day talked about them for a long time (including many stories that were a bit too graphic at the time, involving how to cleanse the body to get rid of the worm). For a while I thought maybe I had one, but I was pretty sure I was just thinking that because we had just learnt about them, so I was not too worried.

 

[Jeff D.]

Hey Mr. Brightside welcome. Have you ever taken probiotics before. I was also a very charismatic kid when I was younger. NOw I am much more laid back and it does not seem like I am taking speed any more, never did. I got depression and anxiety and that killed me last year as I was doing just as you did, holding in the depression and not showing it to anyone. Now I am just a normal kid though. I found that meditating works well.

Good luck

 

[Kev]

Hey Mr Brightside... Welcome to the forum. Nasty side of this illness it that it hits so many young people like yourself. I hope one of the motivators you'll get from the forum is that life goes on.. Crohn's doesn't mean the end, it just requires you to change some things.. Life is full of change anyway, so you really aren't different than anyone else in the world. Another thing you may want to try is to use the anger you feel towards the disease to motivate you. For whatever reason we all tend to be more willing to fight when we admit our anger... Also take into consideration that when we are sick and tired, we don't have to give-up, all we need to do is rest up.. Even prize fighters take a rest between the rounds.

Hope these words help.. Welcome to the forum, and remember, you aren't alone..

 

[skeet]

Aloha MrBrightSide and welcome to the forum! I'm glad you're here. It's tough enough for us old folks to have an embarrassing and debilitating disease. I can imagine it's a lot harder to deal with when you're young & have so many expectations about what life is supposed to be like. All of us get depressed and discouraged from time to time. Great thing about the forum is that we can vent that stuff here, and will always find some encouragement from folks who really do understand. I won't tell you not to let it get you down. That's unrealistic. But always try to remind yourself that the bad days are temprorary and the good ones will follow. this is a good place to start educating yourself, and to find out how diet and lifestyle can bring lots of benefits.

I hope you'll come back often and let us all get to know you better. We'll all get something good out of that!

 

[Cara Fusinato]

Welcome! Yes, I understand too. I headed to the hospital one lovely day to have my appendix out and that all went fine, but then, wham-o, they hit me with the chronic illness concept. I cried and got really depressed, not to mention the pain and lack of eating part. Then I joked about it in a sick way. That drove people crazy. But I explained that if I didn't joke, I would just go back to crying. Then, when I found some alternative treatments to assist, I finally got positive about the whole thing and could live again mostly normally. It also really frustrates me when people either don't get the idea of an active painful chronic illness or they tell me that I can overcome it with my mind or something. Grrr! Well, we have to find our own ways to approach treatments, daily living, and attitude. You, like all of us here, will find yours. And you can count on all of us here to help you find it and support you in your findings. Welcome, we are your community and we are your friends.

 

[Ruthg]

Hi Mr Brightside, welcome our forum.


I too have crohn's and like you I am young, not quite as young as you but I can relate to how you're feeling. Its really difficult seeing lots of other young people enjoying themselves, and you can't. Not that you don't want to, I mean having crohn's isn't the end of the world but, some days you just don't feel up to it. Its difficult to enjoy yourself when you are in constant discomfort what with the stomach pain and running to the toilet regularly. However, as time passes, and a better understanding is gained, friends can become a really good support network, sometimes better than family. It's all about learning to live with the highs and lows. Crohn's isnt all bad, I had 3 years where I was symptom free and I am sure there are others here who have similar stories. The point is, you are lucky that your symptoms arent that bad, be positive things could be much worse. Keep smiling

Ruth

 

[cookey]

Hello Mrbrightside, Welcome to our Forums. We share a similiar situation, I was also 18 yrs old when Diagnosed with CC. I know it can be tough, but believe me, like most have said..for the most part it is managable with the right meds. I was a little frightened at your age as well, but as time went on and I came more familiar with the Disease..it really wasn't all that bad. Real pleasure to meet you, and if you ever need anything..please don't hestitate to ask.

 

[Dekar]

hey mr. brightside, ur story is so similar to mine its kinda scary. i was diagnosed at like 15 and a half, and was a really happy kid, always laughing, and it seems the crohn's affected me in that way. i don't know if i was depressed for sure, but my mom always tells me i dont laugh anymore. im weighing at about 140 to 150 (its random, same as you) now and im almost 18 yrs old. i believe i have a milder version of crohns too, and it seems its been in moderate recession for me for almost 1.5 yrs now and i dont even take any medication (the fistula is the only annoying problem at the moment). the best thing i can advise to you bro is to make your diet extremely healthy. pure organics, no dairy, etc. and not only will it help the crohns a lot you'll be healthier in other aspects too

 

[Karen]

:welcome: ABOARD ... I am sure that you will have a great time and find this to be a VERY INFORMATIVE place to come ... so just make yourself right at home and have fun !!

 

[Skinsfan1229]

I'm in a hurry just wanted to say hello

Welcome!

And I hope you contintue to return and keep posting.