Hello everyone. I've just stumbled across this website on my travels whilst recouperating from my most recent visit to hospital and can I first of all say, what a brilliant and welcome community it is!
My name is Adam, I'm 22, from Weymouth - UK and suffer from Crohns disease.
My crohns first started when I was 17, coming on 18. I began to suffer from diarrhea in small doses. Weeks went by, and I found myself nipping to the toilet at work 9-10 times a day. At this point I saw my GP who first of all advised I may have an upset stomach. I took immodium at first, on their advice. This provided a temporary solution but obviously it didn't really fix the problem.
I kind of put up with it for another 4-5 months, until I noticed I began to feel very lethargic. No energy, no motivation - I just didn't feel myself. All the while I began to suffer from hot/cold fevers, night sweats (Bed dripping from head to foot!).
This gradually became much much worse, and I began feeling feint at work. I also now had an almost impossible to describe sensation in my lower abdomen, where my appendix should be. (I've had mine removed). My liver used to feel 'numb', and I'd get pins and needles in it. This once got so bad I had a panic attack at home one evening, though nothing further came of it.
Eventually I managed to convince my GP something further was at play, so a simple blood test was performed. Obviously my markers for CRP etc were sky high, showing inflammation etc. Worryingly, my liver function test marker was also sky high. At this point I mentioned to my GP that my mum had also suffered from crohns. It was at that point I was immediately referred for a colonoscopy and an endoscopy, as well as a barium meal. AT this point I am extremely scared, and not quite sure what's going on.
After the colonoscopy, they find ulceration in my small bowel, large bowel and 'terminal ileum' (I think, apologies if this is wrong). During the endoscopy, from what I can remember - They approached a certain point in the procedure and I experienced a huge pain and there was an obstruction.
I was admitted to hospital, treated with prednisolone and kept in for a few weeks.
I thought this would be the end of it, however unknown to the docs there was a huge abcess which had formed on my liver. This abcess was the 'blockage' they came across in my colonoscopy, which had been causing my fevers, night sweats, chills, etc. I was all set to be discharged from hospital, although still suffering from horrendous night sweats, fever, and many other unpleasant effects. The day before I was due to leave, the docs thought it was just a flare-up, and the prednisolone would fix it after time. My mother PUSHED for a CT scan before I was discharged, and sure as hell - They found the large abcess attached to my liver!
You can imagine how soul crushing this was, having been told I was going home the next day!
I then had to have a small tube inserted between by two lower ribs, with a small sharp wire which literally 'stabbed' the abcess, and it was then drained. This was done in an ultrasound suite, with nothing more than local anaesthetic. Halfway through the procedure I pretty much passed out from the excruciating pain.
When I came to, I had a drainage bag attached to me, and the next week or so it had to slowly be drained. After an ultrasound confirmed the abcess had been reduced to almost zero, they began to inject me several times a day with metronidazole and amoxicillin.
My main concern, was that the doctors almost completely missed this abcess and would have let me go home with it still there!
Anyway... I now required 3x IV infusions of metronidazole and amoxicillin daily. Unfortunately this meant I would have to spend another two weeks in hospital.
After fighting hard, I managed to convince the hospital to allow me to go home with a special type of line, called a 'pic line' - Normally reserved for leukemia patients. It meant I could go home, and visit a local doctors surgery 3 times a day where a trained nurse could administer the IV's. I was extremely lucky to do this and it wouldn't normally be allowed, but it brightened me up a bit!
Once the metronidazole had finished, and the oral antibiotics they then put me on had finished - My crohns was actually under control and my life slowly began to turn back to normal. Unfortunately I lost my job inbetween being diagnosed and admitted to work, however I managed to land on my feet and was back in work within a month of being 'well' again.
And... along goes THREE years (Yes 3!) - I take up the gym, get up to a nice healthy weight, eat a fairly varied diet (I do not endulge on junk food constantly, however I can eat almost anything except spicy food and tough meat - Neither of which I particularly like anyway).
Until.... 4 weeks ago.
I woke up at around 3AM, with excruciating abdominal pains. Cue trip to A&E.
I mentioned crohns, however they were convinced it was something I'd eaten. They pretty much fobbed me off with some strong painkillers (tramadol) and told me to see my GP... brilliant!
Well sure enough, 3 days later the same thing happened. This time I was fast-tracked to a gastro ward at a local hospital. It appears I had a small bowel stricture, so I've been put through a course of IV hydrocortisone which has now finished, and I got home yesterday to carry on recouperating while the prednisolone works it's magic.
I'm sorry if I've waffled on a bit everyone, but that's my full.. in-depth story of crohns so far. I'm off work for a fair while and stumbled on this site and I'm so glad I did! I can't wait to start joining in with stuff and expanding my knowledge on the illness.
Take care all,
Adam x
My name is Adam, I'm 22, from Weymouth - UK and suffer from Crohns disease.
My crohns first started when I was 17, coming on 18. I began to suffer from diarrhea in small doses. Weeks went by, and I found myself nipping to the toilet at work 9-10 times a day. At this point I saw my GP who first of all advised I may have an upset stomach. I took immodium at first, on their advice. This provided a temporary solution but obviously it didn't really fix the problem.
I kind of put up with it for another 4-5 months, until I noticed I began to feel very lethargic. No energy, no motivation - I just didn't feel myself. All the while I began to suffer from hot/cold fevers, night sweats (Bed dripping from head to foot!).
This gradually became much much worse, and I began feeling feint at work. I also now had an almost impossible to describe sensation in my lower abdomen, where my appendix should be. (I've had mine removed). My liver used to feel 'numb', and I'd get pins and needles in it. This once got so bad I had a panic attack at home one evening, though nothing further came of it.
Eventually I managed to convince my GP something further was at play, so a simple blood test was performed. Obviously my markers for CRP etc were sky high, showing inflammation etc. Worryingly, my liver function test marker was also sky high. At this point I mentioned to my GP that my mum had also suffered from crohns. It was at that point I was immediately referred for a colonoscopy and an endoscopy, as well as a barium meal. AT this point I am extremely scared, and not quite sure what's going on.
After the colonoscopy, they find ulceration in my small bowel, large bowel and 'terminal ileum' (I think, apologies if this is wrong). During the endoscopy, from what I can remember - They approached a certain point in the procedure and I experienced a huge pain and there was an obstruction.
I was admitted to hospital, treated with prednisolone and kept in for a few weeks.
I thought this would be the end of it, however unknown to the docs there was a huge abcess which had formed on my liver. This abcess was the 'blockage' they came across in my colonoscopy, which had been causing my fevers, night sweats, chills, etc. I was all set to be discharged from hospital, although still suffering from horrendous night sweats, fever, and many other unpleasant effects. The day before I was due to leave, the docs thought it was just a flare-up, and the prednisolone would fix it after time. My mother PUSHED for a CT scan before I was discharged, and sure as hell - They found the large abcess attached to my liver!
You can imagine how soul crushing this was, having been told I was going home the next day!
I then had to have a small tube inserted between by two lower ribs, with a small sharp wire which literally 'stabbed' the abcess, and it was then drained. This was done in an ultrasound suite, with nothing more than local anaesthetic. Halfway through the procedure I pretty much passed out from the excruciating pain.
When I came to, I had a drainage bag attached to me, and the next week or so it had to slowly be drained. After an ultrasound confirmed the abcess had been reduced to almost zero, they began to inject me several times a day with metronidazole and amoxicillin.
My main concern, was that the doctors almost completely missed this abcess and would have let me go home with it still there!
Anyway... I now required 3x IV infusions of metronidazole and amoxicillin daily. Unfortunately this meant I would have to spend another two weeks in hospital.
After fighting hard, I managed to convince the hospital to allow me to go home with a special type of line, called a 'pic line' - Normally reserved for leukemia patients. It meant I could go home, and visit a local doctors surgery 3 times a day where a trained nurse could administer the IV's. I was extremely lucky to do this and it wouldn't normally be allowed, but it brightened me up a bit!
Once the metronidazole had finished, and the oral antibiotics they then put me on had finished - My crohns was actually under control and my life slowly began to turn back to normal. Unfortunately I lost my job inbetween being diagnosed and admitted to work, however I managed to land on my feet and was back in work within a month of being 'well' again.
And... along goes THREE years (Yes 3!) - I take up the gym, get up to a nice healthy weight, eat a fairly varied diet (I do not endulge on junk food constantly, however I can eat almost anything except spicy food and tough meat - Neither of which I particularly like anyway).
Until.... 4 weeks ago.
I woke up at around 3AM, with excruciating abdominal pains. Cue trip to A&E.
I mentioned crohns, however they were convinced it was something I'd eaten. They pretty much fobbed me off with some strong painkillers (tramadol) and told me to see my GP... brilliant!
Well sure enough, 3 days later the same thing happened. This time I was fast-tracked to a gastro ward at a local hospital. It appears I had a small bowel stricture, so I've been put through a course of IV hydrocortisone which has now finished, and I got home yesterday to carry on recouperating while the prednisolone works it's magic.
I'm sorry if I've waffled on a bit everyone, but that's my full.. in-depth story of crohns so far. I'm off work for a fair while and stumbled on this site and I'm so glad I did! I can't wait to start joining in with stuff and expanding my knowledge on the illness.
Take care all,
Adam x
x
