Hey, just wanted to introduce myself before posting. I am a thirty-something male, just recently (July 2011) been diagnosed with IBD, not sure yet if it is Crohn's or Colitis, as the biopsy did not specify which. The doctor said it looked like Crohn's, so for now I will go with that.
Though I had been having what could be called digestive difficulties for several years, I really began having trouble a couple years ago with pain, bleeding, loose stool and frequent goings. I was diagnosed with a fissure two years ago, so I guess that was really the start of my problems. For the next while I managed symptoms as best I could with topical treatments and diet. This past July, because the bleeding had not stopped, I was referred for a sigmoidoscopy, after which I was diagnosed with IBD. I was prescribed Asacol, which helped somewhat with the discomfort, but not the frequency or bleeding.
In August I started having joint problems, mainly ankles and knees. The pain and swelling was so bad that some days I could barely walk. I was given prednisone for the joints, which worked great. However, my family doctor switched me to celebrex to get me off the prednisone. During the 12 days that I took the celebrex, my Crohn's symptoms became worse than ever, and I became rundown and exhausted, so I ended up back on the prednisone.
In November I had a colonoscopy, and it showed more inflammation and ulceration in the colon. As a result I am on a higher dose of prednisone, 40mgs, and still on the Asacol. Currently I am waiting for the results of blood tests so I can get started on Imuran, and then get off the prednisone. Also waiting on the blood test results to see if I am deficient in anything, or if there are any other problems, and then go from there. Since being on the higher dose of prednisone, my symptoms are getting much better and I do not have any joint problems. Hopefully, I will be able to tolerate the new medication and get off the steroids and have no joint problems. Heres to wishing.
So thats my digestion in a nutshell if anyone wishes to know, not really much of a conversation piece, but you get the idea. I'm just glad that I was diagnosed, know whats going on, and can get on with managing things. So many people spend so many years trying to figure out whats going on and get few answers or help. So I guess I've been lucky in that way. So, sorry for the book, hello to everyone, hope I can add something to this forum from time to time, and good luck.
Though I had been having what could be called digestive difficulties for several years, I really began having trouble a couple years ago with pain, bleeding, loose stool and frequent goings. I was diagnosed with a fissure two years ago, so I guess that was really the start of my problems. For the next while I managed symptoms as best I could with topical treatments and diet. This past July, because the bleeding had not stopped, I was referred for a sigmoidoscopy, after which I was diagnosed with IBD. I was prescribed Asacol, which helped somewhat with the discomfort, but not the frequency or bleeding.
In August I started having joint problems, mainly ankles and knees. The pain and swelling was so bad that some days I could barely walk. I was given prednisone for the joints, which worked great. However, my family doctor switched me to celebrex to get me off the prednisone. During the 12 days that I took the celebrex, my Crohn's symptoms became worse than ever, and I became rundown and exhausted, so I ended up back on the prednisone.
In November I had a colonoscopy, and it showed more inflammation and ulceration in the colon. As a result I am on a higher dose of prednisone, 40mgs, and still on the Asacol. Currently I am waiting for the results of blood tests so I can get started on Imuran, and then get off the prednisone. Also waiting on the blood test results to see if I am deficient in anything, or if there are any other problems, and then go from there. Since being on the higher dose of prednisone, my symptoms are getting much better and I do not have any joint problems. Hopefully, I will be able to tolerate the new medication and get off the steroids and have no joint problems. Heres to wishing.
So thats my digestion in a nutshell if anyone wishes to know, not really much of a conversation piece, but you get the idea. I'm just glad that I was diagnosed, know whats going on, and can get on with managing things. So many people spend so many years trying to figure out whats going on and get few answers or help. So I guess I've been lucky in that way. So, sorry for the book, hello to everyone, hope I can add something to this forum from time to time, and good luck.
