Hi, I'm new here

[kissycole_1979]

Hi my name is Christina. I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease in December of 05. I was 2 months pregnant and kept having pain in my lower right stomach and the nurses kept telling me it was the baby growing and stretching my muscles. It went on like that for two weeks and eventually got worse. So I went to the hospital in agony and they tell me they need to remove my appendix. I was so scared for my baby. They told me he could die or become disfigured because I wasn't yet 24 weeks. But I went through it just fine. They also found my intestine didn't look right so they removed a few inches and did a biopsy. They found I had crohn's disease. The baby thrived. I had a normal pregnancy and he is a healthy 4 1/2 month old. I am very glad I had the surgery or my son and me might not be here. I go for a colonoscopy to find out just where the disease is and whether it is active or inactive. It still pains me but I am glad they finally found out what it was. I have been suffering for 8 years. All the dr.s kept telling me it was acid reflux. I am glad to know it is not just me. People don't seem to have much sympathy and my boss used to get angry at me for having to constantly use the bathroom or leave work in pain. I hope to get to know everyone here and find some friends who are going through the same thing as me.:smile:

 

[DannyB]

Hello Christina,

Thanks for joining crohnsforum, you will meet a lot of new friends here from many parts of the globe. It sounds like your baby and yourself have been through the mill a bit but I hope its all on the up and up for you now.

Talk Soon

 

[kix66]

Welcome Kissy! I'm so glad your little guy is okay. Good luck with the colonoscopy, they are soooo fun...really they are not too bad. I've been knocked out for all of mine, don't remember a thing. Let us know if you need tips on prep.

 

[Cara Fusinato]

You will find that we here are all going through similar situations. We are a great source of strength and info. Welcome!

 

[Jeff D.]

Welcome to the forum. We all support each other here. You and your baby went through a lot. How is your child now.

Best of luck

 

[EBH]

HI Christina,
I am also new to this forum. I am so happy to hear about your success story of pregnancy with Crohn's. I have had the disease for 19 years and am thinking about gettng pregnant soon. I worry a lot about the impact the disease could have on the baby. If you have any tips on how to handle pregnancy with Crohn's, please pass it on.

Also, dont worry about the colonoscopy. With the exception of the prep, they are pretty easy. Check out an article on prepping for the colonoscopy on my health and wellness website: http://www.wikihealth.com/How_to_prepare_for_a_colonoscopy .
The site is a wiki, which means anyone can edit or contribute, so feel free to make changes or additions to the article after you have had your colonoscopy!
Good luck,

Elizabeth

 

[mikeyarmo]

Hello Christina,

It must have been a tough pregnancy for you with the additional pain and worry about your baby's health! It is really great to hear that everything worked out though with your son.

Colonoscopys are definately manageable, and if you have any specific questions about them (or about anything) just let us know .

 

[tonya_n_ky]

Welcome to the forum Christina and Congrats on your baby. Glad that things turned out well for you. Also glad to have ya here. You'll find out there's a lot of knowledge and great people. Take Care.

 

[kissycole_1979]

Thanks everyone. For one of you who asked how my baby is doing now he is doing fine. During labor he went into distress and swallowed meconium which gave him an infection and he also had a blood disorder called polycythemia. It is where your blood is too thick. He stayed in the hospital after I left which was hard so they could find out how to treat the blood disorder. Well after it wouldn't thin out they said he could come home and get monitored weekly at the hospital and eventually it thinned on its own. It was scary because left untreated it may cause leukemia and blood clots. So I am glad it is gone. He is a perfect baby and my own little miracle. They said having the surgery while being pregnant in no way caused that so I was glad about that. They said it just sometimes happens in newborns.

And to the person who said they are wanting to get pregnant be advised that the first three months might be tough. That is when crohn's may exacerbate and cause problems. I didn't know I had crohn's so I wasn't being monitored for any flare ups which probably would have helped a lot. Just be sure to have good doctor supervision. And Good luck!

 

[skeet]

Aloha Christina & welcome to the forum. Congrats on mommyhood. I envy you the coming years of watching your little man grow!

Hope you'll be back soon and often.

 

[Karen]

Welcome Aboard ... I am sure that you will have a great time here !! I am in OHIO too so have a good time here and my husband found out in December 05 that he has Crohn's too so it's a small world to find someone else that has it too. So, once again WELCOME & hope to hear from you drop me a PM sometime !!

 

[flying4frogs]

Welcome to the crew!

Nelson

 

[Dekar]

Welcome to the site!

 

[Nancy Lee]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[ruthymg]

Hi, and welcome, pleased to hear your little one arrived safely.


Ruth

 

[ruthymg]

HI Christina,
I have had the disease for 19 years and am thinking about gettng pregnant soon. I worry a lot about the impact the disease could have on the baby. If you have any tips on how to handle pregnancy with Crohn's, please pass it on.



Elizabeth

Hi, Elizabeth, I had a pregnancy 2 and a half years ago and everything went smoothly, I had to have a caesarean due to anal fistulas but other than that I had no probs. I did stop taking the Imuran though as it can cause difformities in some cases and I didn't want to take the risk. If anything my crohns improved during pregnancy and this is quite common. Hope everything goes smoothly for you.


Ruth

 

[DiNozzos_Chick]

to Crohn's!