I need some advice please!!!

[sheepdogsforever]

Hello,

I joined your forum today in hopes that someone would have some advice for me.

My boyfriend was diagnosed with Crohns about 2 years ago. He has a pretty serious episode that left him in the hospital for over a week. Since then he has not had any other episodes like the first one. He has had many minor ones though. He is 42 years old and I don't think is taking this very seriously. I also think he is trying to ignore it in hopes it will just go away, denial. He has the same bottle of pills the doctor originally gave him. He only takes them when he feels pain. I know this is why his body is so screwed up. How can it ever be under control if he will not listen to the doctors.

His issue now is he has been in pretty bad pain the last couple of days. Today he now has green pee. He will not listen to me when I tell him he needs to go in. He wants to wait and see if it goes away. I'm not sure if this could be caused by the medication, he takes Asacol or if this is a complication from the Chrons. I was wondering if anyone here has had anything like that before or heard of anything like that before.

I'm sorry if my terms are wrong, I figured you all would be the best ones to ask.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and thanks in advance for any advice you may have.

Christina

 

[Guest]

hi Christina, & welcome to the forum - glad you found us.

firstly, the green urine - it is certainly something i have never heard of in connection to Crohns Disease. it could be something totally unrelated such as a urinary infection or even some colouring in your boyfriend's diet - but i would most definitely urge him to take a sample of his urine to his gp asap!

the pain he is in right now also may or not be Crohns - if the urine colour is due to an infection, it could be pain from that he is feeling.

however, if you both feel it's a Crohns flare, then again he should see his GP & maybe his gastro consultant too, and get some proper advice on how to live with Crohns, and how best to look after himself.

good luck - i hope he's ok! let us know how he gets on.

 

[Isla]

My mother once had green urine (like the color of green pea soup) and if he is similar he needs to go to a doctor. My mother had this due to complications of pneumonia, and was treated in the ICU for 1-2 days then remained in the hospital for a few more.

I take Asacol and do not have any adverse side ffects save for a little lower back pain, odd but it is actually a documented side effect. This medication does not cause green urine, and further more this medication doesn't work unless it builds up in your system for a while. Most people will not feel a change in their bowel for up to 4-6 weeks. Him taking it as if it were asprin is not really beneficial to him. Asacol depending on the dosage is for an active flare (higher doses) and then to keep UC or CD in the large intestine in remission (lower doses.)

He needs to be seen by a doctor. Pain doesn't always correlate to a CD flare. And he is not using his medication correctly. There could be something serious going on that has nothing to do with Crohns or it could be a horrible flare that could have been prevented with proper dilagence.

- But I do sympathize with your husband, I am the type to let things go a lot longer than I should. I say "I'm fine" or "it'll pass, no biggie." So if he will listen to you, you may need to be the voice of reason here.

Welcome...

 

[sheepdogsforever]

Thank you all for the advice and support.

I am going to keep pushing him on getting to the doctor. I think he has some sort of infection going on. Ever since he was diagnosed with Crohns it seems like he keeps getting all these wierd things. I'm sure some of it has nothing to do with the Crohns but some of it does. I wish he would just take care of himself, do what has to be done and listen to the doctor.

I didn't even think of the medication loosing it's effectiveness. I'm not sure who brought up that point but THANK YOU. I am going to push him to get in and see his doctor so they can get it all figured out. He has never had any reactions or side effects to his medication he just will not take it. He is on a lower dose of Asacol to keep him from flaring up. Ovbiously though since he has not been taking it regularly it is not working properly. Another point someone brought up, THANK YOU. I am going to bring that up to him and maybe he will realize he needs to take it all the time.

Thank you all so much. I am so glad I found this site. I will keep you updated on what happens. As of now he is not going to the doctor

Thanks again,
Christina

 

[Isla]

Well we are here if you have questions, or if you ever just need to talk. Even though you don't have IBD you certainly are living with the disease through him. I would venture to guess it is hard watching someone go through the process of the disease feeling a bit powerless to help him. I bet that just being there has already helped him a lot, knowing that he can count on you. Hope to see you around!

 

[Creepy Lurker]

I did exactly the same thing when I first got ill. The disease has pretty much destroyed most of my large intestine because of it.

Skipping medication is bad.

 

[BWS1982]

Same thing here. Yes, I put a week long mild flare on the back burner in early 2006 and it went away on its own, but I still to this day regret that repression because 7 months after that mini-flare, I was diagnosed. I could have had a big head start in the waging of this war and be in a very different place right now. Tell him the disease does not fight fair, nor does it concede, it simply sits in wait for windows of oppurtunity akin to the one your boyfriend is providing.

 

[Jeff D.]

Yeah I put off telling my GI about my rectal pain for years because I thought it would go away. I ended up needing surgery for an abscess. Get him to the doc right away if not the ER. You could always trick him and tell him you want him to go on a few errands with you if he won't go voluntarily. Sorry reminded me of a Seinfeld episode. I also wanted to welcome you to the forum and for showing such concern for your boyfriend. Good luck to the both of you

 

[sheepdogsforever]

Hi Everyone,

I told him everything you all said here. I think it made him think, some of it I had told him when he was first diagnosed but when I told him again he said he didn't know. I'm not sure if he forgot or if he is just playing dumb. He STILL has not gone to the doctor. This happens all the time, he will get a flare up take his medication for a few days and then stop when he feels better. I am sure it is doing damage somewhere. I am going to keep trying to get him to go in and atleast see his doctor. I have always had to go with him or he will not go. He needs to get new medication and talk to his doctor about his flare ups. He also has really bad joint pain and headaches and if I remember right that could be related to the Crohns. It is hard to help someone when they won't let you. I have been trying to get him to come on here and read some of the topics. Hopefully he will break down soon and check it out

Thanks again everyone,
Christina

 

[Isla]

Well hopefully we wouldn't put any pressure on him to do what he doesn't want to do. Some people on here and all over the world turn to more natural methods of dealing with their Crohns and no one method is ever right for everyone. If anything he can read what we all have written and hopefully gain some insight into the disease AND living with it. Good luck!

 

[Kev]

Us males of the species can be a stubborn lot. Perhaps if you can persuade him to take 'baby' steps... Like, 1st step, come to the forum, take a look around. we would be happy to answer any questions he might have. A lot of us guys on here have made the same mistakes; and we have paid the price. Maybe he can learn from our mistakes... And, green pea is no laughing matter; and since us fellows seem to be attached to our genitals; he might want to go get it checked out.. there are all kinds of nasty implications re genito-urinary issues... like necretizing fascititus (sp?).. AKA flesh eating disease. Not part of crohns; but it may not be crohns casuing the green pea... Just some FYI, okay?

 

[AgB621]

So now I'm a little concerned, I'm sorry I don't have much advice for the OP, but my pee has been slightly green (just a touch) since I got sick. At first they told me it was the antibiotics, but I've been off them now for several weeks and it still has the slightest tinge of green. Should I be worried? I'll mention it to my doctor of course.