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FClark85
Guest
I just joined yesterday and am happy to have found a place where we can discuss our real everyday issues in living with this disease. I try to research a lot to learn about my disease but nothing compares to first hand experience of other people affected by it. Anyways, I am a 23 year old female and was diagnosed with Crohn's Colitis just before my 15th birthday. Just a little background, I've had 2 bowel resections and a peri-anal fistula repair as far as surgerys go. I've had 2 obstructions, a fistula going to my bladder for 3 years, an abcess that had perforated my abdominal wall, peri-anal fistula and abcess, hemorroids...am i forgetting anything? lol.
My latest flare started back on October. I had my wisdom teeth pulled and didn't want narcotic pain medication so me and my doctor discussed it and he agreed I could take the anti-inflammatory pain meds instead, as a lot of you probably know NSAIDS are not good for crohn's, so that's what caused this flare. I'll stick with the narcotics next time but i wish we had more options for pain, anyways. I lost almost 30 lbs, and i wasn't big to start, 5'3'' 105 lbs. down to 78 lbs. I was admitted to the hospital the last week of december, another holiday in the hospital, because my meds weren't working at home and needed them intravenous. I spent 8 days there and since getting out i feel better, I have less pain and diarrhea, but still can't gain weight. My doctor said that this is probably because I am only on prednisone right now which will help me feel a lot better but not really 'fix' anything. I was supposed to start methotrexate but my health insurance was cancelled recently and this is an expensive med. I should be getting the health insurance back soon so that will make things much easier. I'm getting a colonoscopy next week so at least then i'll know what's really going on inside of me and what needs to be done to get back on track. I had to have a blood transfusion a couple weeks ago because my red cells were so low which i dont understand why, I'm not having any dark blood just bright red on the toilet paper which i think is just because of a hemorroid. My doctor thinks I might have a blockage and I also have a fistula going to my vagina right now, NO FUN! lol, i get air and a little discharge which is totally embarrassing because I have no control of when or where the air comes out, luckily i have a very understanding boyfriend. I'm concerned about this for when I can go back to work, I work at a spa and give facials, imagine that acting up during a facial, I've considered getting a new job all together. Does anybody have any experience or advice about this issue, I wonder if using a tampon would help but don't want to make anything worse than it is. Also, does anybody have any experience or advice with methotrexate??? I was on Purinethol since age 15 but they found out with this flare that it had stopped working. New medications scare me, especially the cancer ones, with all the potential side effects. Of all of this what frustrates me the most is how this disease seems to act up out of nowhere and just put your whole life on hold, I've been out of work since the end of october and had to move in with my mother to support me, it's frustrating not being able to take care of yourself financially. And being stuck at home everyday really sucks especially when you're starting to feel better but can't go back to work yet. I'm just getting tired of this disease interfering with my life. I can't wait to have this colonoscopy so I can find out what's going on inside of me and whether i need another surgery. Well, I think I've gone on long enough, like I said it's nice to have a place to talk about this stuff where I know other people will actually understand, I needed to vent, lol.
My latest flare started back on October. I had my wisdom teeth pulled and didn't want narcotic pain medication so me and my doctor discussed it and he agreed I could take the anti-inflammatory pain meds instead, as a lot of you probably know NSAIDS are not good for crohn's, so that's what caused this flare. I'll stick with the narcotics next time but i wish we had more options for pain, anyways. I lost almost 30 lbs, and i wasn't big to start, 5'3'' 105 lbs. down to 78 lbs. I was admitted to the hospital the last week of december, another holiday in the hospital, because my meds weren't working at home and needed them intravenous. I spent 8 days there and since getting out i feel better, I have less pain and diarrhea, but still can't gain weight. My doctor said that this is probably because I am only on prednisone right now which will help me feel a lot better but not really 'fix' anything. I was supposed to start methotrexate but my health insurance was cancelled recently and this is an expensive med. I should be getting the health insurance back soon so that will make things much easier. I'm getting a colonoscopy next week so at least then i'll know what's really going on inside of me and what needs to be done to get back on track. I had to have a blood transfusion a couple weeks ago because my red cells were so low which i dont understand why, I'm not having any dark blood just bright red on the toilet paper which i think is just because of a hemorroid. My doctor thinks I might have a blockage and I also have a fistula going to my vagina right now, NO FUN! lol, i get air and a little discharge which is totally embarrassing because I have no control of when or where the air comes out, luckily i have a very understanding boyfriend. I'm concerned about this for when I can go back to work, I work at a spa and give facials, imagine that acting up during a facial, I've considered getting a new job all together. Does anybody have any experience or advice about this issue, I wonder if using a tampon would help but don't want to make anything worse than it is. Also, does anybody have any experience or advice with methotrexate??? I was on Purinethol since age 15 but they found out with this flare that it had stopped working. New medications scare me, especially the cancer ones, with all the potential side effects. Of all of this what frustrates me the most is how this disease seems to act up out of nowhere and just put your whole life on hold, I've been out of work since the end of october and had to move in with my mother to support me, it's frustrating not being able to take care of yourself financially. And being stuck at home everyday really sucks especially when you're starting to feel better but can't go back to work yet. I'm just getting tired of this disease interfering with my life. I can't wait to have this colonoscopy so I can find out what's going on inside of me and whether i need another surgery. Well, I think I've gone on long enough, like I said it's nice to have a place to talk about this stuff where I know other people will actually understand, I needed to vent, lol.
