In your opinion, what caused your crohn's disease?

Crohn's Disease Forum

Help Support Crohn's Disease Forum:

J

james

Guest
hello all, I was diagnosed with crohn's disease in october of 2006 and I have been doing alot of research into possible causes of the disease. I know that there are a lot of theories out there as to the cause such as genetics, environmental factors, high intake of sugars/carbohydrates, antibiotic use, vaccinations, and stress to name a few. This website is a great resource for us and for my own knowledge and yours I would greatly appreciate if all of you would respond with the following information.

1. when you were diagnosed with crohn's disease?

2. How old you were when diagnosed?

3. Male or Female?

4. What country and region you lived when diagnosed or symptoms began?

5. Did your symptoms begin suddenly out of the blue or did they start off mild and increase over time?

6. In your own opinion, what caused your crohn's disease?
 
I will go first.

1. oct, 2006
2. 22
3.Male
4. U.S-Connecticut
5. Suddenly, never similar symptoms
6. most likely antibiotic use
 
1. May 2008 they saw inflammation in the large colon, colonoscopy had them suspecting Crohn's-so far just officially diagnosed with IBD
2. 28
3. Female
4. U.S.-Southern California
5. Mine seemed to build up over time...had minor stomach issues in January, by mid February started getting cramping, and didn't lose a ton of weight until April or so. That's when I finally went in to see the Dr.
6. I think it is a combination of things. I think it lies dormant in your body and I think my new job position, stress, anxiety, and exhaustion all played a role in waking it up. Just the right combination to make a IBD cocktail I guess!
 
Ok, (though I don't think it will make one bit of difference)

1. June 2008
2. 28
3. F
4. Middlewest, America
5. Symptoms occurred suddenly, 8 years prior
6. I think it was acquired environmentally either chemically or organically.
 
1. May 2007
2. 15
3. Female
4. WA, USA
5. symptoms increased over time beginning Oct 2006
6. Genetics (I inherited another autoimmune inflammatory disease from my grandmother, so I assume Crohn's is part of the package.)
 
good study, James, and welcome to the forum :)

1. approx 1985, but had been suffering for at least the previous 9 years.

2. 22

3. Female

4. UK, Lancashire

5. mild, then increased in severity.. worsened in the last year before diagnosis.

6. emotional upset, antibiotics, genetic factors. in that order.
 
Shit doesn't happen, it forms - geez what colon have you been looking into? A 2 footer??!?!?
 
1. when you were diagnosed with crohn's disease?
Almost two years ago.

2. How old you were when diagnosed?
When I was forty six years old.

3. Male or Female?
Male.

4. What country and region you lived when diagnosed or symptoms began?
Northern Minnesota.

5. Did your symptoms begin suddenly out of the blue or did they start off mild and
increase over time?
I have had on and off symptoms for most of my life. They did not last long until I
formed a stricture. This coincided with the most stressful period of life I have
experienced.

6. In your own opinion, what caused your crohn's disease?
Not sure. Possibly genetics that result in an adverse reaction to
vaccinations.

Could be any number of other contributers as well.

A lot could be known by the answer to one question. Do the Amish have
Crohn's ? They generally do not vaccinate.

Dan
 
1. 1998 (feel old)

2. 17 (I feel *really* old)

3. Male

4. England

5. Very sudden

6. I have no idea. Nothing was different. It was probably one of those inevitable things that would have happened no matter what I did.
 
1. Sept 27, 2006, late morning

2. 24 years old

3. Male

4. Suburban Chicago, USA

5. mild flaring for a week 7 months prior, went away on it's own, then mild flaring for several days again, doctor admitted me to hospital for diagnosis

6. I have no clue, karma for all I know, could be genetics, environment, something I ate, a supplement I took (all were legal)....
 
1. when you were diagnosed with crohn's disease?
1990
2. How old you were when diagnosed?
27
3. Male or Female?
Male
4. What country and region you lived when diagnosed or symptoms began?
Southern Alberta, Canada
5. Did your symptoms begin suddenly out of the blue or did they start off mild and increase over time?
Gradually over time
6. In your own opinion, what caused your crohn's disease?
Definitely not genetics. No close or even distant relatives with it or with anything similar. Having said that, I am of Northern European ancestry.

I think the trigger might have been environmental factors -- perhaps something ingested via the food chain. But I really can't say for certain.
 
Last edited:
1. nov 2006

2. 31

3. i have a pee pee

4. aussie aussie aussie oi oi oi

5. from minor symptoms to major fun

6. genetic experiments done by the government in conjustion with extra terrestrials in preperation for the coming of a new era. crohns patients are the ones designated to be in controll of the human race. colitus sufferers are to be our receptionists (with full access to health care and interent), and general IBS people will also have a special place (yet to be decided) at our right hands. So I for one am glad i get to suffer with this intolerable illness, for one day we will be worshipped for hardship we've been thru.

yup.
 
Creepy Lurker said:
1. 1998 (feel old)

2. 17 (I feel *really* old)
Click to expand...

Umm since we about the same age - then I would say that would make ME old and since I am NOT you must recant your "old" statements immediately or you may incur hefty fines or possible imprisonment!
 
jed said:
1. nov 2006

2. 31

3. i have a pee pee

4. aussie aussie aussie oi oi oi

5. from minor symptoms to major fun

6. genetic experiments done by the government in conjustion with extra terrestrials in preperation for the coming of a new era. crohns patients are the ones designated to be in controll of the human race. colitus sufferers are to be our receptionists (with full access to health care and interent), and general IBS people will also have a special place (yet to be decided) at our right hands. So I for one am glad i get to suffer with this intolerable illness, for one day we will be worshipped for hardship we've been thru.

yup.
Click to expand...


:lol:
 
1. when you were diagnosed with crohn's disease?
12 december 1998 10.30 am
2. How old you were when diagnosed?
28

3. Male or Female?
female

4. What country and region you lived when diagnosed or symptoms began?
sussex england
5. Did your symptoms begin suddenly out of the blue or did they start off mild and increase over time?
they started when i fell pregnnt
6. In your own opinion, what caused your crohn's disease?
my son!!! i was fine until i was pregnaant.


great answer jed!!! your slightly mad though
james have you thought about going the polls section of this website? there is loads of questions/anwsers there.
regards sharon x
 
Isla said:
Umm since we about the same age - then I would say that would make ME old and since I am NOT you must recant your "old" statements immediately or you may incur hefty fines or possible imprisonment!
Click to expand...

Okay, maybe 'older' would have been a better way of putting it ;)
 
merrywidow said:
great answer jed!!! your slightly mad though
Click to expand...

lol, i have my moments:)

you got crohns during pregnancy! (think i've read that before), always meant to say "THAT HAD TO REALLY SUCK!!!!!!". feel for ya!
 
1. 2000

2. 17

3. Male

4. Central US

5. Mild as if in remission increasing slowly over my life time and then became very active at age 16.

6. I don't know and it doesn't really matter. My 'feelings' on the matter are irrelevant to the truth. The most probable cause is genetic abnormality through inheritance and/or mutation.
 
You'll never know about the Amish because they wouldn't allow themselves to be diagnosed. Either because they won't go to a doctor at all or because they won't allow tests like colonoscopies to be performed due to the modern equipment.

As for Ashkenazi Jews, they make up about 80% of the modern Jewish population (more appropriately called European Jews than Eastern European) and almost 100% of the American Jewish population. Odd considering they made up about 20% at the beginning of the 20th century but that's how the cookie (holocaust) crumbles.

Anyway, don't let doctors tag diseases to races. Especially with Jews, there's so much interbreeding going on no one can even keep track of it. Just because you call yourself white doesn't mean great great great grandpa Jeremiah Jones wasn't really Native American and managed to pinchinko some genetic problems down to you.
 
Alberta has some of the highest incidences of IBD per capita in the world Link, with it particularly clustered in the southern portion of the province. The two main industries are natural gas/petroleum exploration and the beef industry. While there are no definitive links (and noting there are far more polluted parts of the world), it's an interesting starting point in my opinion.
 
1. when was I diagnosed with crohn's disease? January 24th 2006 During an Emergency Appendectomy

2. How old you were when diagnosed? 34 years old...

3. Male or Female? Male

4. What country and region you lived when diagnosed or symptoms began? United States I was in North Carolina at the time, though not from that area.

5. Did your symptoms begin suddenly out of the blue or did they start off mild and increase over time? I had symptoms all my life, hid them for years before they took me down for the count

6. In your own opinion, what caused your crohn's disease? I figure numerous things, Genetics, medications, Alcohol, any trigger that Crohn's can monopolize upon. I had multiple admissions ten years prior to my actual diagnosis, if someone (Physician) would have paid little closer attention they'd been able to have a true diagnosis long before a wasted appendix surgery for Regional Enteritis.

:voodoo: is what Crohn's is to my gut.....
 
1. 19 years ago

2. 10 years old

3. female

4. US- Pennsylvania

5. All of a sudden

6. I had a bad body image (yes even at 10) I went through a period where I was starving myself to be thin like my sister then a little while later I had Crohns I really think that it may have been my original trigger that set my autoimmune disease into a spiral
 
1. Oct of 2000

2. 30

3. Female

4. US - northwest

5. Sudden and severe

6. I think it was from the local cattle. A lot of fresh meat eaten in that state. Funny how I had never even heard of this disease and then in the span of 1 year both I and my best friend's 9yr old son come down with sudden/severe Crohns.

They said my lower intestine looked like a cobblestone road when I had my first 'oscopy, the ulcers were so bad. Looked suspiciously like that Johne's disease looks under a microscope... >.< Gawd forbid you talk bad about the cattle industry though. And yes I still love steak. Can't always eat it, but I do love it.
 
1. when was I diagnosed with crohn's disease?
October 2006

2. How old you were when diagnosed?
18

3. Male or Female?
Female

4. What country and region you lived when diagnosed or symptoms began?
Indiana, USA

5. Did your symptoms begin suddenly out of the blue or did they start off mild and increase over time?
Symptoms started out of the blue... right after I graduated high school.

6. In your own opinion, what caused your crohn's disease?
A combination of family history with autoimmune diseases (not Crohn's though), stress, NSAID overuse, depression, and a Meningitis vaccine.
 
The truth is that there's probably multiple causes and we have multiple diseases and it's kind of like us all sharing 'flu symptoms.' It's also why there's so much difference in the details between us. Of course the different diseases won't be sorted out for years and years to come. Most diseases have been like that actually.
 
I wondered about that Colt, several diseases/syndromes/afflictions now were one singular diagnosis decades or centuries ago...
 
1. when you were diagnosed with crohn's disease? November 2005

2. How old you were when diagnosed? 26

3. Male or Female? Female

4. What country and region you lived when diagnosed or symptoms began? Washington, USA

5. Did your symptoms begin suddenly out of the blue or did they start off mild and increase over time? Suddenly and increasingly got worse :)

6. In your own opinion, what caused your crohn's disease? Genetics. However, I believe stress of my parents divorcing and my pregnancy triggered my first major flare. I had a mild flare in July 2001 while living in California. The doctor removed my perfectly health appendix and noted in the surgery report that my ileum and small intestines were inflammed. Dr. Smarty Pants!!!
 
revisiting my answer to question 6.

i always really used to be into "positive affirmations" going round in my head as i went to sleep.

i always used to use "i'll sleep well and wake up healthier".

i've always lol'd over the thought that maybe it worked to much and made my immune system to strong?

but then if that was true, why arent my positive affirmations these days working to cure me (or even settle my flare)??
 
Great idea for a poll.

1. April, 2003

2. 31

3. Male

4. Grew up in New England. Living in NYC when diagnosed.

5. I had mild episodes of diarrhea or cramping since I was a kid. But, it was 3 consecutive weeks of watery poo that got me in to get testing.

6. Several reasons. I'm Polish and ate lots of kielbasa growing up. So, diet probably is an issue. But, I really believe stress is a major factor. I internalize it and know my innards tighten up when I get stressed. My mom had UC so genetics also plays a role.
 
james said:
1. when you were diagnosed with crohn's disease?

2. How old you were when diagnosed?

3. Male or Female?

4. What country and region you lived when diagnosed or symptoms began?

5. Did your symptoms begin suddenly out of the blue or did they start off mild and increase over time?

6. In your own opinion, what caused your crohn's disease?
Click to expand...

1. April, 2006
2. 40 (geez, I feel old compared to the rest of you)
3. Male
4. Indiana, USA
5. Symptoms have been an ongoing process for years, just never had a doctor smart enough to recognize the symptoms.
6. Genetics
 
1. When you were diagnosed with crohn's disease?
Summer 2002
2. How old you were when diagnosed?
Uh... I just can't remember that one. (Shut-up)
3. Male or Female?
Feeemale
4. What country and region you lived when diagnosed or symptoms began?
New York State, USA
5. Did your symptoms begin suddenly out of the blue or did they start off mild and increase over time?
Started with an anal skin tag (sexy, I know) and diarreah. Kind of out of the blue.
6. In your own opinion, what caused your crohn's disease?
No idea. What causes most diseases that don't "seem" like they are linked to anything?
Third world countries have a very low incidence of Crohn's, yes?
Maybe I'll move to one and see if goes away. HA!
 
3rd-world countries have fewer incidences of Crohn's... That kind of goes along with the "hygiene hypothesis." Did anyone live in a really clean/sterile/isolated-from-all-microbes environment as a kid?
 
No. I literally played in an open sewage ditch every day from 1st to 4th grade. I fell in to the 'water' a few times even. I had exposure to the dirty outdoors most of my childhood and even my home was a nasty mess most of the time. I even had a pet rat that I shared a bed with and everything while I was at my worst back in high school.
 
Anyone heard that not breast feeding a baby can cause it illness?

I have had friends tell me this...I told my mom and she laughed...said "so that's what's wrong with you-you weren't breast fed!"

Of course some of the same friends who insisted it was the only way have since had babies and buy formula.
 
I wasn't breast fed... don't think I could breast feed if I had kids... just guess I don't have that "motherly instinct" of wanting baby slobber on my nips. Although keep in mind I'm not having kids :)
 
I was breast fed. I breast fed both of my kids for almost a year too. (Yay me!) They were quite healthy as babies, but last winter they got fever after fever. I don't know how long the breast feeding benefits really last. BIG proponant of breast feeding though. And it's easy and cheap. It's not slobbery at all, and they don't bite when they are little.
 
I tried to breast feed my daughter but she was diagnosed with GERD at 2 weeks old and had to be put on medications and special formula. I tried breast feeding most of the time for the first 6 weeks, for the benefit of her then promptly stopped.
 
I was breast fed but I did not breast feed either of my children. My doctor was afraid that I would flare after having them and was afraid that they wouldn't get proper nutrition, and breast feeding would have limited the meds that I would be able to use if I did flare. Both of my kids are very healthy and happy also very very intelligent even without the breast milk.
 
Flares can cause malnutrition for breastfed babies? That seems really odd, the only way that seems plausible is if the Crohnie mom had extreme malabsorbtion problems - that would totally suck!
 
Isla said:
Flares can cause malnutrition for breastfed babies? That seems really odd, the only way that seems plausible is if the Crohnie mom had extreme malabsorbtion problems - that would totally suck!
Click to expand...

I think his thinking was that if I breast fed and then started to flare to the point that I was unable to eat, that I wouldn't be getting proper nutrition myself and what good would it be to the baby if his mommy couldn't eat.
 
Breastfeeding greatly reduces the occurrence of crohn's disease and a lot of other diseases too. The baby's immune system is naturally reliant on the breast milk both for immediate use of the antibodies but also as building blocks for its development. Not to mention that it's perfect nutrition. Formula doesn't even come close to the nutritional value of breast milk. You can especially notice the difference in that breast fed babies' poop rarely smells bad. Formula poop on the other hand is disgusting. Its a lot of work, but the benefits for the child are massive.
 
1. when you were diagnosed with crohn's disease?
April 06

2. How old you were when diagnosed?
20

3. Male or Female?
Female

4. What country and region you lived when diagnosed or symptoms began?
Southern California United states

5. Did your symptoms begin suddenly out of the blue or did they start off mild and increase over time?
The day after my 20th birthday I started having problems. Took the doctors nine months to find the cause. In the mean time they just told me I was crazy!

6. In your own opinion, what caused your crohn's disease?
I have no idea. I worked at a Boy Scout camp for seven years and I joke that all the crappy started my Crohn's
 
Auto-Immune disease would be the umbrella that covers many different, yet related diseases that result from an improper functioning immune system.

I am convinced that if you could fix the immune response many or all of them would disappear. In that sense, they are all different manifestations of the same disease.

Dan
 
D Bergy said:
Auto-Immune disease would be the umbrella that covers many different, yet related diseases that result from an improper functioning immune system.

I am convinced that if you could fix the immune response many or all of them would disappear. In that sense, they are all different manifestations of the same disease.

Dan
Click to expand...

That begs the question: Should we eat in a way that gives our immune systems maximum strength? We are all bombarded with ads for foods that boost the immune system but should a crohns sufferer boost a malfunctioning immune system?
 
No, that would not help.

I have a blood disorder that creates deformed blood cells. If you give me something to produce more blood cells, guess what, I will just produce more deformed blood cells. Same could be viewed for boosting a broken immune system. Boosting by volume won't make a difference if what you are boosting in the first place isn't working or works against you.
 
I guess that is a "depends on" question. A good question, with no simple answer.

It is my currrent understanding that some initial response to a bacteria or more than one bacteria is inadequete to kill the offending bacteria. I think it consists of a strain of E-Coli and Mycobacterium Tuberculosis. There could be more. I could be wrong.

Then a more powerful secondary response kicks in, but it is also an unproductive type of response and results in inflammation long term. Unproductive because it never totally gets rid of the offending bacteria.

If you could boost your total immune response to a level that would allow the detruction of the offending bacteria, then that would solve the problem. Your inflammation response would only last a short time as it normally does, and return to normal once the bacteria is gone or greatly reduced. After that the bacteria would be killed before it ever got to a critical response level.

The flip side of that is you may boost it enough to just cause more damage without killing the invaders.

I used the approach of attempting to kill the bacteria off first, and then boosted or normalized "depending on which school of thought you follow" my immune system using LDN to keep things more normal.

As far as I can tell without a scope, it is working as planned. Of course it may not work forever either. All I can say for sure is I am better than I was before my symptoms started.

I think it has a better than even chance of working the rest of my life, but there is probably some wishful thinking mixed in.

Just opinions based on what facts I am currently aware of.

Dan
 
1. I was diagnosed Mid August, 2008.

2. I was 22 when i was diagnosed.

3. Male

4. I lived/live in the USA/Midwest

5. I'd say they started off mildly then increased quite dramatically at a recent point in my life.

6. I'd say genetics are the reason. I have a few uncles on my father's side diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. I'm Mexican too and spicy foods are a big part of my culture. Almost everything i eat has to be spicy or else it isn't as good if it doesn't have that spicy flavor/twist; i love spicy foods. Even though spicy foods were giving me digestive issues throughout the years i couldn't lay off of them. So I'd have to say my mild intolerance of spicy foods maybe had to do something with it as well. Though i've been reading its just a myth and they may help trigger symptoms, I can't help but think maybe if i laid off the spicy stuff I would have been better off.
 
RHOV said:
3rd-world countries have fewer incidences of Crohn's... That kind of goes along with the "hygiene hypothesis." Did anyone live in a really clean/sterile/isolated-from-all-microbes environment as a kid?
Click to expand...
i never grew up clean and tidy, we would go out and get covered in allsorts of mud and stuff, we would go home, mum would put our clothes in the wash and us in the bath.
i dont beelieve its hygiene that "causes " crohns, i think its the rubbish they put in the food. third world countries dont have processed food or stuff like that do they? regards sharon x
 
the way i see it, the hygiene hypothesis and the genetic factor could potentially be linked. if the last few generation of our families have been living in first-world countries with great advancements in cleanliness (purified water, sewage systems, disinfectants), we could, over time, lose out natural resistance to illness. if we're never exposed to anything "bad" then something will come along and take us down completely. or because our immune systems aren't exposed to microbes, etc, they don't have to work as hard and become more vulnerable than immune systems that are used to fighting off diseases. maybe that's why our immune systems basically attack our own bodies. obviously, i can't prove that this is true, but to me, it sounds like a pretty plausible theory. i played in the dirt when i was little too, but i know that the last few generations of my family lived in pretty clean environments.
 
My current GI says there's no conclusive evidence in either direction to say foods can't cause a flare, because I asked him if I could be in this long flare simply because of a bad food choice...but, if you want to touch on the concept of foods causing Crohns, the med community is usually uniformally in the position to say no, foods can't GIVE you Crohns...but I wouldn't be so surprised if I one day encountered proof of opposing data.

The "hygeine theory" is one I've read about too, multiple times, and I see it as plausible, since it can't be disproven, at least....all possibilities should remain viable for the time being until this b*tch of a disease can be comprehended.

Also, RHOV, no, no bubble residence, just being silly. I did however, live in a womb briefly, far as I know.
 
I am not sure if food can cause a long term flare, but if I eat onions or malt my intestines do swell and prevent the passage of food for a while. As long as I avoid those two food items I am perfectly fine.

I am thinking this is an allergy rather than a Crohn's symptom, but they both can work together to cause a miserable experience.

Dan
 
1. when you were diagnosed with crohn's disease?
About half a year ago, though they thought it Crohn's for about a year longer than that.

2. How old you were when diagnosed?
27

3. Male or Female?
Male, (had my mind on the last question)

4. What country and region you lived when diagnosed or symptoms began?
USA, Texas

5. Did your symptoms begin suddenly out of the blue or did they start off mild and increase over time?
Mild and increase

6. In your own opinion, what caused your crohn's disease?
I have no clue, I did move in with my Mother about a year or two before the start of the problems. Also started college.
 
Last edited:
D bergy,

You might want to get a food allergy test done. you might have developed food allergies to those foods as well as others
 
1. when you were diagnosed with crohn's disease? still not fully diagnosed although my doctor is sure that it is crohns

2. How old you were when diagnosed? i was 17 when i was taken ill bt im 18 now

3. Male or Female? female

4. What country and region you lived when diagnosed or symptoms began? england, stoke on trent

5. Did your symptoms begin suddenly out of the blue or did they start off mild and increase over time? jsut started to go off food and then suddenly started vomiting blood

6. In your own opinion, what caused your crohn's disease? stress.. arguments and lots of college work.. although my nana has tummy problems like ulcers etc
 
there is a lot of info on maps and i think that they have been looking at that for a while. However, I think that it is interesting how they think that crohn's isnt just one disease but several diseases with similar symptoms.
 
We don't have IBD in our family, HOWEVER, one of my brothers had a problem with his stomach not emptying properly. He was in terrible pain after every meal. They don't know what caused it, but they eventually ended up doing a gastric bypass surgery on him to fix it.
 
1. Diagnosed in september 07

2. 14

3. Male

4. England, Leicestershire

5. i noticed pain after eating for about a month but then suddenly i started losing weight and had almost no appetite. every time i ate i was in agony and eventually sick. after a few days i stopped eating completely and ending up losing over 20 pounds in little over a week.

6. my mum suffered from IBS for 20 years which i think is connected, due to family issues i find myself eating alot of unhealthy but easy to obtain meals which are not good for me and alot of stress about my mum getting motor neurone disease about 2 years ago.
 
james said:
there is a lot of info on maps and i think that they have been looking at that for a while. However, I think that it is interesting how they think that crohn's isnt just one disease but several diseases with similar symptoms.
Click to expand...


It's kind of like 'the cold.' Which consists of 2 entire families of viruses. 50% of infections are rhino virus but the other 50% is divided up among hundreds of different viruses.
 
1. Exactly a year ago.

2. 39

3. Female

4. Caribbean

5. Sudden onset of symptoms - classified as severe.

6. Moved into a new home....terrible neighbour....literally had me shaking every day.....STRESS! Otherwise, I was perfectly healthy.

Currently stable on Imuran and Pentasa.
 
1. when you were diagnosed with crohn's disease?
2006

2. How old you were when diagnosed?
25
3. Male or Female?
F
4. What country and region you lived when diagnosed or symptoms began?
California
5. Did your symptoms begin suddenly out of the blue or did they start off mild and increase over time?
I've had symptoms but they just got worse in the past 3 years
6. In your own opinion, what caused your crohn's disease?
I also have another genetic autoimmune disease that attacks the intestines when I eat gluten, Celiac disease. I believe that had something to do with it, because my mother and grandfather have also been diagnosised with celiac's and my grand father with crohn's. I don't eat the gluten anymore (which is the only treatment for celiac disease) but the crohn's just continues to get worse!
 
Pen said:
Hi Indy, welcome, stress is not nice, and creates havoc on anyone's system. Moving is one of the worst next to a death and divorces. I got sick everytime I moved and took awhile to figure that out. Hope you are feeling better. Take care, hope to see you around the forum!
Click to expand...
Thank you very much for your kind comments. Twice I was hospitalized, severe diarrhoea, anal fissure, anal leakage, painful haemrrhoids, joint swelling / pain so severe that I couldn't walk, jaws could barely open, ear pain etc. Prayer and meds have me stable for now. Actually I feel pretty good...but very frightened of possible flare-ups.
 
1. when you were diagnosed with crohn's disease?
2003

2. How old you were when diagnosed?
32
3. Male or Female?
Female

4. What country and region you lived when diagnosed or symptoms began?
South Manchester, United Kingdom

5. Did your symptoms begin suddenly out of the blue or did they start off mild and increase over time?
Very sudden - initial thinking was that I had food poisoning. I remember sitting in the car in traffic, and getting this appalling pain in my gut - next thing I knew I was slumped over the steering wheel with my almost 5 year old ds poking me. I'd fainted (first and only time) - so so grateful that I was in standing traffic with my hand brake on. Had it happened 2 minutes earlier I'd have been moving, and that is too horrifying to thing about.

6. In your own opinion, what caused your crohn's disease?
Absolutely no idea. I have a long history of health issues, including things like ME. I choose to think that CD is a fairly random thing - it's autoimmune, so it could have been asthma, exzema, whatever - instead it's CD.
 
1. when you were diagnosed with crohn's disease?
March, 2008

2. How old you were when diagnosed?
21

3. Male or Female?
Female

4. What country and region you lived when diagnosed or symptoms began?
I have lived my entire life on the east coast of the United States (New Jersey, one year in Boston when I was 3, Washington, D.C., and Maryland.)

5. Did your symptoms begin suddenly out of the blue or did they start off mild and increase over time?
My stomach has bothered me as long as I can remember, but things got immensely worse after an infection following a course of antibiotics (most likely C. Difficile).

6. In your own opinion, what caused your crohn's disease?
Certain things lead me to believe I've had it for quite some time...I have always had a high white cell count, I remember getting stress-related stomach aches and diarrhea as early as age 7, as well as some food sensitivities which got increasingly bad over time...From around adolescence or so, I slowly began to avoid milk, anything greasy, and eating in restaurants. I got really sick last spring and had to be hospitalized. My doctor says it was the infection which triggered it, and that seems right to me since I feel much worse now than I did before the infection.
 
1. when you were diagnosed with crohn's disease?
Nov 2000
2. How old you were when diagnosed?
26
3. Male or Female?
Male
4. What country and region you lived when diagnosed or symptoms began?
Lebanon, Middle East
5. Did your symptoms begin suddenly out of the blue or did they start off mild and increase over time
Bad cramping and gas 2 months before
6. In your own opinion, what caused your crohn's disease?
A series of vaccinations and stress I guess. Not genetics; I have no relatives with this
 
Last edited:
1. when was I diagnosed with crohn's disease?
august 2008

2. How old you were when diagnosed?
26

3. Male or Female?
Female

4. What country and region you lived when diagnosed or symptoms began?
Grimsby, UK

5. Did your symptoms begin suddenly out of the blue or did they start off mild and increase over time?
out the blue

6. In your own opinion, what caused your crohn's disease?
i have no idea. Allergy or being anemic maybe
 
1. when you were diagnosed with crohn's disease?
September 2008

2. How old you were when diagnosed?
28

3. Male or Female?
Female

4. What country and region you lived when diagnosed or symptoms began?
Halifax, Nova Scotia

5. Did your symptoms begin suddenly out of the blue or did they start off mild and increase over time?
I had what I now expect was a bad 'flare' last fall which calmed down on its own somewhat, but the symptoms continued to increase until present day

6. In your own opinion, what caused your crohn's disease?
Lots of things, my brother, grandfather (maternal) and 2 cousins (paternal) all have crohn's...I would say bad genes and something (perhaps envornmental) triggered it
 

Similar threads

A
Loop ileostomy, active disease + rectal discharge
Replies
6
Views
1K
Nadia96
N
P
How long on EEN before your child had solid motions again
Replies
5
Views
656
padrach3
P
C
Your thoughts, please. 10 yr old.
Replies
12
Views
848
wenkren21
W
D
What Next?
Replies
9
Views
1K
Entchen
Entchen
kiny
Daily consumption of fruit/vegetables in OECD countries and crohn's disease prevalence.
Replies
57
Views
4K
cheka
C

Latest posts

Back
Top