Is 16 the age?

[silvermander]

I keep reading over and over here about 16 being the year that Crohn's reared its ugly head in so many.

For those who were diagnosed very young, it seems as though 16 is the year it came roaring back in a huge way, but in others, it seems as though 16 is the year it really hit them hard for the first time.

I know it's common for Crohn's to hit in teens and young adults, or it seems to wait until the person is in their 60's. I know that absolutely EVERY case is different, I just noticed how many people (myself included) have posted specifically the age 16 as when things got really bad, or got bad again.

I remember very specifically when I told my father that I was having Crohn's trouble again. As I said, I was 16 and I stuck my head into my parent's bedroom to talk to him. I said that I thought my Crohn's might be back. My father, knowing that I'd had very minor problems since my SBR when I was 8, started grasping at straws.

- Maybe you have the flu? Nope, I just knew it wasn't that.
- That time of month? Nope.
- Maybe it's your appendix? (Only a father who's daughter has Crohn's would think a bursting appendix could be a good thing!) Sorry Dad, they took that when I was 8 as it was attached to what they took, I doubt they left it in their to float around!

I don't know HOW I knew it was a flare as I blocked out 90%+ of what happened those two years when I was young, I just knew.

But my real question is, what is it about 16 that's so big? It's can't be puberty as everyone's different and it's both men and women saying 16 was the year. Couldn't be environmental. I'm just wondering why that year is so big?

Just thought I'd throw it out there as I've seen 16 so much lately.

 

[Crohn's Mom]

Oh how I wish so badly I knew the answer to that question!!
That is definitely the age that CD hit Gab HARD (16 years, and 5 months); and now my son Austin (16 years, and 6 months) "something" is hitting him ~ not as hard as her, but something is going on. (he is still undiagnosed and goes for a colonoscopy Monday morning).
That is one thing that Gab's pediatric GI called correctly ~ she flat out told me when she was 10 that CD will not hide forever and if she has it then it WILL rear its ugly head when she was a teenager. That's probably what is confusing me so much now with that same doctor that is testing Austin and basically acting like it's a waste of her time...I would think she of all the people would be more aggressive in trying to prove that it's NOT CD instead of acting like his combination of symptoms is no big deal, and everyone can have an enlarged liver and a narrowing of the ileum and cobble stoning...

Such an interesting question really ! Makes me want an answer even more so I can wrap up my 13 year old in a bubble until he is past 16 in hopes we can avoid it! LOL

 

[Jennifer]

Dunno. I was diagnosed when I was 9 and had a flare when I was 13 and then another flare that led to my surgery when I was 16 (had surgery when I was 17). Maybe its stress related. 16 seems to be the time when we become adults in our heads and sort of start taking on adult responsibilities with less and less parental guidance. I dunno, just a guess.

 

[Misty-Eyed]

I don't really know.... for me being 16 was probably one of the better years. I managed to get 7 A's for my GCSE's at school so it certainly wasn't all bad!!

 

[DustyKat]

Sarah had her worst time prior to diagnosis, so 13/14. Surgery at 14 1/2 and has been in remission ever since (5 years).

I reckon Matt's must have started when he was in the latter part of 16 but it didn't show until he was 17.

Dusty.

 

[kate.flx]

I think I've had Crohns for a long while but got my first flare about 3 months before I turned 17, then had surgery two months after turning 17.

It would be a great study to learn why it often occurs at this age. Maybe because of all the changes things get 'upset' and start acting up? Stress would definitely be a good factor. But guaranteed my stress is tenfold what it was last year... this time last year I thought my life was turning around for the better. Boy did I think too soon.

 

[joshw2011]

That's too weird! Two years ago started a bad flare that's still flaring, and when it started I was 16! Wonder why 16 is such a big number??

 

[AndiGirl]

You may be onto something. I was 16 when I started having frequent nausea, lower abdominal pains, and digestive troubles. Little did I know that was just the beginning. Things would get worse and I wouldn't be diagnosed until I was 32.

 

[MADiMarc]

Huh, I read this and a little light bulb went off. I started having troubles at 16 also. Just not horrible enough to really worry about. Well so I thought.

 

[Rebecca85]

I have to be different here. I have always had tummy troubles (since babyhood), and age 16 was no better or worse for me.

 

[Bill41]

I got hit with a fistula when I was 44....Doctor that forst checked me thought it was Cancer so had a surgeon biopsy it....well that allowed the infection to get into the blood stream and almost took me out with sepsis (they won't admit it), got a seton and was fine till this year 6 years later...I cant remember having any troubles when I was 16, other than I was 5'3"....one year later 6'1".

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

I'm with Rebecca, 16 was an uneventful year for me too, at least health-wise. My health issues always seem to hit on the new decades. I don't remember if anything happened at 10, but at age 20 I suddenly developed lactose intolerance, motion sickness, and started getting recurrent UTIs. And the month before I turned 30 is when this gut illness hit with all of its lovely symptoms. I started getting migraines at 30 as well. I am SO not looking forward to 40!

 

[silvermander]

I'm thrilled to see so many that had uneventful year 16, but interested to see how many more have come out with 16 being bad.

As I said before, it can't just be puberty as we're all very different people from different parts of the world, both male and female.

My mother's Crohn's really came to a head when she was 16. It's just very strange and interesting, which is why I brought it up.

I don't know if anything would come from a study on such a thing, and Crohn's absolutely hits a lot of people in their teens, but I'm always looking for patterns in the world around me and that's one that had popped up to me reading so many peoples' stories here.

Thanks for chiming in about your teen years.

 

[lookame]

I think 16 is a really awkward time for everyone hormons are raging and your body is in a state of complete disarray, which may be why so many are diagnosed or flaring at this age.

Me? I think it started off in high school...random streak of bloof in my stools and mucous whenever I had a cold. Nothing to ever really mention it wasnt until I was 22 when things got bad for me...enough to get me worried. Of coarse it's hard to ignor or think I was straining when the entire toliet is full of blood...did I eat something red?....doubt it when obviously you filled the toliet up with blood...

 

[xoxava]

Now that you mention it this is strange. 16 is when I started getting sick. I got mono and kept getting worse but my peditrician had no answers...even went as far as telling me I was making things up to get attention! Finally my dads Dr decided to see me even though I was under 18. That's when everything seemed to be reveled. Never really thought about it until now.

 

[IAmTheWalrus]

16 is when I got my first Perianal Abscess. =/

Although wasn't diagnosed with Crohn's Colitis until I was 20. Had a couple of recurring abscesses in between that though.

Interesting thread.

 

[Montrealer]

I got an illeostomy for my 16th birthday and it was reversed 6 months later.
first signes of chrons appeared between 14 and 15. 16 definately was the worst.

 

[Dekar]

15-16 for me. I'm 22 now

 

[Shannon]

When I was 16, as a high school junior, I was going through the most stressful year of schooling, trying to figure out what to do with my life - in addition, my boyfriend was two hours away at college for his freshman year, which was hard on us after a full year of being together 24/7. That's the year when my symptoms came full on - I would eat anything and have pain, and they went on from there. I was finally diagnosed early in my 17th year, but I'm sure my 16th year brought out the disease because of the stress. Genetics, too! But I'm convinced stress caused the timing.

 

[Nyx]

16 was awesome for me...Crohn's didn't get me till I was 36...and Oscar was born when I was 40 Good times!