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Lucky

lucky

I feel lucky compared to some of the people on this forum. I was only diagnosed last year after a short course of symptoms and I'm in my 30's.

I all started with a bout of gastritis a year and a half ago that wouldn't shift and very quickily I became ill, I lost weight, was freezing, had a very tender tummy, night sweats but no real change in BM. I had a raised CRP (about 90) and had been in hospital with suspected appendicitis but sent home. Finally I had a CT which showed significant thickening of the terminal ileum and the duodenum and referred to a GI.

I was put on pentasa and went on holidays... That 1st night in spain I had extreme and I mean extreme dizziness, absolutely no energy, very nausous moderate pain in my tummy, lost about a stone and very high fever which progressively got worse. I made it home (not sure how) and sweated it out for another 2 days at home... big mistake... I finally saw my GI who took my bloods and sent me home. I was actually starting to feel better that day when he phoned me and told me to get up to hospital quick as my CRP was 280. I had a CT scan which confirmed a 4 cm abscess with perforated bowel which luckily for me had contained itself. I had a week of IV antibiotics and had every doc, surgeon, student probably the cleaner feel my stomach and it was decided that emergency surgery was not required but I was informed that 100% I would require surgery in the future. I totally denied this and the crohn's diagnosis due to my extensive medical knowledge :ylol: NOT!!

Anyway after 6 months on pred, a load of other tests all conclusive that it was crohn's and the surgeon constantly telling me I needed surgery to remove 1 ft of now fibrosed tissue (in other words it ain't ever going to heal with meds!!) I was ready to kill someone so it was time to come to terms with it and book in for surgery.

That was in Nov and I instantly felt better. I was able to come off all meds and I hope this continues. I do have good and bad days and a recent colonoscopy has shown a few ulcers have returned to the surgical site which I am waiting results for biopsies taken. I may be put on a maintenance med in the future depending on the results and it does coincide with a slight niggle in my RLQ, but I am trying to be healthy by exercising regularly and eating a good diet. I still let my hair down now and again as you've got to live which does effect me but all in all a success story :)
 
Wow, a perf'd bowel and you didn't need immediate surgery?? I thought that required surgery 100% of the time, right away. I had no idea it could heal on its own. Good for you, though! I'm glad you're doing fairly well now.
 
Thanks I don't quite understand it but was very thankful not to need the emergency surgery I think by 'contained' it means it had pocketed off and not leaking therefore not sceptic??? could be wrong though. I also didn't get the abscess drained which I thought was 100% quaranteed, it's amazing who you trust when your unwell I had a team of lovely and I mean lovely consultants so I just let them do what they needed to do and I was treated in one of the best hospitals here. I also was never in a hugh amount of pain that you would expect with a perforated bowel, even the radiologist told me I looked to well to have one... the benefits of fake tan I suppose ha ha
 
Just a quick update I got my biopsy results of the ulcers and they're all normal :) Just mild inflammation at the surgery site so no meds and no more appointments for 6 months so this really is a success story.
 
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