Hello to all:
I was recently diagnosed with Crohn's Colitis in July of 2012 at the age of 27, though i had exhibited certain tell-tale symptoms since 2011. I had re-occuring diarrhea and consistent weight loss since September 2011 just about every 2 months like clockwork. It wasn't until July of 2012 that i had a flare that included a 4-day long fever of 102 and blood in the diarrhea. I thought maybe i had a stomach flu since it had never been this severe before.
I went to the ER one morning when the diarrhea was particularly furious and i knew i was probabaly badly dehydrated. That's when the ER doctor asked about how long i had been having these symptoms and such. It was my first real time telling a doctor about the re-occuring problem. That doctor acted fast and admitted me to the hospital for fluids as well as a dreaded colonoscopy scheduled for the next morning. I did the Golytely laxative drink prep and that was awful. I couldn't believe there was even anything left in me to let out, but there was, and it went on all night.
I had the colonoscopy the next morning and the G.I. that did it said it looked like mild Crohn's in the colon only. He took biopsies and when those came back it was positive for IBD. He put me on a mild sulfasalazine drug called Colazal that i take 6 times a day (9 when i'm flaring). It's job is to breakdown in the colon and release anti-inflamatory agents in there. I started another flare a month and half later that i am currently in right now. Loose stools about 3 x a day, but very little blood, so i believe the drug is doing it's job. The flare has been less severe all around.
My real problems started when i returned to the hospital in August 2012 with an anal abscess. I had never experienced something like this before. It was the most painful thing i have ever been through. The pain was intense no matter what i was doing: laying, walking, sitting, coughing, sneezing, etc; and no position or painkiller eased the pain at all. I thought it was a bad hemmorhoid as at first it appeared to look like one on the outside of my anus where i was feeling the pain. It soon got red, more swollen, and the hemmorhoid thing turned out to be an anal skin tag developed by a fissure i had gotten due to all the diarrhea.
I saw my doctor and she ordered a pelvic CT scan. Thats when it was confirmed that there was a collection of pus in that area and that i was dealing with an anal abscess.
I had it incised and drained at that time which really relieved the pain. But in 2 weeks the skin at the incision hole was closing back together and it was painfully swollen again. I saw a Colorectal surgeon and he said i had developed a fistula, and the tract of it was probably just underneath that anal skin tag i had. He incised it again for me.
The fistula incision hole closed again 2 weeks after that and again got painful. I went back to the CR surgeon for another incision and drainage. This happened 2 more times since then, and now the CR surgeon is going to do surgery on me for placement of a non-cutting seton on October 4th.
I don't mind the idea of a seton as long as it means that i wont have pain anymore during or after a bowel movement, because in theory the seton should keep the fistula's tract from closing and swelling up / re-abscessing which is where my pain usually stems from. When i would have an incision done, the next few weeks were always pretty good because i had minimal pain. The seton should keep me in a perpetual phase like that. At least that's my hope.
Well, that's all i have as far as a story. I hope i make some friends on this forum that i can be encouraged by and can likewise encourage them. That's the power of a community! It really helps.
I was recently diagnosed with Crohn's Colitis in July of 2012 at the age of 27, though i had exhibited certain tell-tale symptoms since 2011. I had re-occuring diarrhea and consistent weight loss since September 2011 just about every 2 months like clockwork. It wasn't until July of 2012 that i had a flare that included a 4-day long fever of 102 and blood in the diarrhea. I thought maybe i had a stomach flu since it had never been this severe before.
I went to the ER one morning when the diarrhea was particularly furious and i knew i was probabaly badly dehydrated. That's when the ER doctor asked about how long i had been having these symptoms and such. It was my first real time telling a doctor about the re-occuring problem. That doctor acted fast and admitted me to the hospital for fluids as well as a dreaded colonoscopy scheduled for the next morning. I did the Golytely laxative drink prep and that was awful. I couldn't believe there was even anything left in me to let out, but there was, and it went on all night.
I had the colonoscopy the next morning and the G.I. that did it said it looked like mild Crohn's in the colon only. He took biopsies and when those came back it was positive for IBD. He put me on a mild sulfasalazine drug called Colazal that i take 6 times a day (9 when i'm flaring). It's job is to breakdown in the colon and release anti-inflamatory agents in there. I started another flare a month and half later that i am currently in right now. Loose stools about 3 x a day, but very little blood, so i believe the drug is doing it's job. The flare has been less severe all around.
My real problems started when i returned to the hospital in August 2012 with an anal abscess. I had never experienced something like this before. It was the most painful thing i have ever been through. The pain was intense no matter what i was doing: laying, walking, sitting, coughing, sneezing, etc; and no position or painkiller eased the pain at all. I thought it was a bad hemmorhoid as at first it appeared to look like one on the outside of my anus where i was feeling the pain. It soon got red, more swollen, and the hemmorhoid thing turned out to be an anal skin tag developed by a fissure i had gotten due to all the diarrhea.
I saw my doctor and she ordered a pelvic CT scan. Thats when it was confirmed that there was a collection of pus in that area and that i was dealing with an anal abscess.
I had it incised and drained at that time which really relieved the pain. But in 2 weeks the skin at the incision hole was closing back together and it was painfully swollen again. I saw a Colorectal surgeon and he said i had developed a fistula, and the tract of it was probably just underneath that anal skin tag i had. He incised it again for me.
The fistula incision hole closed again 2 weeks after that and again got painful. I went back to the CR surgeon for another incision and drainage. This happened 2 more times since then, and now the CR surgeon is going to do surgery on me for placement of a non-cutting seton on October 4th.
I don't mind the idea of a seton as long as it means that i wont have pain anymore during or after a bowel movement, because in theory the seton should keep the fistula's tract from closing and swelling up / re-abscessing which is where my pain usually stems from. When i would have an incision done, the next few weeks were always pretty good because i had minimal pain. The seton should keep me in a perpetual phase like that. At least that's my hope.
Well, that's all i have as far as a story. I hope i make some friends on this forum that i can be encouraged by and can likewise encourage them. That's the power of a community! It really helps.
