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My 2nd chronic illness - Crohns

When I was 16, I was diagnosed with a chronic illness that causes to me pass out at random times. It had taken me until I was 21 to come to terms with this and finally get things under control. I finally got my meds straightened out... I finally felt like I got my life under control and I was starting to feel "normal".

Until I turned 22 three weeks ago. Around that time I started getting extreme pain any time I ate anything. After a colonoscopy, they found more than 40 ulcers lining my digestive track, even going up to my esophagus. My doctor diagnosed me with crohns, so here I am. Trying to piece together how to go about living day to day with TWO chronic illnesses.

The hardest part about this is that it is going to hinder my school. I am currently a full-time graduate student, but because I have missed so much class these last two weeks and I am not improving as fast as I would want, I will have to drop at least one class. This will prevent me from getting my masters degree in 2 years and possible hinder my career plans.

My main questions is how do I jump start into this crohns lifestyle?
 

cmack

Moderator
Staff member
Welcome chroniclyill,

I'm sorry to hear that you are feeling so bad, but you have come to a good place. You can learn a lot on this forum, and knowledge is your best weapon against crohn's. We are a very supportive group, feel free to join into any discussions you find interesting. You can give me a shout if you need help with anything, pm's are fine too.


Regards,

Chris
 

Trysha

Moderator
Staff member
Hi Chroniclyill.......welcome to the forum.
I am sorry to hear of the problems you have and hope your medication will soon be effective.
Don’t give up on your studies just yet....you may find the medication will help you back to a near normal life.
Some of us do have several issues ..it’s not that unusual...but it is a bit of a trial.
Those ulcers can be very painful 😣 and you have my greatest sympathy and support.
I have had repeated duodenal ulcers but get response from rabprezole quite quickly.
I have never had as many as you though ...must be pretty awful for you.
Do continue with your studies if you possibly can...you have come so far now educationally
and it would be a shame to give it up.
Feel better soon
Hugs
Trysha
 
Hi Chroniclyill,
sorry to hear about your crohn's, it's a shame to get sick at such an early age.
let's hope you will be a good responder to medications and that it will be managed quickly as possible.
What are you studying?
 
Thank you Trysha. Thankfully, I have extremely supportive profressors and I think they will be very helpful dealing with this
Hi Chroniclyill.......welcome to the forum.
I am sorry to hear of the problems you have and hope your medication will soon be effective.
Don’t give up on your studies just yet....you may find the medication will help you back to a near normal life.
Some of us do have several issues ..it’s not that unusual...but it is a bit of a trial.
Those ulcers can be very painful 😣 and you have my greatest sympathy and support.
I have had repeated duodenal ulcers but get response from rabprezole quite quickly.
I have never had as many as you though ...must be pretty awful for you.
Do continue with your studies if you possibly can...you have come so far now educationally
and it would be a shame to give it up.
Feel better soon
Hugs
Trysha
 
I am studying data analytics. So thankfully, it is a field that I can work from home if needed and dont need a high activity level to do my job.
Hi Chroniclyill,
sorry to hear about your crohn's, it's a shame to get sick at such an early age.
let's hope you will be a good responder to medications and that it will be managed quickly as possible.
What are you studying?
 
I am very glad to hear, that sounds like a perfect career choice. You seem to be making the best of the situation, if that makes sense?

You just need to keep up hope and optimism, talk to supporting people here if you want. As you already know chronic disease can really affect the mind. Does not seem fun to pass out randomly, would give me crazy anxiety.
 
Yea it is not fun at all! Being away at grad school is hard because I am so far from my typical support system. So I am just working on figuring out how to handle this alone.
I am very glad to hear, that sounds like a perfect career choice. You seem to be making the best of the situation, if that makes sense?

You just need to keep up hope and optimism, talk to supporting people here if you want. As you already know chronic disease can really affect the mind. Does not seem fun to pass out randomly, would give me crazy anxiety.
 
Hi, I was only recently diagnosed with Crohn’s and another chronic illness, a form of arthritis. My inflammation was so bad last summer from both that I was admitted to hospital, I got steroids and various other pain relief and supplements and was told to follow a low residue diet to help the inflamed bowel. I started on Humira soon after and it has helped some but not enough for my liking. I’m a working mum of 2, normally quite active, but I’ve had to adjust and get used to a new kind of normal. Life isn’t over, its just different. Rest when you can. Find out what works for you in terms of diet. Get some guides for explajning to lecturers what help you might need - in the UK there are organisations that help with funding, advice, support, and produce guides with recommendations for employers/teachers. Don’t give up your studies, just get to know your limitations and try to work with them. It might take you a little longer to get to where you want to be, as life has given you extra hurdles to jump, but you can still get there. There are lots of helpful forums on social media as well as here. Wishing you luck xx
 
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