Hello everyone. I've been reading these boards and it seems like everyone's IBD acts a little differently. I wanted to share my story in hopes that I may meet others who have had similar experiences.
I was diagnosed with CD when I was 17. I spent several weeks very sick with a fever, fatigue, stomach pain, smelly gas, canker sores, and arthritis. I eventually had a colonoscpy and was diagnosed with CD. I was started on pentasa 1g TID and prednisone 40mg daily. The prednisone was amazing and I went into remission fairly quickly. I tapered off prednisone after about 6 months and stayed on Pentasa for another 2 years.
I did not have a flair for the next 17 years! I was starting to think I no longer had CD or that it was a misdiagnosis. That is until recently. Back up to my last pregnancy, I had bright red blood with my bowel movements. I was told, it was just hemorrhoids, which are common in pregnancy. I was prescribed docusate and miralax, despite the fact that I was NOT constipated. I tried them along with fiber and the bleeding continued.
The bleeding never stopped even after after I had the baby. She is now 8 months old. A few months ago, in addition to the bleeding, I developed diarrhea-up to 10x/day with urgency where I sometimes couldn't make it to the bathroom. But, there were essentially no other symptoms except fatigue. I had labs done (high CRP and sed rate, low iron) and a sigmoidoscopy a couple weeks ago, which confirmed this is a flair. I was prescribed Rafassal (mesalamine) 2g BID, which seems to be helping, but I think I will soon be starting an enema or suppository as well.
So, anyway, that's pretty much my story. A 17 year remission and then when my IBD reoccurred, there were COMPLETELY different symptoms. Just wondering if anyone else has experienced anything similar. I've been so fortunate up to this point, and hope for another long remission, but I really have no idea what to expect.
I was diagnosed with CD when I was 17. I spent several weeks very sick with a fever, fatigue, stomach pain, smelly gas, canker sores, and arthritis. I eventually had a colonoscpy and was diagnosed with CD. I was started on pentasa 1g TID and prednisone 40mg daily. The prednisone was amazing and I went into remission fairly quickly. I tapered off prednisone after about 6 months and stayed on Pentasa for another 2 years.
I did not have a flair for the next 17 years! I was starting to think I no longer had CD or that it was a misdiagnosis. That is until recently. Back up to my last pregnancy, I had bright red blood with my bowel movements. I was told, it was just hemorrhoids, which are common in pregnancy. I was prescribed docusate and miralax, despite the fact that I was NOT constipated. I tried them along with fiber and the bleeding continued.
The bleeding never stopped even after after I had the baby. She is now 8 months old. A few months ago, in addition to the bleeding, I developed diarrhea-up to 10x/day with urgency where I sometimes couldn't make it to the bathroom. But, there were essentially no other symptoms except fatigue. I had labs done (high CRP and sed rate, low iron) and a sigmoidoscopy a couple weeks ago, which confirmed this is a flair. I was prescribed Rafassal (mesalamine) 2g BID, which seems to be helping, but I think I will soon be starting an enema or suppository as well.
So, anyway, that's pretty much my story. A 17 year remission and then when my IBD reoccurred, there were COMPLETELY different symptoms. Just wondering if anyone else has experienced anything similar. I've been so fortunate up to this point, and hope for another long remission, but I really have no idea what to expect.
