Hi,
My name is Felicia, I'm 24 years old and just finished grad school. I got diagnosed with Crohn's disease in May of this year. I've suffered from IBS for the last 6 years and may be lactose intolerant...still unsure. A lot had happened over the past 4 months so please bare with me. Also, because I'm Canadian some of the medication names may be different.
It all began when went on vacation about 3-4 months ago. I came back and a few days later I found a lump on the inside of my bum. I went to see a specialist and it turned out to be a perennial abscess. I had to have immediate surgery. It was about two to three inches deep and 1.5" wide...so quite large. After the surgery, I had to get it re-packed everyday for about 5 weeks...apparently I healed very quickly & well. During that time, I was taking Oxycodone (but not for very long), Amphetamine & Naproxen. When I first started taking the Naproxen it gave me tummy pains which eventually went away. After I finished my pack (a month later), my stomach began to hurt...A LOT. Absolutely, terrible pain...especially when I went #2. After that, I started to get all these symptoms. I got erythema nodosum on my legs (inflammation) and ankles, there was a point when I couldn't walk and a but of arthritis on my ankles. A few days later, I got shingles on my forehead and took meds for that. Not long after that, tests came in saying I had strep throat...but no symptoms. Just the virus.
It feels like I've gone through a million tests. My doctor then rushed me in for a colonoscopy. Turns out my smaller intestines are extremely inflamed. I was prescribed Mezavant after my colonoscopy which is for mild Crohn's and it made me EXTREMELY sick, I couldn't eat or walk, I was always in pain. I stopped taking it on my own account and immediately felt a lot better until I had a stomach attack from broccoli :S
After changing Gastrologists (the first one I went to was very cold and had terrible bed side manner), my current doctor is great but is very busy. He has little time to talk and keeps giving me medication. I started entorcot (a steroid) about one month ago. I was constipated for exactly 8 days, only releasing mucus. I tried taking a laxative, nothing helped. Finally I started going on my own...but very little considering I've been eating normally. I tried letting the rest come out naturally while still taking the entorcot but it wasn't working. My Dr. called me and said my colon wasn't blocked, my small intestine is inflamed. He prescribed me Prednisone for 3 days which is supposed to clear it. I was very hesitant to take it and tried everything but
my tummy was very bloated and hard (I'm a fairly thin girl and I looked about three months pregnant). I finally gave in and took the prednisone (it's an anti-inflammatory). Eventually it started to help and I went to the bathroom again like a normal person.
My doctor is urging me to go on Imuran but after doing a lot of research it looks horrible! The long term side effects are life threatening. Apparently, I'm only on the entorcort short term until the Imuran kicks in (takes 2 months). They keep saying that diet and lifestyle play a very little part in getting better. After doing a lot of research, I've been reading about a lot of people who are living Crohn's free and medication free by changing their lifestyle. This gave me hope.
I went to see a Naturopath and she suggested I change my diet completely. I'm still taking entorcort and I cut out wheat, dairy, yeast and sugar. I'm taking slippery elm in the evening, nettle tea and omega 3 oils. I'm finally going to the bathroom normally. My stomach has completely shrunk, I can finally fit in my pants again! I still have good days and bad days but I'm definitely a lot more active than before. I only feel sick when I cheat. I had a bit of pita and ready made bbq chicken with garlic sauce and i got a bad fever. So not worth it! Everything I eat now is fresh and organic. Drinking lots of water and coconut water helps. A trick I learned: stop drinking 15 minutes before you eat and wait an hour until you start drinking again after you eat.
I'm meeting my doctor next week and I have one month to decide whether or not to start the Imuran or not. I don't want to but I also don't want to harm my body any more. Any advice?
I feel like the entorcort is ruining my vision. I normally have 20/20 but since starting the medication, things are blurry. While crossing the street yesterday, I almost blacked out. Has anyone experienced this or something similar?
My name is Felicia, I'm 24 years old and just finished grad school. I got diagnosed with Crohn's disease in May of this year. I've suffered from IBS for the last 6 years and may be lactose intolerant...still unsure. A lot had happened over the past 4 months so please bare with me. Also, because I'm Canadian some of the medication names may be different.
It all began when went on vacation about 3-4 months ago. I came back and a few days later I found a lump on the inside of my bum. I went to see a specialist and it turned out to be a perennial abscess. I had to have immediate surgery. It was about two to three inches deep and 1.5" wide...so quite large. After the surgery, I had to get it re-packed everyday for about 5 weeks...apparently I healed very quickly & well. During that time, I was taking Oxycodone (but not for very long), Amphetamine & Naproxen. When I first started taking the Naproxen it gave me tummy pains which eventually went away. After I finished my pack (a month later), my stomach began to hurt...A LOT. Absolutely, terrible pain...especially when I went #2. After that, I started to get all these symptoms. I got erythema nodosum on my legs (inflammation) and ankles, there was a point when I couldn't walk and a but of arthritis on my ankles. A few days later, I got shingles on my forehead and took meds for that. Not long after that, tests came in saying I had strep throat...but no symptoms. Just the virus.
It feels like I've gone through a million tests. My doctor then rushed me in for a colonoscopy. Turns out my smaller intestines are extremely inflamed. I was prescribed Mezavant after my colonoscopy which is for mild Crohn's and it made me EXTREMELY sick, I couldn't eat or walk, I was always in pain. I stopped taking it on my own account and immediately felt a lot better until I had a stomach attack from broccoli :S
After changing Gastrologists (the first one I went to was very cold and had terrible bed side manner), my current doctor is great but is very busy. He has little time to talk and keeps giving me medication. I started entorcot (a steroid) about one month ago. I was constipated for exactly 8 days, only releasing mucus. I tried taking a laxative, nothing helped. Finally I started going on my own...but very little considering I've been eating normally. I tried letting the rest come out naturally while still taking the entorcot but it wasn't working. My Dr. called me and said my colon wasn't blocked, my small intestine is inflamed. He prescribed me Prednisone for 3 days which is supposed to clear it. I was very hesitant to take it and tried everything but
my tummy was very bloated and hard (I'm a fairly thin girl and I looked about three months pregnant). I finally gave in and took the prednisone (it's an anti-inflammatory). Eventually it started to help and I went to the bathroom again like a normal person.
My doctor is urging me to go on Imuran but after doing a lot of research it looks horrible! The long term side effects are life threatening. Apparently, I'm only on the entorcort short term until the Imuran kicks in (takes 2 months). They keep saying that diet and lifestyle play a very little part in getting better. After doing a lot of research, I've been reading about a lot of people who are living Crohn's free and medication free by changing their lifestyle. This gave me hope.
I went to see a Naturopath and she suggested I change my diet completely. I'm still taking entorcort and I cut out wheat, dairy, yeast and sugar. I'm taking slippery elm in the evening, nettle tea and omega 3 oils. I'm finally going to the bathroom normally. My stomach has completely shrunk, I can finally fit in my pants again! I still have good days and bad days but I'm definitely a lot more active than before. I only feel sick when I cheat. I had a bit of pita and ready made bbq chicken with garlic sauce and i got a bad fever. So not worth it! Everything I eat now is fresh and organic. Drinking lots of water and coconut water helps. A trick I learned: stop drinking 15 minutes before you eat and wait an hour until you start drinking again after you eat.
I'm meeting my doctor next week and I have one month to decide whether or not to start the Imuran or not. I don't want to but I also don't want to harm my body any more. Any advice?
I feel like the entorcort is ruining my vision. I normally have 20/20 but since starting the medication, things are blurry. While crossing the street yesterday, I almost blacked out. Has anyone experienced this or something similar?
