In 1996, after my stomach starting bothering and having major pains in my abdominal area, I went to the doctor and he prescribed me some steroids to slow down my intestines because he said they were moving to fast. He sent me to a GI and he wanted to do a colonoscopy to make sure it was not colon cancer. Of course that scared me! He performed the colonoscopy and diagnosed me with Crohn's disease. He prescribed me Asacol 800 three times a day.
I took the Asacol, which worried me too because it is antiinflammatory and that is alot to take on a regular basis. I started to feel better but I still had minor pains on and off. And after awhile, I wasn't sure if the Asacol was helping or hurting so I only took it when I had a "flare up". Eventually I stopped taking Asacol because I didn't think it was doing anything.
I'd watch my diet and I always had a pain in my lower left abdomen but I and my PCP attributed that to the diarrhea/soft stools.
I have cut things out of my diet:
No beef (I have not had a steak in over ten years!) I know one bite will make me sick for two days minimum. Note, I can or have eaten (so called) meat from McDonald's and Taco Bell so I don't know what they serve.
No cheese, it seems to bind in my system and causes me pain eventually.
No dairy milk, I used to have a bowl of cereal in the morning and in the afternoon I would have the sharp pains in my abdomen.
ALOT LESS soda, i mainly drink water except for the occasional 7up.
ALOT LESS vegetables, I like spinach and salads but I have very little. I always try to put some on my plate at dinner because I want my children to eat theirs.
Fast Forward to 2008:
I have not seen a doctor for ten years. I had not had a real flare up, or at least what I would call a flare up, in years. As I have said, I cut ALOT of foods out of my diet. When I notice a pain or bad feeling, I cut back or stop eating the food.
People start noticing that I am losing weight. I don't know when it started but I think it was around Thanksgiving or Christmas that we, my wife and I, took notice. I had lost about 20 lbs over the last year. I was not doing anything different so I went to a see a GI.
So since I did not have the record of my first colonoscopy (get a copy of your medical records!) he did a colonoscopy followed by a CT and said I do have Crohn's (which I knew) and that I had a fistula. He prescribed me Humira, which I think it is working but I am not sure. I will say that on the follow up CT, they said they could not see the fistula.
That's where I am today. I still have the pain in my lower left abdomen, a little below my waist. My weight is back up.
My goal in this group is to get insight if other people have/had similar issues and some remedies. I have two children and I want to make sure that I see them grow up.
That's me
I took the Asacol, which worried me too because it is antiinflammatory and that is alot to take on a regular basis. I started to feel better but I still had minor pains on and off. And after awhile, I wasn't sure if the Asacol was helping or hurting so I only took it when I had a "flare up". Eventually I stopped taking Asacol because I didn't think it was doing anything.
I'd watch my diet and I always had a pain in my lower left abdomen but I and my PCP attributed that to the diarrhea/soft stools.
I have cut things out of my diet:
No beef (I have not had a steak in over ten years!) I know one bite will make me sick for two days minimum. Note, I can or have eaten (so called) meat from McDonald's and Taco Bell so I don't know what they serve.
No cheese, it seems to bind in my system and causes me pain eventually.
No dairy milk, I used to have a bowl of cereal in the morning and in the afternoon I would have the sharp pains in my abdomen.
ALOT LESS soda, i mainly drink water except for the occasional 7up.
ALOT LESS vegetables, I like spinach and salads but I have very little. I always try to put some on my plate at dinner because I want my children to eat theirs.
Fast Forward to 2008:
I have not seen a doctor for ten years. I had not had a real flare up, or at least what I would call a flare up, in years. As I have said, I cut ALOT of foods out of my diet. When I notice a pain or bad feeling, I cut back or stop eating the food.
People start noticing that I am losing weight. I don't know when it started but I think it was around Thanksgiving or Christmas that we, my wife and I, took notice. I had lost about 20 lbs over the last year. I was not doing anything different so I went to a see a GI.
So since I did not have the record of my first colonoscopy (get a copy of your medical records!) he did a colonoscopy followed by a CT and said I do have Crohn's (which I knew) and that I had a fistula. He prescribed me Humira, which I think it is working but I am not sure. I will say that on the follow up CT, they said they could not see the fistula.
That's where I am today. I still have the pain in my lower left abdomen, a little below my waist. My weight is back up.
My goal in this group is to get insight if other people have/had similar issues and some remedies. I have two children and I want to make sure that I see them grow up.
That's me
