My story :)

[LynE]

Hi, I'm 19, had what I thought was just Irritable Bowel Syndrome since I was about 10, would always have a bit of tummy trouble after eating certain foods. Then after it getting worse and worse around December 2009 when I was 17, I went to my GP and he had no idea what it could be. He first thought it was an ulcer, so did H.pylori testing. After that we discovered small tender nodes by my iliac lymph area, so he thought maybe ovarian cancer so I had a very uncomfortable ultrasound up to my ovaries, found nothing. By this point I was very frustrated and starting to throw up 2 times a day at least, became lactose intolerant and could not handle protein. Severe stomach cramping and diarrhea when I ate anything. Finally my GP decided it would be smart to send me to a Gastroenterologist, who was in Vancouver. This was a costly flight to go there often. I thank him so much though, for finally figuring it out. I underwent a colonoscopy, and he found moderate Crohn's disease. This all happened right after I had finished losing 60 pounds, barely made it through finals, provincials and graduation. We tried high doses of prednisone, which almost made things worse, then we tried imuran, and after that did not work I was set to receive Remicade (Infliximab). I am currently on 5 boxes every 6 weeks, but I still get symptoms in the week before the next infusion. It was a long year and a half struggle to get where I am now. Recently suffering through what I believe is a flare-up, which would happen to be right before finals for University.

 

[Jessi]

Hi Lyn and welcome to the forum. :hug:

Wow. What are the odds that you would flare right before a stressful thing like finals?! I am so sorry that it hit you at such a time. It seems to happen to the bulk of us.

It's great that you had a doctor finally able to pinpoint why you're so sick. Although, like the rest of us, I'm sorry that you have to go through this icky disease. It's a bit more than an inconvenience.

You sure did lose a lot of weight! Are you stable now? Or are you losing again? I'm on Remicade every 8 weeks (3 boxes) and it works well for me. We have a Remicade sub-forum here where you can chat with others about their experience. http://www.crohnsforum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=58

I hope you find all the support and answers that you're looking for here. This is a fabulous resource for me.

 

[KWalker]

Welcome, you seem pretty knowledgeable for your age. Hope to see you around the forums

 

[Crohn's 35]

:welcome: Lyn, pretty bad we almost have to be on deaths door (like 40-60 lbs weight loss) before someone takes us seriously. Unfortunately I think young people get the brunt of thinking they are faking to get out of things or bulemia.. Stress is a culprit, my daughter is in UNI and burns out and is healthy so I can't imagine having moderate Crohns at the same time. Kudos'.

What major are you taking? Best of luck to you! Askfor your infusions a bit sooner, it will help!

 

[Feather]

Hey, Lyn!

Sounds like you've had a rough few years, but I'm glad you finally have a diagnosis and can start on the road towards remission! Crohn's in college can definitely be tough (I'm a sophomore now), especially around finals. Best of luck--try to get some good sleep and rest among all of the stress!

 

[LynE]

Thanks

Thank you to everyone for your responses
I was overweight to begin with, so at first I was happy with the weight loss. But then it began to get extreme, the 60 pound loss was over about 4 months and I was really malnourished. I have gained all the weight back and was actually gaining weight from some of the medications (possibly because once I was able to eat again I really enjoyed it )
I am in second year for a four year Bachelor of Science in Nursing, to become a Registered Nurse
Yeah having a pretty rough time right now, have thrown up twice today already haven't been able to keep anything down. Pretty bad cramping too. Have a huge paper due tomorrow though so I'm just gonna fight it out
Thank you for all the support!

 

[Jessi]

Sorry you're vomiting. That makes homework so difficult. But hang in there.

My Remicade infusion nurse went through her schooling with flares. She and her mom both have Crohn's. She is really happy that she didn't give up, and she loves her job.

You can totally do it!