Hello everyone! I have been a fairly healthy woman and am currently 49 years old. About 3 years ago I started having abdominal issues after taking a pilates class. I thought it was just the class and the stress they put on the abdominals so I shrugged it off. A couple weeks later the same thing happened with no class, and I spent a whole weekend on the couch clutching my stomach. I would get so hungry but even when I had water I would be in agony. I went to see my doctor after a few more times of this and I also started sometimes have fever and chills. I told her I thought I had some kind of IBF, but instead they did a ton of tests and took my gall bladder out thinking that would solve the problem. 20 something thousand dollars later (ughhh) I still had problems. It seemed to stop for awhile so I started to forget about it. I then started in the spring and summer of 2011 with constant diarrhea. I didn't have any terrible attacks, but then my ex-husband died, my 20 year old son moved in with me, I got remarried and moved to Las Vegas in October 2011. I think I had a little stress. By time I hit Christmas I had such a bad attack I was doubled over in pain and throwing up. I had never thrown up before. I felt like my intestines were going to explode!
Once admitted to the hospital, my new gastro doctor came into the room in the middle of the night (kind of like a ghost) to tell me I had Crohns disease. I had heard of it, and I was scared that I was going to be spending all my time in the hospital. He did the colonoscopy to find the crohn was mild and that I also had colitis. My brother has colitis and we are from a family of Eastern European Jewish descent. strike strike and strike. I've been hospitalized once since with the exact same issue, but now I know that the next time it happens, I am just going to contact my doctor and meet him at this office. I do ok for the most part. I go from feeling pretty good to having discomfort every day for weeks as I am battling right now. It's nothing that stops me for the most part, although weekends seem to be the time I take it easy the most and the crohns seems to be the worst. I am not on any medications, although I have an appt to see my doctor at the end of the month. I want to see if I can get a bit better quality of life, also I have what I think is fistula's on left and right buttocks. I had one appear, then it went away and another appear. Now, another one has appeared on the right side. It's not really that uncomfortable. It's circular and hard, and looks like a got bit by a spider or some other insect. If it follows the same pattern, it will drain a little and then go away.
I'm concerned about this, because even though I'm pretty healthy, I am a diabetic, and I worry about infections healing. I also have a hard time taking any kind of steroids because of what it does to my blood sugar. I have to say I feel somewhat in denial. It's almost like if I don't deal with it I don't have it. I'm trying to accept that I have it, and do what I need to do. I feel pretty lucky as many of the people I have heard no some of these forums have some pretty bad complications. I've only had it a few years, so maybe it will get worse and worse. I am in the mode of trying to take it one day at a time right now.
At least I think I am on the right track by going back to the doctor. I feel like my husband doesn't understand this at all or has any sympathy. He seems to think that everything that is wrong with me has to do with my weight. I lost over 50 pounds 3 years ago, and I'm still working on losing about 40 more till I reach my goal. I got a pretty big lecture about my weight last time I had a flare up and went to the hospital. Right there in the emergency room! I was mortified! I was so upset with him, that I still don't think I have completely forgiven him. He thinks I should be eating all raw vegtables and healthy foods all the time like he is. I try, and then it all gets me sick. I don't think he gets it. I honestly feel best when I eat highly digestible foods. It's a battle to eat healthy but I have worked on it, even though it doesn't always make me feel good. I'm trying to educate my husband now, and I think he knows he effed up pretty bad last time I was in the hospital. I am waiting to see what happens with my next attack.
Once admitted to the hospital, my new gastro doctor came into the room in the middle of the night (kind of like a ghost) to tell me I had Crohns disease. I had heard of it, and I was scared that I was going to be spending all my time in the hospital. He did the colonoscopy to find the crohn was mild and that I also had colitis. My brother has colitis and we are from a family of Eastern European Jewish descent. strike strike and strike. I've been hospitalized once since with the exact same issue, but now I know that the next time it happens, I am just going to contact my doctor and meet him at this office. I do ok for the most part. I go from feeling pretty good to having discomfort every day for weeks as I am battling right now. It's nothing that stops me for the most part, although weekends seem to be the time I take it easy the most and the crohns seems to be the worst. I am not on any medications, although I have an appt to see my doctor at the end of the month. I want to see if I can get a bit better quality of life, also I have what I think is fistula's on left and right buttocks. I had one appear, then it went away and another appear. Now, another one has appeared on the right side. It's not really that uncomfortable. It's circular and hard, and looks like a got bit by a spider or some other insect. If it follows the same pattern, it will drain a little and then go away.
I'm concerned about this, because even though I'm pretty healthy, I am a diabetic, and I worry about infections healing. I also have a hard time taking any kind of steroids because of what it does to my blood sugar. I have to say I feel somewhat in denial. It's almost like if I don't deal with it I don't have it. I'm trying to accept that I have it, and do what I need to do. I feel pretty lucky as many of the people I have heard no some of these forums have some pretty bad complications. I've only had it a few years, so maybe it will get worse and worse. I am in the mode of trying to take it one day at a time right now.
At least I think I am on the right track by going back to the doctor. I feel like my husband doesn't understand this at all or has any sympathy. He seems to think that everything that is wrong with me has to do with my weight. I lost over 50 pounds 3 years ago, and I'm still working on losing about 40 more till I reach my goal. I got a pretty big lecture about my weight last time I had a flare up and went to the hospital. Right there in the emergency room! I was mortified! I was so upset with him, that I still don't think I have completely forgiven him. He thinks I should be eating all raw vegtables and healthy foods all the time like he is. I try, and then it all gets me sick. I don't think he gets it. I honestly feel best when I eat highly digestible foods. It's a battle to eat healthy but I have worked on it, even though it doesn't always make me feel good. I'm trying to educate my husband now, and I think he knows he effed up pretty bad last time I was in the hospital. I am waiting to see what happens with my next attack.
