I guess now that its been a couple months since i was first diagnosed, i can see the beginnings of the disease starting about a year or two ago.
Seems as though about the time i had moved into the Sacramento area (from the SF bay area where i grew up) i started having more and more frequent bowel movements, many of them loose and wet. After i noticed a trend, i tried changing my diet, and other minor problems, but fell back to just dealing with it, figuring it was not important enough to see a doctor. Finally, after about a year, i went in for an asthma related flareup and asked the doctor. He gave me a take home kit to monitor bowel movements to check for blood in the stool. All tests came back negative, so i figured nothing was wrong.
Jumping ahead to 4 months ago i began having extreme abdominal pain. It got worse and worse until about 5am when i finally went to the E.R. After 2 days and many x-rays and a CT scan, i was diagnosed with a "small bowel obstruction" and after 5 total days in the hospital i was let go, with a referral to the G.I.
The G.I. visit went routine, he ordered a blood test, and decided not to do a colonoscopy.
About two weeks later, i was back in the E.R. with the same symptoms. This time the same x-rays and CT showed an identical small bowel obstruction. This time a colonoscopy was performed, and i was diagnosed with Crohn's.
Initially, pain medication, and an immediate remicade infusion was givin. After a total of 7 days in the hospital this time, i was let go.
Spoke with G.I. again, the prescribed me with Norco's for the pain, and a continuing remicade treatment....
The pain had gone from mild to severe and back again several times, and now that i just had my 3rd remicade treatment, the pain has gotten slightly better....
On bad days i have been taking up to 12 norco's... while good days seem to be about 3-4... My doctor is now accusing me of becoming "dependent" on the drug, and that my "addictive nature" ( i smoke cigarettes, and used to do hard recreational opiate drugs) and is wanting to get rid of my norco's and gave me some new thing called nortriptyline. From what i have seen, this is an anti-depressant and given to children with bed-wetting problems.... It also can be used for mild to moderate chronic pain, as an off-label use.
I discovered this website today while looking under a Google search for Pain medication for Crohn's. I'm glad to be a part of your community, and hope to do a lot of reading and learning over the next few weeks.
Seems as though about the time i had moved into the Sacramento area (from the SF bay area where i grew up) i started having more and more frequent bowel movements, many of them loose and wet. After i noticed a trend, i tried changing my diet, and other minor problems, but fell back to just dealing with it, figuring it was not important enough to see a doctor. Finally, after about a year, i went in for an asthma related flareup and asked the doctor. He gave me a take home kit to monitor bowel movements to check for blood in the stool. All tests came back negative, so i figured nothing was wrong.
Jumping ahead to 4 months ago i began having extreme abdominal pain. It got worse and worse until about 5am when i finally went to the E.R. After 2 days and many x-rays and a CT scan, i was diagnosed with a "small bowel obstruction" and after 5 total days in the hospital i was let go, with a referral to the G.I.
The G.I. visit went routine, he ordered a blood test, and decided not to do a colonoscopy.
About two weeks later, i was back in the E.R. with the same symptoms. This time the same x-rays and CT showed an identical small bowel obstruction. This time a colonoscopy was performed, and i was diagnosed with Crohn's.
Initially, pain medication, and an immediate remicade infusion was givin. After a total of 7 days in the hospital this time, i was let go.
Spoke with G.I. again, the prescribed me with Norco's for the pain, and a continuing remicade treatment....
The pain had gone from mild to severe and back again several times, and now that i just had my 3rd remicade treatment, the pain has gotten slightly better....
On bad days i have been taking up to 12 norco's... while good days seem to be about 3-4... My doctor is now accusing me of becoming "dependent" on the drug, and that my "addictive nature" ( i smoke cigarettes, and used to do hard recreational opiate drugs) and is wanting to get rid of my norco's and gave me some new thing called nortriptyline. From what i have seen, this is an anti-depressant and given to children with bed-wetting problems.... It also can be used for mild to moderate chronic pain, as an off-label use.
I discovered this website today while looking under a Google search for Pain medication for Crohn's. I'm glad to be a part of your community, and hope to do a lot of reading and learning over the next few weeks.
