First off, hello everyone. I'm glad to have found a community that understands my daily struggles and is supportive as a whole. Most people don't know what Crohn's or UC are, so when I tell them I have special needs and dietary restrictions, I'm usually frowned upon.
I'm 21 and currently serving as a paratrooper in the 82'nd Airborne Division. As you can imagine, these illnesses have put a damper on my effectiveness as a soldier and I'm currently being referred to the MEB process for medical retirement. I was diagnosed with Crohn's and UC April of last year. I initially started feeling symptoms November of '08, but passed it off as a stomach flu. In January of '09, I noticed that I was only eating once a day with a whole lot of pain and losing weight rapidly. From 176lbs to 123lbs at my worst. I visited my PA several times that month with the same complaints and he suggested that it may be C-Diff, though he never administered any tests. I was put on an antibiotic (I forget the name) and returned to duty. The antibiotic didn't do a thing for me and I was hospitalized early February after puking large amounts of blood and passing out from dehydration due to chronic diarrhea. I spent four days in the hospital on morphine and was given an upper endoscopy, colonoscopy and CT scan. I don't know why they couldn't diagnose it then, but I was returned to duty again and referred to a specialist who told me it was due to several ulcerations in my stomach and small intestine. Fast forward to early April where I was hospitalized again for the same problems. After a few more scopes and several scans, I was diagnosed with Crohn's and UC.
Since then, I have been treated with Asacol, Entocort, Pentasa, Aprisio, Prednisone, 6-MP, and Bentyl. I'm currently taking the latter four. My symptoms have finally been manageable for 3 weeks without a flare-up as I'm following a super-strict diet and taking my medication. I'm hoping that I stay symptom free for at least a few months, as I've had non-stop symptoms since I was diagnosed. My weight is up to 137lbs now and slowly climbing. I'd like to get back to my original weight, but don't see that happening anytime soon. Haha. Oh well, such is the nature of this disease.
Anyway, thanks for reading. I look forward to being a part of this community and learning from anyone who has advice to offer. Lord know's Crohn's can be tricky!
I'm 21 and currently serving as a paratrooper in the 82'nd Airborne Division. As you can imagine, these illnesses have put a damper on my effectiveness as a soldier and I'm currently being referred to the MEB process for medical retirement. I was diagnosed with Crohn's and UC April of last year. I initially started feeling symptoms November of '08, but passed it off as a stomach flu. In January of '09, I noticed that I was only eating once a day with a whole lot of pain and losing weight rapidly. From 176lbs to 123lbs at my worst. I visited my PA several times that month with the same complaints and he suggested that it may be C-Diff, though he never administered any tests. I was put on an antibiotic (I forget the name) and returned to duty. The antibiotic didn't do a thing for me and I was hospitalized early February after puking large amounts of blood and passing out from dehydration due to chronic diarrhea. I spent four days in the hospital on morphine and was given an upper endoscopy, colonoscopy and CT scan. I don't know why they couldn't diagnose it then, but I was returned to duty again and referred to a specialist who told me it was due to several ulcerations in my stomach and small intestine. Fast forward to early April where I was hospitalized again for the same problems. After a few more scopes and several scans, I was diagnosed with Crohn's and UC.
Since then, I have been treated with Asacol, Entocort, Pentasa, Aprisio, Prednisone, 6-MP, and Bentyl. I'm currently taking the latter four. My symptoms have finally been manageable for 3 weeks without a flare-up as I'm following a super-strict diet and taking my medication. I'm hoping that I stay symptom free for at least a few months, as I've had non-stop symptoms since I was diagnosed. My weight is up to 137lbs now and slowly climbing. I'd like to get back to my original weight, but don't see that happening anytime soon. Haha. Oh well, such is the nature of this disease.
Anyway, thanks for reading. I look forward to being a part of this community and learning from anyone who has advice to offer. Lord know's Crohn's can be tricky!
