New here!

[Derfernerf]

Hello all. My name is Jeremy. I am 20 years young. I was diagnosed with Crohns disease in September of 2008. At that time I was pretty sick, sleeping a lot, not eating, missing a lot of school. I didn't notice it then, but I do now. My mom finally made me a doctors appointment and forced me to go. I went in for just a check up, thinking I would be in and out, but they took my weight first, and once I stood on the scale and it balanced out at 112 pounds, being 5'11" I instantly knew I was in big trouble.

Lots of blood drawn, some stool samples, a barium test, and finally a endoscopy/colonoscopy, I was officially diagnosed and began treatment. I've been on medication ever since then, I started off at 20+ pills a day. Never swallowed a pill in my life before this, it was a big change.

It's been 3 years now, and because of this wonderful economy, health insurance has been on and off, so I've been on and off my medication. After a few flareups and feeling great one day, and horrible the next, I've been trying to find tips for a better lifestyle (because lets be honest, 20 year olds don't make the best choices).

So, thats my story, hopefully I will find lots of helpful information here. Starting off with one big question I have which will be posted in the diet section.

Glad to be here!

 

[Crohn's 35]

:welcome: Jeremy!! You are lucky your mom made you go, most guys dont like the idea of discussing bathroom and pain in the stomach to a doctor. Not campus talk either. I was dx the same way 20 years ago but took a year of other tests and surgery. There is alot of info here and many here your age. I know the US sucks with their system of medications and I hope someone can guide you in your country.

Glad you are here too :bigwave:

 

[xJillx]

Hi Jeremy and welcome! I am just like you - one day I feel pretty good, the next I am unwell. It just plain stinks having health that is so unpredictable, doesn't it? Hopefully, you'll pick up some tricks on the forum to help get things more under control.

Some things you might want to look into trying is some supplements like fish oil, which is a natural anti-inflammatory. Also, many have seen improvements with probiotics. Finally, there are many types of diets that are worth a try. As you said, pop your head in the Diet, Fitness & Supplements forum for some good advice.

 

[Angrybird]

Hello Jeremy and welcome to the forum :bigwave: I agree with Jill about looking at your diet as this can make such a big difference. Even in general health if you are eating better you should then feel better. How are things right now for you and how severe would you say your symptoms are?

 

[Derfernerf]

Thanks for the welcome!

Pen - I agree, but now I find myself a lot more open about it. When I meet people and tell them I have Crohns, if they tell me they don't know what it is I just respond with a smile 'I have a pooping problem". I also know its important for the Doc to know anything and everything that is going on.

Jill - Yeah, it's terrible. One day I can run a marathon, the next I can't get out of bed. I have been in the diet section a lot. There's a lot of good info. The problem I find myself having is pin-pointing what exactly upsets my stomach more than other things. I've found dairy to be pretty rough on me, but thats really it. It's kind of a mystery. So I'm going to try to single out things that people say generally upset us Crohny's and wait to see if I see an improvement.

Angrybird - That's exactly what I thought to myself, if I eat better, I should feel better. I used to drink a lot of soda, but lately I find myself getting sick of it (Not sick from it, but It's getting old). So I've replaced it with juices and drinks like gatorade. Orange juice has lots of vitamins, and gatorade has electrolytes, seems like a good thing, right? It's gotta be better than drinking 3-4 cans of soda a day.

My symptoms aren't terrible, but they are definitely there. Fatigue and diarrhea are the main 2 I've been battling with ever since I was diagnosed. I don't think I have a loss of appetite, because I do eat throughout the day, however I find myself eating pretty small portions. Just 1 simple PB&J sandwich will take me from hungry to full. Most people my age can down 2 or 3 of them! I go out to eat, my friends each get 12 boneless wings, I get 8 and am lucky to finish them.

I'm starting a new job here pretty soon which has me working 40+ hours a week, so these symptoms need to go (mostly the fatigue, I can deal with pooping at work) or else I'll be dead after a week.

Thanks again for the responses! Oh, and if it makes a difference, I am taking 3g of Pentasa a day (1.5g twice a day), and that is all.

 

[Angrybird]

OK, I would say get onto your doc and ask to have ALL of your vitamin levels checked. It is very common for us chronies to be deficient in vitamins, especially your B12. When this is low the most common symptom is.... fatigue. You will see from our signatures that quite a few of us get B12 injections. Also with regards to the Pentesa the idea of this drug is to keep inflammation away, now if you are still having watery bm's then this perhaps isn't really getting this sorted. It perhaps either needs to be upped to a higher dose or somethng stronger is needed. Also keep looking at the diet and whilst fruit juice is healthy in theory do not over do it, I actually find my tummy get upset on orange juice - must be something to do with the acidity and it doesn't like apple juice either, this sucks because I really like apple juice Low fat/low fibre has always been advised to me. I have also found that I just cannot eat the portions I used to, some poeple find it easier to eat little and often, I think this helps is not overloading the bowel as well. With regards to pooping at work I will never forget the day one of my colleagues realised I 'went' at work, now bare in mind she knows about my crohns and what it entails and I was only a couple of weeks away from having my op. She was so shocked and I think a bit horrified, I remember looking at her and saying 'well what the hell do you think I am going to do?!? It will hardly do me any good if I hold it in for 8 hours!' :ybatty:

 

[Derfernerf]

Awesome, thanks for all the help! I have been trying to get to the Doc, however, with no health insurance it's pretty hard to afford it, so I can only go once every few months (Whenever I have the cash). When I do make it in, I will mention the B12 to him. I mention the fatigue every single time, and they kind of seem to brush it off. I know it's a symptom, but come on, theres got to be something they can do!

I don't over do the juices, I notice my mind has OJ classified under a "breakfast food" so I drink one glass in the morning, and after that I just prefer other things. The portion thing is frustrating, but you make a very good point, no need to overload the bowel!

Haha thats funny about the woman at your work. I usually try to make light of the situation, I will look at a co-worker and say "Hey, can you cover me if any customers come in? I have to take the browns to the superbowl" or "I got to go do what I do best!" and they all know what it means, chuckle, and walk away.

Thanks again!