Hello all!
Just joined this forum and have been having a little browse around, you all seem a lovely lot so I thought I would introduce myself and my story of Crohn's.
I am 21 years old and was diagnosed with Crohn's when I had just turned 18 in August 2005. I have always suffered with Psoriasis and as a baby I was in and out of hospital for throat infections whcih resulted in my toncils being removed and I was also once admitted with Scarlet Fever.
The summer leading up to my 18th birthday had been very difficult, I had started of with cellulitis in my ear from a horsefly bite, then followed by extreme swelling of my knees, wrists, ankles and shoulders.
The joint pains had been on and off all summer, then a week after my 18th birthday my knee swoll up so much I was totally unable to walk and was in excruciating pain, so I was admitted to the hospital. At this stage my Crohn's symtoms hadn't started, or so I thought! I put the diahorrea that I had at the beginning of the summer down to the hefty doses of antibiotics I had been on for my ear! I was admitted into hospital for my joints, Crohn's hadn't even crossed the doctors mind at that stage!
A week after being admitted to hospital my Crohn's symtoms made a comeback! I also had my right knee drained twice in the first week of being in hospital!
The Crohn's, though I was yet to be diagnosed, was really taking hold and I was losing weight rapidly. I was totally unable to keep any solid food down and was struggling to keep fluids down so I was put on a drip. I lost around 2 1/2 stone in the second week.
At the end of the second week I had an emergency CT scan to try and determine what was going on inside, it showed that my intestines, particularly my colon were extremely inflamed. So a few days later I went for a colonoscopy where my Crohn's was diagnosed and confirmed.
I was started on IV steriods and oral pentasa. Within 24 hrs of starting the steroids I was able to eat and drink again. I was discharged 3 1/2 weeks after being admitted, I had lost so much weight I was skeletal!
All was well until the following February (2006), I had been weaning off the steroids and was still on the pentasa. Once the steroids stopped my joints flared up again, and I spent a further week in hospital in February 2006, thankfully I didn't have to have any joints drained!
Once my joints had settled my Consultant decided to put me on a drug called Methotrexate which is a strong immunosuppressant. I had to take 8 little tablets once a week. I was on this for a year and a half with few problems. Joints and Crohn's as well as Psoriasis were all under control. The Methotrexate made me feel quite yucky for a few day after taking it, and started to really bring me down mentally, but the pros were still outweighing the cons so I persevered.
Summer 2007 my liver function results started to go up the left severely! The Methotrexate was starting to damage my liver. My Methotrexate and crohn's induced anaemia was also getting critical! I was told to come off the tablets immediately, no weaning off them. This scared me majorly! Again my emotions were all over the place, though I actually started to feel really well. It made me realised how ill I felt whilst on the Methotrexate. Though my 'safety net' had just been taken away, and I felt I was no longer in control, even though my crohn's etc were all in remission.
Over the summer my Psoriasis started to come back, but other than that everything else was fine. Until November 2007. My Crohn's came back with a vengeance! I started vomiting and had severe D+. I was admitted to the hospital on the 23rd November. I was immediately hooked up to a drip as I was unable to keep anything down at all. I didnt attempt to eat or drink anything at all for 5 days in a row I was so ill. I went from just over 9st to 6st in 2 weeks. I even struggled to keep the tablets they had put me on down.
The docters just couldn't get my crohn's under control at all. At the end of the 2nd week the doctors decided that they should try Infliximab. The downside was they had to apply for funding for it. So I was allowed home over the weekend while they got the funding sorted.
By the time I got back to hospital on the monday I was starting to give up, I was so weak and really was fed up with it all. I recieved the Infliximab on the tuesday and was discharged from the hospital a week before Xmas 2007! I was again totally skeletal!!
I have been on Infliximab since then and have only had one setback and that was in March this year when I spent a week in hospital with a mild flare up. I just recieved an extra top up dose of the Infliximab and I was right as rain again!
The Infliximab has worked wonders for me, though I do still suffer with extreme tiredness. Thankfully my joints, psoriasis and anaemia are totally under control now too! Thankfully I have avoided surgery so far and have also never suffered with fistulas.
Just need to sort my head out now! I still feel very up and down about Crohn's, some days I feel I can cope and there is nothing really wrong with me, and other days I feel totally paranoid as if I am wearing a big label saying I have Crohn's.
I have lots of pets at home which really keep me going, and I think without them I would probably have turned my face to the wall and given up when I was at my lowest in hospital.
Anyhow, a cake to those who got through that!! Sorry it is so long! Didn't think my story was as long as that!!
Cerys
Just joined this forum and have been having a little browse around, you all seem a lovely lot so I thought I would introduce myself and my story of Crohn's.
I am 21 years old and was diagnosed with Crohn's when I had just turned 18 in August 2005. I have always suffered with Psoriasis and as a baby I was in and out of hospital for throat infections whcih resulted in my toncils being removed and I was also once admitted with Scarlet Fever.
The summer leading up to my 18th birthday had been very difficult, I had started of with cellulitis in my ear from a horsefly bite, then followed by extreme swelling of my knees, wrists, ankles and shoulders.
The joint pains had been on and off all summer, then a week after my 18th birthday my knee swoll up so much I was totally unable to walk and was in excruciating pain, so I was admitted to the hospital. At this stage my Crohn's symtoms hadn't started, or so I thought! I put the diahorrea that I had at the beginning of the summer down to the hefty doses of antibiotics I had been on for my ear! I was admitted into hospital for my joints, Crohn's hadn't even crossed the doctors mind at that stage!
A week after being admitted to hospital my Crohn's symtoms made a comeback! I also had my right knee drained twice in the first week of being in hospital!
The Crohn's, though I was yet to be diagnosed, was really taking hold and I was losing weight rapidly. I was totally unable to keep any solid food down and was struggling to keep fluids down so I was put on a drip. I lost around 2 1/2 stone in the second week.
At the end of the second week I had an emergency CT scan to try and determine what was going on inside, it showed that my intestines, particularly my colon were extremely inflamed. So a few days later I went for a colonoscopy where my Crohn's was diagnosed and confirmed.
I was started on IV steriods and oral pentasa. Within 24 hrs of starting the steroids I was able to eat and drink again. I was discharged 3 1/2 weeks after being admitted, I had lost so much weight I was skeletal!
All was well until the following February (2006), I had been weaning off the steroids and was still on the pentasa. Once the steroids stopped my joints flared up again, and I spent a further week in hospital in February 2006, thankfully I didn't have to have any joints drained!
Once my joints had settled my Consultant decided to put me on a drug called Methotrexate which is a strong immunosuppressant. I had to take 8 little tablets once a week. I was on this for a year and a half with few problems. Joints and Crohn's as well as Psoriasis were all under control. The Methotrexate made me feel quite yucky for a few day after taking it, and started to really bring me down mentally, but the pros were still outweighing the cons so I persevered.
Summer 2007 my liver function results started to go up the left severely! The Methotrexate was starting to damage my liver. My Methotrexate and crohn's induced anaemia was also getting critical! I was told to come off the tablets immediately, no weaning off them. This scared me majorly! Again my emotions were all over the place, though I actually started to feel really well. It made me realised how ill I felt whilst on the Methotrexate. Though my 'safety net' had just been taken away, and I felt I was no longer in control, even though my crohn's etc were all in remission.
Over the summer my Psoriasis started to come back, but other than that everything else was fine. Until November 2007. My Crohn's came back with a vengeance! I started vomiting and had severe D+. I was admitted to the hospital on the 23rd November. I was immediately hooked up to a drip as I was unable to keep anything down at all. I didnt attempt to eat or drink anything at all for 5 days in a row I was so ill. I went from just over 9st to 6st in 2 weeks. I even struggled to keep the tablets they had put me on down.
The docters just couldn't get my crohn's under control at all. At the end of the 2nd week the doctors decided that they should try Infliximab. The downside was they had to apply for funding for it. So I was allowed home over the weekend while they got the funding sorted.
By the time I got back to hospital on the monday I was starting to give up, I was so weak and really was fed up with it all. I recieved the Infliximab on the tuesday and was discharged from the hospital a week before Xmas 2007! I was again totally skeletal!!
I have been on Infliximab since then and have only had one setback and that was in March this year when I spent a week in hospital with a mild flare up. I just recieved an extra top up dose of the Infliximab and I was right as rain again!
The Infliximab has worked wonders for me, though I do still suffer with extreme tiredness. Thankfully my joints, psoriasis and anaemia are totally under control now too! Thankfully I have avoided surgery so far and have also never suffered with fistulas.
Just need to sort my head out now! I still feel very up and down about Crohn's, some days I feel I can cope and there is nothing really wrong with me, and other days I feel totally paranoid as if I am wearing a big label saying I have Crohn's.
I have lots of pets at home which really keep me going, and I think without them I would probably have turned my face to the wall and given up when I was at my lowest in hospital.
Anyhow, a cake to those who got through that!! Sorry it is so long! Didn't think my story was as long as that!!
Cerys
