I've been lurking around this forum for a while now. Gotten some great info. I figured I should share my story with you all. Thanks for reading.
First of all. I am a registered holistic nutritionist, who owns her own natural food store. I sell organic, gluten-free and all things natural, etc. I know all about eating healthy and have been practicing this lifestyle for about 7 years. No one in my family ever had Crohn's (that we know of). I have always sort of had tummy issues. My stress definitely goes to my gut and always has. I have studied IBD and helped clients with it.
For about 8 months to a year, I was bleeding. Mainly when I wiped, I would see a little blood and just chalked it up to maybe hemmorroids and sort of didn't think much of it. Then urgent bowel movements happened a few times. Usually in the morning, when I had to run for the bathroom, sometimes not making it in time. Again, I was stressed out and I just sort of didn't think about it. There were other little things too that now I realize were the Crohn's but again, I ignored the signs. I opened my shop almost 2 years ago and it has been quite a trip and has caused me a lot of stress.
Then at the end of December/beginning of Jan of this year, I started getting intense pains in my lower abdomen. I just felt generally blah and tired and totally thought I was pregnant or getting some sort of flu. Then the diarrhea started. Watery and ALL THE TIME. I was still really hungry though so I continued to eat what I could. Hd to sleep sitting up since it was the only way to stop it. After about 2 weeks of that, I went to see my doc. She told me it was stress and sent me home. 3 days later, I started to see blood, went back to her and she tested me to parasites and giarda. I also asked her to refer me to a GI (I was pretty convinced at this point that I had IBD) and she refused, saying that she couldn't until they were certain it wasn't something else. So I went home to suffer more. At this point my appetite was gone. I still came to work and tried my darndest to act like everything was ok. I went back to the doc for the third time for them to tell me that I didn't have any parasite or bacteria but that it could be a virus so they'd have to test for that. Still no referral.
So I went to the ER with severe dehydration. (this is after a month of diarrhea) They put me on a fluid drip and sent me home. The doc there suggested immodium. I was really scared to take it but was pretty desperate to have at least one night's sleep. So I took a half dose. I woke up the next morning, severely swollen. My belly and back were enormous and I couldn't move. I looked about 7 months pregnant and was in severe pain. Back to the ER and after being poked a prodded all day, they finally admitted me.
I was in the hospital for a week and a half total. 5 days of not being able to eat (only water and ice) and not being able to leave my room for fear that I had a virus (even though I was tested for that like 5 times!). Then I could eat liquids and jello for a few days. I hated being in there. Sitting there in diapers, not knowing why. Then they finally sent me for a CT scan (so not fun!) and then I finally got to talk to the GI doc. He did a scope and there it was, CHROHN'S! I was so relieved to finally know what it was and to also know that I wasn't crazy to think that I knew my body enough to know that it wasn't just stress or whatever else the docs were trying to tell was happening. So a few days later, they sent me home with meds.
I spent almost a month at home. My mom came to help out, thank goodness. My husband is wonderful, thank goodness.
Now it's been a month and a half since all that and I'm feeling much better. The Pred took a while to kick in but once it did, I felt like myself again. I don't "eat anything". I really try to keep things on the side of anti-inflammatory but I've lost 20 lbs, so eating is definitely a constant thing. So far the only Pred side effects I am noticing is the appetite, hair thinning and my legs don't work so well. I find walking up stairs really difficult. I have also really tried to lower my stress level. I look at things so much differently now. I am enjoying the store again and not working myself so hard. i took an extra day off to do nothing. I also see a TCM, twice a week who does acupuncture and go to Restorative yoga once a week. So helpful.
I see my GI doc next week to access the situation. I know I'm not "there" yet and am not rushing to get off the meds just yet. (currently on 20mg of pred) I really want to be sure that things are good. That being said, I hate being on the steroids and would love to get off!
Ok this is REALLY long.
redapple3
First of all. I am a registered holistic nutritionist, who owns her own natural food store. I sell organic, gluten-free and all things natural, etc. I know all about eating healthy and have been practicing this lifestyle for about 7 years. No one in my family ever had Crohn's (that we know of). I have always sort of had tummy issues. My stress definitely goes to my gut and always has. I have studied IBD and helped clients with it.
For about 8 months to a year, I was bleeding. Mainly when I wiped, I would see a little blood and just chalked it up to maybe hemmorroids and sort of didn't think much of it. Then urgent bowel movements happened a few times. Usually in the morning, when I had to run for the bathroom, sometimes not making it in time. Again, I was stressed out and I just sort of didn't think about it. There were other little things too that now I realize were the Crohn's but again, I ignored the signs. I opened my shop almost 2 years ago and it has been quite a trip and has caused me a lot of stress.
Then at the end of December/beginning of Jan of this year, I started getting intense pains in my lower abdomen. I just felt generally blah and tired and totally thought I was pregnant or getting some sort of flu. Then the diarrhea started. Watery and ALL THE TIME. I was still really hungry though so I continued to eat what I could. Hd to sleep sitting up since it was the only way to stop it. After about 2 weeks of that, I went to see my doc. She told me it was stress and sent me home. 3 days later, I started to see blood, went back to her and she tested me to parasites and giarda. I also asked her to refer me to a GI (I was pretty convinced at this point that I had IBD) and she refused, saying that she couldn't until they were certain it wasn't something else. So I went home to suffer more. At this point my appetite was gone. I still came to work and tried my darndest to act like everything was ok. I went back to the doc for the third time for them to tell me that I didn't have any parasite or bacteria but that it could be a virus so they'd have to test for that. Still no referral.
So I went to the ER with severe dehydration. (this is after a month of diarrhea) They put me on a fluid drip and sent me home. The doc there suggested immodium. I was really scared to take it but was pretty desperate to have at least one night's sleep. So I took a half dose. I woke up the next morning, severely swollen. My belly and back were enormous and I couldn't move. I looked about 7 months pregnant and was in severe pain. Back to the ER and after being poked a prodded all day, they finally admitted me.
I was in the hospital for a week and a half total. 5 days of not being able to eat (only water and ice) and not being able to leave my room for fear that I had a virus (even though I was tested for that like 5 times!). Then I could eat liquids and jello for a few days. I hated being in there. Sitting there in diapers, not knowing why. Then they finally sent me for a CT scan (so not fun!) and then I finally got to talk to the GI doc. He did a scope and there it was, CHROHN'S! I was so relieved to finally know what it was and to also know that I wasn't crazy to think that I knew my body enough to know that it wasn't just stress or whatever else the docs were trying to tell was happening. So a few days later, they sent me home with meds.
I spent almost a month at home. My mom came to help out, thank goodness. My husband is wonderful, thank goodness.
Now it's been a month and a half since all that and I'm feeling much better. The Pred took a while to kick in but once it did, I felt like myself again. I don't "eat anything". I really try to keep things on the side of anti-inflammatory but I've lost 20 lbs, so eating is definitely a constant thing. So far the only Pred side effects I am noticing is the appetite, hair thinning and my legs don't work so well. I find walking up stairs really difficult. I have also really tried to lower my stress level. I look at things so much differently now. I am enjoying the store again and not working myself so hard. i took an extra day off to do nothing. I also see a TCM, twice a week who does acupuncture and go to Restorative yoga once a week. So helpful.
I see my GI doc next week to access the situation. I know I'm not "there" yet and am not rushing to get off the meds just yet. (currently on 20mg of pred) I really want to be sure that things are good. That being said, I hate being on the steroids and would love to get off!
Ok this is REALLY long.
redapple3
