Newly "diagnosed"

[Marah]

My name is Marah and I am 23 years old. I put parentheses around diagnosed because my clockwork came back inconclusive that they do to see if you have Crohns. My doctor did a colonoscopy and feels 100% that this is Crohns disease. I currently don't have insurance so I can't do the other blood test that is very expensive. When I was 16 I started having stomach issues. Bad diarrhea and pain. It took me awhile to go to the Dr but when I did they kind of just ignored me. Told me to take some metamucil or some citracell. Of course that didn't help. I went a couple other times and they just shooed me off thinking I was milking it. Fast forward 7 years, yes I just said 7 years. I began having diarrhea upwards of 20 times a day, extreme stomach pain and started bleeding bad. I was losing weight and never wanted to eat. There are days I couldn't even get out of bed. How do you do that with a 2 year old?! Finally got into the GI with no insurance. Had to pay a couple hundred dollars for that! We did a colonoscopy and that showed my terminal ileum was extremely sick and diseased. They did a CT scan and I also had a abscess and about 1 inches of my small intestine was diseased. The hospitalized me for 4 days to get IV antibiotics and to keep a close watch on me. They started 40 mg of prednisone and I'm on Pentasa and today I'm starting Imuran because after 1 month of prednisone and 2 weeks of Pentasa I'm still not doing that well. I will be taking 100 mg of the Imuran a day. I'm very scared and reluctant to take this medicine even though I want to get better. I'm scared of the risks and how it will make me feel. I'm also saddened because I want another baby really soon as my daughter will be turning 3 this month. So my question is, how long did intake to achieve remission with Imuran. Do I have to take it a long time or can I achieve remission and then go off of it? Are there any programs out there that will help me with my bills? I'm sitting on about 20,000 worth of medical bills just for 2 months! Its very stressful and scary!

 

[nogutsnoglory]

Welcome Marah, so sorry to hear about your disease and financial burdens. I don't have personal experience with Imuran, so I can't speak to that. I will say that there are side effects with all these drugs and I fully understand your concerns, but think about how you are now. You can barely function and care for your kid so it's worth seeing if this medication can improve your life.

The Modest Needs Foundation provides one-time emergency grants to financially needy families or individuals. For more information on this foundation you can visit: http://www.modestneeds.org/

Many drug companies also have patient assistance programs and often provide the drugs free of charge b

 

[Tuff]

Hi Marah, welcome, and sorry you had to find us. I have been on Imuran for about a year, without major side effects. It can take a few months for it to take effect. I'm also on Pentasa and Cipro, and this combination seems to work for me.
I only go a couple of times a day, and no accidents. I can actually go out and have a life again. Read the instructions and take as directed, I take it at dinner with food.

 

[CrohnsChicago]

I recently started 6MP (similar to Imuran) almost a month ago. So far no side effects except possibly fatigue being caused by the medication. And it apparently takes a few months to kick in. **Routine blood work (every few weeks) is necessary on this medication to make sure you do not develop any liver damage or pancreatitis. If this occurs, your doc will most likely take you off and try something else.

I absolutely understand your fear about side effects and future pregnancy. I was putting off taking the drug because of these fears. Unfortunately during that period my crohn's decided to make itself known again and this time with more force. The pain I was in during this current flare I am getting over is nothing I want to experience again if I don't have to. Thus to me, benefits of taking the med far outweigh the risks. The prednisone and asacol alone obviously weren't working and you can't stay on prednisone forever without developing complications.

Believe it or not there are even stronger drugs you can be on for this and with that said I am grateful I only have to deal with the 6MP for now and hopefully never have to use anything stronger.

Try to remind yourself why you are taking the meds...for better health, to make sure you are able to be a mom to your daughter, and whatever other reasons you have for feeling better. Those are the things that should help guide you in your treatment especially during times of fear.

If you haven't done so already, you should check out the Imuran/Aza/6MP sub-forum where others on the site discuss their experiences on these meds.
http://www.crohnsforum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=64

I wish I had more info to offer you about paying for meds and medical visits/exams with non-insurance but I am sure someone else will come in and add to that particular subject.

Wishing you the best and hoping your treatment plan works.

:hug:

 

[JennyT]

Hi Maria, some of your symptoms are very similar to mine. It has been a bit 'trial and error' for me with meds and I think lots of peeps find this, and sometimes the side effects are a huge pain in the arse but for me, nothing has been as bad as prednisone and youve already had that! I agree that the side effects of any of the drugs we might possibly need are nothing compared with Crohns at its worst so dont be afraid of the journey to wellness, like all journeys it wil have ups and downs but you'll learn a lot too. Wishing you all the best, HUGS JenX

 

[Kinsey]

Looks like you have found your way around a bit. When I saw you post My heart just went out to you, I have a son with chon's. Best, Kinsey

 

[Karen]

I am here for you ...

 

[Jim (POPS)]

Hello and welcome to the forum. I hope that you are feeling better.
I find it a great help going to the chatroom here. Hope to see ya soon.