First I would like thank in advance the forum members for the valuable information you are sure to provide. I'm new here and I am new to Crohn's. In fact, until thirty days ago, the word Crohn's was not even on my vocabularies radar. In the last thirty day however, we have become extremely close acquaintances yet we are not friendly at all. I guess that my story is proof that God does have a sense of humor as no one else could have seen me silently laughing at the Irritable Bowel commercials on TV. This is how I met Crohn's. This nightmare began in November of 2012 when I visited my primary care physician with a breathing issue. I really only wanted to get a script for a new inhaler. My PCP in his infinite wisdom informed me that my lungs sounded like they have a touch of bronchitis and that he caught it early. He wrote me a script for amoxicillin to compliment my script for albuterol. I was out the door and on my way to the pharmacy. I took the amoxicillin perfectly as ordered for seven days and I figured that's that. By the time that seven more passed I was back in the Doc's office wheezing and coughing up blood. He told me that is was nothing to worry about and said he would give me something stronger. That's what I wanted to hear, nothing to worry about, while he handed me a seven day script for doxycycline. Another trip to the pharmacy on my way to feeling better once again. I took the Dox nearly as perfectly as the Amox an I was feeling spry and proud of myself. The next time I visited with Dr. Script I was only there to pick up my maint meds for PTSD. He noticed a sore on my arm, nothing unusual, but he felt it might be mrsa. Scared the shit out of me so I did not question him when he gave me Septra and Keflex. Over the next three months he prescribed me two more courses of Septra and Keflex and gently placed a script of Levofloxicin right beside the cherry on top. I had five courses of powerful antibiotics in four months and the crazy thing about it is that ol' Doc never ran the first test. Not a single test of blood, urine or tissue. No cultures to prove the I had ever had an infection at all prior or during his administration of all these antibiotics. Shortly thereafter I started to feel like shit. Tired, bloated, heavy, mopy, flu like and for the first time in my life I was terribly constipated. I visit my PCP every month for maintenance meds and each month I would explain these symptoms. Last November, 2013, I went ten days without a bowel movement so I took a exlax. It took two days and two multiple doses of exlax but the levy finally broke. When I finished my long overdue business my relief turned to concern as the bowl was full of blood. I passed it off and made a note to inform my pcp next visit. By January 14th, 2014 my lower abdomen and back hurt so bad and I was swollen from my waist to my ribs. I went to the ER where they did a CT with double contrast and tested blood, urine and stool. The infectious disease specialist first suspected pancreatitis but later confirmed that I had a really nasty c-diff infection, the new one with all the toxins, and a stricture blocking my poop. I was admitted to the hospital and administered IV Antibiotics for two days. A new blood test and the always poopular stool test confirmed c-diff was dead and the infectious disease hospitalist introduced me to a gastroenterologist who explained that I had Crohn's. My reaction was flat. Kinda like..."Ok, what the hell is that?" When he started to explain the bonus gifts i would be departing with I literally could not believe it. I am determined that Crohn's will not control me and prevent the things i love most. I expected the flare that started in the hospital to have ended by now but it hasn't. I have much respect for all of you.
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