Possible triggers

[TommySkater]

Hello, reader to this post. I recently started researching chrons because my girlfriend was diagnosed when she was 3 years old. I love her with all my heart and I want to try and help her as best as I can but its hard when were both still just out of high school and living with our parents. Getting to the point, I realized that if she was diagnosed when she was 3 years old, what could possibly trigger the genes in her body to start the disease? if she didn't have any problems before three years old could it mean she didn't have chrons? Could this trigger be "reversed" and used as a treatment?

Again, sorry for my lack of knowledge :ybatty:

 

[Jeff D.]

Crohn's is a genetic disease that needs a trigger. The slightest or biggest thing could be the trigger and no one knows what will bring Crohn's out of remission. People can go into remission but a person cannot be cured magically. I was 14 before I was diagnosed but I had symptoms since I was about 12. I think stress was the big factor for me.

Also, welcome to the forum. Ask any and all questions you may have.

 

[TommySkater]

Thanks for the welcoming

I do understand that Chron's is an incurable disease i just thought that "reversing a trigger" sounded like an interesting idea. Were both looking for a natural way she can get help because shes tired of taking drugs that don't work and possibly messing up her body even more.

 

[mommy1st]

Tell her to hang in there, I know for me stress is a big factor now, but I was diagnosed when I was 10 years old and I can't really say that stress was a factor. Before I was diagnosed there were times when I wouldn't eat because I thought I was fat and I honestly believe that was my trigger to set everything into motion. Good Luck

 

[TommySkater]

Stress is a big factor. Often shes frustrated with dealing with being sick all the time and now trying to find a new doctor. She has to switch now that shes 18 and can't go to a pediatric hospital. She knows I'm always here to do what I can and support her. Sometimes its best to forget about the Chron's for a few hours and do something distracting :smile: she wishes it didn't take up as much of her life as it does

 

[teeny5]

I think stress is what "woke up" Crohn's in me. Now I really try to stay as stress free as possible and try to get a workout in if I feel up to it. Exercise really helps to burn off all that negative energy. I like to do pilates a lot.

Do she like anything like hobbies or something? Sometimes just having a hobby you love can be therapeutic. I like doing crafts and scrapbooking at the moment.

 

[TommySkater]

She used to be a part of the color guard for our high school and she would be busy with that most nights and hang out with a lot of her friends. i would help out as part of the "pit crew" when they would compete on weekends. Now that she graduated and is going to college she isn't going to be able to do that anymore. I wan to try going on bike trips, go walking, and find other physical activities where we could hang out and get a good workout at the same time but shes never feeling up to it. As for hobbies she doesn't really have anything crafty or anything she can just like sit down and do. However, lately it seems like shes reading more.

 

[Creepy Lurker]

I personally don't believe that stress triggers Crohn's, but when the disease has been activated, stress certainly does cause flare-ups.

I'm still convinced that the dodgy genes are triggered by a virus or bacteria.

 

[Jeff D.]

Well I don't think we should debate this here but I think it's triggered by several things at once.

To Tommy Skater I think walk and bike rides would be great. Hold off on the bike if she has any rectal pain at all.

 

[teeny5]

I think anything that can keep her mind on something else is great...if that is reading then so be it! Maybe go book shopping with her. Do you like to read? Read a book together so you can talk about it.

 

[TommySkater]

Teeny, you have a great idea! I have gotten out of the habit of reading consistently and I think it would be great for both of us. And book shopping together would also be a great idea!

Jeff D thanks a lot for letting me know about biking. Honestly, I didn't even think about that. Biking would definitely not be a great surprise idea. I probably would have asked anyway to see if she was up to it.

 

[Guest]

hi Tommy & welcome

firstly, i just have to say how touched i was to read your opening post. your girlfriend is truly lucky to have such an understanding, supportive & caring partner

one of the things i believe in greatly, which helps me get through living with Crohns (in fact i did this before my Crohns came back too) is relaxation and/or meditation. it somehow settles down all the jangling thoughts and anxieties.. and is lovely to do, either on your own or together. just a thought....

 

[mommy1st]

If she's not feeling well board games can be fun it may seem childish but my boyfriend at the time (he's now my husband) and I would have game night and have friends over to play ot we would just play games ourselves. I could rest but still have a good time with him and my friends and having fun always takes your mind off not feeling well.

 

[TommySkater]

Thanks so much, everyone, for your ideas! I really like the atmosphere in this forum compared to others i have been on! Thanks, dingbat for your complement and ideas on meditation, and mommy1st for the suggestion of board games. I just remembered how much my girlfriend likes puzzles so I think thats another great direction to head in when it comes to taking her mind away from Chron's. She's awesome at them And i have quite the collection of board games; we've already broken into a few of them!

 

[teeny5]

I love to do puzzles too! I love this forum...everyone here is great and really helpfull. Good luck to you and your girlfriend. Have fun!

 

[Colt]

Frankly in my experience I think I pretty much always had crohn's. Only it started off extremely mild and very very slowly got worse. It was always written off as something else until I was 16. For most of my childhood it was severe pollen/spore allergies that caused a chronic sinus infection that was draining into my stomach and causing it to be upset. Instead I've come to realize that my allergies aren't unusually bad. What seem like allergy symptoms are instead autoimmune symptoms.

 

[Babe123]

although i havnt officially been diagnosed with Crohns.. i have all the symptoms i didnt become ill until i was 17 and taken to hospital. i became ill because i was under alot of stress and having constant arguments. as other people have said.. stress is a major factor in causing flare ups. i find that if i am under alot of stress i become ill. but if i am relaxed then dont feel all that bad
x

 

[B.B.J.]

I definitely believe that stress was the primary factor that triggered my colitis/crohns with the pressures of everyday life i was under at the time. However, I consider myself as quite laid back and its like a hidden stress that I'm not aware of builds up and i eventually burst. Also looking back to when my second flare up since i was diagnosed kicked off i think the Hepatitis B jag i received for work purposes may have contributed as my arm was like Popeye for around three weeks......just a thought though.....

 

[FruitLoop]

Hormones were my trigger for the intial flare that led to diagnosis.

Hormones have caused 3 major flare ups and stress caused the current one.

Although i do accept that Crohn's is always there bubbling away waiting for a reason to activate.

 

[ErinDF]

Hey Tommyskater...

It is great that you want to help you girlfriend cope with this and I strongly support all of the suggestions raised above...but I want to make one slightly more dreary comment.

While there are natural remedies that may relieve some of symptoms (including reducing stress...I know this is utterly unscientific, but I frequently seem to flare around big changes in my life, like moving or starting school or a big trip, etc.) As you read these boards you will see that many people take some natural supplements, such as fish oil and others, to help. However, the somewhat harsh reality of this disease is that your girlfriend will probably be on some form of medicine for the rest of her life. Hopefully she will go into remission and just be on a maintenance dose, but she'll almost certainly have to take something.

So my suggestion is, listen to her vent, hug her when she cries, then remind her to take her medication the next morning.

Okay...don't know if this is what other people on this board feel...but I guess that is sort of the point of this whole forum thing.

erin

 

[TommySkater]

ErinDF, This isnt as much of a shock to me, i kind of expected that. Im always praying for her and i have a circle of friends who do the same. We all pray for one another when we need it the most. I talked to her about natural remedies like supplements and fish oils but she is concerned about "messing around" with work being done by her doctors. She recently started an all organic diet and is excluding things like milk and especially chemicals in various snacks and other foods. Today we went shopping at Trader Joes!

I am prepared to take on whatever happens down the road and am doing the best i can to take on whats happening right now.

I listen to her whenever she needs me and im always reminding here im right here beside her to help her. This is very important to me.

 

[GoJohnnyGo]

Keep fighting the good fight there, Tom. You're doing a good thing.

Don't let it define you though. It's understandably overwhelming at first, but you really need to let things unfold as they happen. It's a long learning process, not just for sufferers, but even moreso for the supporters.

 

[BWS1982]

Well the desire is noble, and it's great you're helping your gf, but to try to put the desire to reverse the "trigger" into perspective, think of it this way: As far as science is aware thus far, what you're proposing would be akin to a wick on a candle which gets lit (the Crohns is "activated" and symptoms/flaring shows), and then to reverse it, a method of treatment (or rather a "cure") would essentially blow out the flame. As far as science understands the beast that is Crohns (btw, one quick tip, it's "Crohns" not "Chrons", I wish it was named after the common spellings in English for simplicity's sake, but it's named after an American scientist with German heritage from the early 1930's who documented the disease with colleagues ) is dormant in the genes, and when it's "lit" or "turned on" it's more akin to say, a rubberband, that snaps at one point, and science would love to re-fuse the two ends back together, but so far that's on paper and not reality.

A flare up that goes into remission is akin to taping that rubberband back together, but that remission can relapse and go flaring again if that tape is destroyed or stressed too much. Our goal is to retain that rubberband in it's taped status as long and strongly as possible, which is the goal of most medications and treatments. Science is working on a method to find out whose "rubberband can/will break" ie: who has Crohns in their genes but hasn't had their rubber snap yet....and I'm sure there are those who are searching for a way to fuse that rubber back so it's back reunited for good....that'd be the cure to Crohns.

I just came up with this analogy, so if any members want to elaborate on it, you're welcome, I hope I simplified the essence of the disease plainly for all to grasp, but since it was generated in 15 minutes, it could have holes in it....??

 

[TommySkater]

Thanks BWS for the analogy. I wasn't posting my first message because i was searching for a cure but just offering a suggestion as "has anyone thought about this?" Going back and rereading that post I can see how its taken as me just looking for a cure. Im sure if you heard my tone you would understand what I meant

 

[Sojourn]

You could go crazy trying to avoid anything and everything that could be a trigger.

I think what triggered mine was some stagnant water in an old tank. I had rented a travel trailer and didn't realize the water had been routed directly in. So I turned on the water pump which pumped the dirty old stagnant water into the tap. I subsequently drank it and was ill for a couple of days. But from then on I was never the same. I wasn't officially diagnosed w/Crohn's until 5 years after that.

 

[katiesue1506]

I think mine was triggered by the meningitis vaccine.

 

[Agent X20]

I was diagnosed when I was 16, but I must have had it a while before then... I even had suspected appendicitis when I was about 10, and I wonder if it was the first signs. Does anyone think it could be triggered by puberty? That must be a big shock to the system!
Now I'm careful about my diet, it seems to be stress that sets it off... and that's usually work-related.

 

[FruitLoop]

Does anyone think it could be triggered by puberty? That must be a big shock to the system!
.

I would go along with that - hormones cause me to flare badly.

When i was pregnant i had chronic flares, post birth at the 3 month post natal hormone surge as well.

Also the time of the month causes rumblings.

So puberty which is one long hormone surge would also cause problems.

 

[BWS1982]

Hey Tommy, no worries, I think what your first post stated was very honorable and selfless, whether cure or just relief....I think that's the best intention one could have while watching a Crohns sufferer go through their trials, and it's not "far fetched" to wonder about a cure (I've thought about what you suggested also), so don't think yourself naive if you were wanting a cure, that's what the most knowledgable of researchers are seeking. I think they're closer than ever now and there's some promising fronts.

I am also prone to believe something like puberty is a very likely issue (not necessarily the only)....the most concentrated spectrum of patients is 15-25, and then another group up near 50-60....those are two of the most hormonally active eras in the human lifespan...puberty and then menopause/male aging (testosterone levels drop sharply around then).

 

[teeny5]

I wouldn't doubt if hormones play a huge part in it. Though I am 28...far beyond puberty...I had just in the year before being diagnosed noticed a change in hormones. I had started having emotional mood swings and ended up having my BC pill changed to adjust the hormones.

Within 6 months of that I was promoted at work and had gone through one of the most stressful times in my life personally and professionally. Then...I became sick and found out I have Crohn's.

I figure as others have stated it is a combination of things that "wakes up" the disease. So, I am wondering if the same would be what it takes to make it go back to "sleep." A combination of things rather than an one step cure all. This is why I am skeptical of stuff like Helpcrohns juice. If it was that easy why have people been living with this disease for years and doctors seem baffled at how to effectively treat it? I feel like we have all been just expirimented on by our doctors. It isn't their fault...I think this disease is just very mysterious.

 

[BWS1982]

What's most disheartening is that in a couple decades, I'm betting that the medical world will laugh at the treatments we are now considering effective or "on the right track"...look at how they treated stuff 100 years ago that we have either cures or vaccines for now.

 

[ITSMEAGAIN]

interesting that you mention hormonal changes. I not sure if it's a coinsidence that i was diagnosed with Crohn's only a few years after getting a vasectomy? It is linked with lower testosterone levels. hmmm

 

[TommySkater]

What's most disheartening is that in a couple decades, I'm betting that the medical world will laugh at the treatments we are now considering effective or "on the right track"...look at how they treated stuff 100 years ago that we have either cures or vaccines for now.

I got punched in the eye, do you have a T Bone steak for me?


My girlfriends diet is going well so far (My mom even went out of her way and bought some food so she can eat over! Thanks Mom!) and were hoping that it will help considering that these chemicals and pesticides could be another trigger. Shes been so stressed out though because of college and her new job on top of dealing with fevers every day. Were going camping next week for a week together with our families so we'll be having lots of fun and Im sure it will take some stress off of her.

 

[Creepy Lurker]

What's most disheartening is that in a couple decades, I'm betting that the medical world will laugh at the treatments we are now considering effective or "on the right track"...look at how they treated stuff 100 years ago that we have either cures or vaccines for now.

My GI often compares the current treatment of Crohn's with how they used to treat gastric ulcers before the cause was understood.

He fully believes that a complete permanent non-surgical cure is somewhere down the line.

 

[GoJohnnyGo]

I got punched in the eye, do you have a T Bone steak for me?

Or a Brontosaurus steak in my case. Dang thing slapped me and my stone vehicle upside down Flintstone-style at the drive-in.

 

[TommySkater]

Or a Brontosaurus steak in my case. Dang thing slapped me and my stone vehicle upside down Flintstone-style at the drive-in.

Hahaha! :ycool:

 

[dad_01]

I'm not taking a position that stress does or does not make crohn's worse, let alone act as a trigger for it.

However, I recall reading about a number of illnesses that doctors now know a good bit about the causes but, guess what? Before causes were identified, the doctors were saying that the causes were stress. Translation - when doctors don't have a clue what causes something, they may revert to the "stress" cause.

 

[teeny5]

The main reason I believe stress has a lot to do with it is because stress affects the digestive track. Therefor would cause more discomfort for Crohn's patients...but I do not believe stress causes Crohn's, just has an affect on it.

 

[Jeff D.]

Stress will not cause someone to suddenly get Crohn's but it could be the final straw that will cause your Crohn's to show itself.

 

[RHOV]

I wasn't under any unusual stress when my Crohn's manifested, but I have noticed that I flare during very busy times of my life, and stress always exacerbates my symptoms. I don't think it's right to say that stress causes Crohn's, but I think it plays a significant role in many people's cases!