Stress & Crohns

[neverlosehope]

Hi everyone, I am new to the boards and also new to Crohns Disease. I am 25 and just got my official diagnosis in August. I was sick for 6 months with no answers or medicine. I am wondering how do you guys manage stress with your disease? I have just started school and I am struggling to keep my stress level minimal because I keep flaring up Any tips would be greatly appreciated thank you

 

[DJW]

Hi and welcome.

For me, school was all about time management. I always hated last minute cram sessions. They stressed me out.

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

Hi, welcome to the forum. You said you weren't on any meds for 6 months - are you on medication now? Having a lot of flare-ups means you might need some tweaks or a different medication altogether. Is your doctor aware that you keep having flares?

As for managing stress, for me I find that exercise works pretty well. Depending on how active your illness is, though, exercise may not be an option right now. If you can exercise, try something gentle like yoga, short slow walks, or swimming. Some people on the forum have had good results with things like meditation or deep breathing as well. Make sure to get enough sleep also, that can make a big difference. Make sure to laugh often, watch a funny movie or go to a comedy show, that sort of thing helps me a lot. Your username is very optimistic and I think that's great, keeping optimistic will help a lot too. I hope that helps a little bit.

 

[neverlosehope]

Thank you both

I was not on medication for 6 months the doctors were convinced I had a very aggressive stomach infection and just used antibiotics to treat it once and when my symptoms worsened it was a long wait to see my GI. I am on prednisone had to increase my dose a little bit that seems to be helping a little. I like both of your ideas thank you

 

[saucytart]

Be cautious with the prednisone. It can be dangerous for long term use. If it's just fir a short term line a few weeks that's okay. Otherwise, you may want to seek another opinion. There are much more effective treatments out there that don't turn your joints to dust!