Crohn's
Just over 5yrs ago I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease. I was pregnant with my fourth child. Apparently I wasn't fitting the normal crohn's pattern. I was put on Asacol, prednisone and another drug. I was taking about 30-40 pills a day. I hate prednisone. I would try to wean off and the symptoms would return. So up I would go on the pred. Along with the prednisone came gestational diabetes. Prednisone interferes with glucose levels. I developed UTIs, one after another. Prednisone also interferes with healing. Works great on inflammation, but terrible for a sick body. I had a UTI the last 12wks of my pregnancy. NICE! Didn't help that my bladder was weak and I leaked urine. Most women will understand, that happens. SIGH!
Fast forward, I delivered my sweet baby and dove into German Chocolate cake. The gestational diabetes was gone you know. :) My OB, went to the cafeteria and saved me a piece so I could have it after I delivered. what a great guy! The symptoms went away somewhat. YEAH!
I man in my ward also had crohn's and saw a different doctor who treated him with Zoloft and another drug and it seemed he was doing fine. I had just had a colonoscopy (#2 in my life), the results were normal. INTERESTING! SO I decided to try this other doctor. He decided to do ANOTHER scope...(#3, second in a month). He decided I only had IBS, which he treated with two antidepressants. One to increase the seritonin levels and the other for the chronic pain. It worked well. Until I grew dependent on the Zoloft and took SEVEN months to wean off (and a whole other child later).
Fast forward to 1/08. (reader beware this is where it gets gross) I decided to do a colon cleanse. That was my biggest mistake! I hadn't had any bowel problems for almost 4.5yrs. Well, they started shortly after beginning the cleanse. I guess it was to be expected...sand paper to a not so healthy gut. I should've known. Pain started so I stopped. Not long after that blood and mucus started. I immediately KNEW I needed to get in for a scope. I called a gastro and he couldn't see me for a FULL Month!
A dear friend of mine told me to just go to my Family doctor. I didn't think he could do anything for me. I went in and told him that. He said, "watch me". He made an appointment for me for a scope with the same guys I was trying to get in with in a month. He had pull...lol! After thinking about it, it only made sense. That was a Wednesday and I had a scope on Friday. This was the beginning of Feburary.
The diagnosis was Crohn's Colitis. I went in saying, "I don't have crohn's", left still saying "I don't' have crohn's". They put me on Pentasa and Canasa for 2wks till I saw them again. They began to work and the symptoms were subsiding. Reality of the disease was setting in. It was real, I had it.
I was doing well and they said I could wean down (this was 3 months into the meds). Well, when I would start to wean down I would get excited and think, I don't need it. PYSCH! The pain would come back! Back to the meds...be consistent. That is hard to do for a person who doesn't like meds.
I started taking a birth control pill hoping it would help with my endometriosis and it messed with my crohn's. It wasn't until AFTER a CAT scan that my Gyn, said "oh, you have IBD, yes then that could cause problems. Stop taking it and see if that helps. If it does, start it back up in a few weeks to be sure." Was he nuts? Start it back up? I never did. SO here I am NOW, with the same pains and I'm NOT on the BC pill. So maybe I should have followed his directions.
I have found it is cyclical abit. 4wks ago I had pain then my period started and it went away. Then last Monday the pain started again and hasn't left. You guessed my period started. Cramps came in mass (more than in the past 6 months). The cramps are gone now, but the crohn's pain is still here.
The pain is really confusing and hard to explain. I just know it is sometimes unbearable. Pain makes me grumpy. Being a mom, well, often you have to deal with the pain and move on. Life doesn't stop for the pain. Even though you will find me laying down trying to gain some strength. My kids asked their dad yesterday "dada, are YOU ever sick?". "Yes, but not like mom". Sad but true.
Pain pain go away, come again another day...OH wait, come again never! :)
You know what though? The pain means I am alive! I guess that is good. I can feel. I have a body. I am blessed.
Fast forward, I delivered my sweet baby and dove into German Chocolate cake. The gestational diabetes was gone you know. :) My OB, went to the cafeteria and saved me a piece so I could have it after I delivered. what a great guy! The symptoms went away somewhat. YEAH!
I man in my ward also had crohn's and saw a different doctor who treated him with Zoloft and another drug and it seemed he was doing fine. I had just had a colonoscopy (#2 in my life), the results were normal. INTERESTING! SO I decided to try this other doctor. He decided to do ANOTHER scope...(#3, second in a month). He decided I only had IBS, which he treated with two antidepressants. One to increase the seritonin levels and the other for the chronic pain. It worked well. Until I grew dependent on the Zoloft and took SEVEN months to wean off (and a whole other child later).
Fast forward to 1/08. (reader beware this is where it gets gross) I decided to do a colon cleanse. That was my biggest mistake! I hadn't had any bowel problems for almost 4.5yrs. Well, they started shortly after beginning the cleanse. I guess it was to be expected...sand paper to a not so healthy gut. I should've known. Pain started so I stopped. Not long after that blood and mucus started. I immediately KNEW I needed to get in for a scope. I called a gastro and he couldn't see me for a FULL Month!
A dear friend of mine told me to just go to my Family doctor. I didn't think he could do anything for me. I went in and told him that. He said, "watch me". He made an appointment for me for a scope with the same guys I was trying to get in with in a month. He had pull...lol! After thinking about it, it only made sense. That was a Wednesday and I had a scope on Friday. This was the beginning of Feburary.
The diagnosis was Crohn's Colitis. I went in saying, "I don't have crohn's", left still saying "I don't' have crohn's". They put me on Pentasa and Canasa for 2wks till I saw them again. They began to work and the symptoms were subsiding. Reality of the disease was setting in. It was real, I had it.
I was doing well and they said I could wean down (this was 3 months into the meds). Well, when I would start to wean down I would get excited and think, I don't need it. PYSCH! The pain would come back! Back to the meds...be consistent. That is hard to do for a person who doesn't like meds.
I started taking a birth control pill hoping it would help with my endometriosis and it messed with my crohn's. It wasn't until AFTER a CAT scan that my Gyn, said "oh, you have IBD, yes then that could cause problems. Stop taking it and see if that helps. If it does, start it back up in a few weeks to be sure." Was he nuts? Start it back up? I never did. SO here I am NOW, with the same pains and I'm NOT on the BC pill. So maybe I should have followed his directions.
I have found it is cyclical abit. 4wks ago I had pain then my period started and it went away. Then last Monday the pain started again and hasn't left. You guessed my period started. Cramps came in mass (more than in the past 6 months). The cramps are gone now, but the crohn's pain is still here.
The pain is really confusing and hard to explain. I just know it is sometimes unbearable. Pain makes me grumpy. Being a mom, well, often you have to deal with the pain and move on. Life doesn't stop for the pain. Even though you will find me laying down trying to gain some strength. My kids asked their dad yesterday "dada, are YOU ever sick?". "Yes, but not like mom". Sad but true.
Pain pain go away, come again another day...OH wait, come again never! :)
You know what though? The pain means I am alive! I guess that is good. I can feel. I have a body. I am blessed.
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xoxo!