Just take the next dose tomorrow. A double dose of Flagyl will not hurt.
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Anyone Here Have Crohn's Disease?
- Thread starter Bombadil
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Just take the next dose tomorrow. A double dose of Flagyl will not hurt.
You didn't overdose and even if you did, it seems that Flagyl wouldn't cause real issues. I guess you shouldn't take another one, but better read the insert and/or talk with a doctor just to be sure. Don't make yourself crazy. It's okay.
It's not that easy. I also live in a country with forced health insurance, so they even paid Remicade. But Remicade stopped working after 3 times (I don't have Crohn's btw) and I got a not approved medicine, which actually went against the cause and stopped everything. Because of crazy laws even that was illegal here. I got it outside of studies, because I wouldn't have managed to wait till the start of the official study. They rescued around 200-300 people that way, but this caused the maker of the medicine to stop making it (according to law he was allowed to make it for around 200 patients, actually made it for 500 patients lol). Which forced me to get the medicine from one of 2 pharmacies in total and I had to pay that from my own money. And it took almost a year including a lawyer to get my medical insurance company to pay for it (and they only did it, because I'm one of the worst cases in the whole country and they also knew I would have sued them to hell and back). Which means if I wouldn't make that much money, I wouldn't have made it through, although I was "insured" the whole time. The situation was totally laughable.
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IBDs are affected by stress, but are not caused directly by stress. Which means if you really got a IBD (Crohn's/Colitis - doesn't matter), keep attention on your stress level. And stress doesn't mean just bad stress. There are patients that got a flare-up just right after getting into a new relationship - which would actually be positive "stress". If you are easily stressed, try to get calmer. Additionally avoid crappy food (and spicey food as well). Learn how to cook.
Also don't get depressed. Try to learn to live with the disease. And don't get angry about your colon/stomach/body.
I would also double check the diagnosis. Sometimes Crohn's is diagnosed as ulcerative colitis. And sometimes UC is diagnosed as Crohn's.
Everdred
Member
My grandfather and father have Crohn's and I've always feared that I will get it too. My father has had over half of his intestines removed. He is in his 50's now and has had it since his early 20s. He's constantly in pain, constantly has diarrhea and it's had a major impact on his life. He always needs a restroom near by, just in case, making travel very difficult.
About 8 months ago I started to think I had it, I was frequently having diarrhea and stomach cramps. I started to look around the internet on ways to prevent it or slow it down. That's when I discovered the Paleo diet. I tried that for about a month and then found the perfecthealthdiet. After about 7 months on these 2 diets I haven't had any stomach issues for 6 months. Not a single stomach ache or pain, I've even binged a quite a few times on fast food and Pizza. I don't know if it has anything to do with Crohns (it is hereditary) but I HIGHLY recommend you look into changing your diet.
About 8 months ago I started to think I had it, I was frequently having diarrhea and stomach cramps. I started to look around the internet on ways to prevent it or slow it down. That's when I discovered the Paleo diet. I tried that for about a month and then found the perfecthealthdiet. After about 7 months on these 2 diets I haven't had any stomach issues for 6 months. Not a single stomach ache or pain, I've even binged a quite a few times on fast food and Pizza. I don't know if it has anything to do with Crohns (it is hereditary) but I HIGHLY recommend you look into changing your diet.
Matrix
LeBron loves his girlfriend. There is no other woman in the world hed rather have. The problem is, Dwyanes not a woman.
It was actually my last dose. Today was my last day of it.
Well, I'm not going to pretend that universal healthcare is perfect. No matter where you go, there are going to be laws in place that make getting healthcare difficult given the circumstances. Judging by your use of the term "force health insurance" I'm guessing you're not happy about the system you live under. But I assure you, it's far better than the American healthcare system. Here, were have a huge, gaping crack that millions of people fall into every time they get sick. Tens of millions of Americans who have no health insurance try to cope with their illnesses by ignoring it or taking OTC meds. Hundreds of billions of dollars are lost annually in our country because of lost productivity for whenever a person gets sick and has to stay home, and who knows how many billions are lost because these problems arose out of a lack of preventive care and routine check-ups. I don't know exactly why those problems you described exist in your country, but I think your country is on the right track.
I'm sorry about your father and grandfather. It doesn't mean that you will get the same disease. If you take care of yourself, I think you can avoid it.
I am considering the Paleo diet. I just need to make sure that I can get all the vitamins and minerals I need from it. Currently, I take multivitamins to ensure this. The last blood test I got from the first doctor I went to didn't reveal any major deficiencies. I had another blood test done a week later. If there are major drops or rises in certain things, I will have to consider what is going on. Since the small intestines are responsible for the absorption of nutrients, I guess a deficiency in something would indicate a major problem. I'd like to take that camera test where you swallow a small capsule-sized camera that takes thousands of pictures as it travels through the digestive tract. I wonder why more doctors don't just prescribe that instead of a colonoscopy/endoscopy.
God I hate this disease
Att: Ulcerative Colitis - not Crohn's!
http://lipid-therapeutics.com/english/colitis.html
http://lipid-therapeutics.com/english/produkt.html
soon... (study phase III starts in a few months)
(and it's also possible to get somewhat-like-it right now)
Because this system almost killed me/ruined my life. According to law I shouldn't have gotten the medicine. Although the actual active substance of the medicine is nothing special - it's in cake and other food. It's just prepared so that it gets through the stomach and small intestines. Normally it wouldn't reach the colon, where it needs to go. I couldn't work for over 1 1/2 years and then they even take it away from me and I had to do my own experiments, if the unofficial products work or not. And then it works and the medical insurance tells me that they won't pay for it, although I'm forced to pay those ***holes and they even tell me to get surgery (!). And only because I went to a lawyer, they finally gave up after months and months.
In theory the system would be fine. But some laws and the medical insurance company are that idiotic, that I couldn't believe it. Unapproved medicine is not allowed to be given out outside of studies - which even includes situations like mine, where I didn't have any other choice. Additionally there was a new law, which was actually meant for situations like that, but then the law says that the medicine MAY be given out, if there is a) an active study at that time (which wasn't the case, the last study was done just a few months before the producer stopped creating the medicine, but it also wasn't fully evaluated yet at that time) and b) the producer has to be responsible for everything and c) the producer has to PAY for everything - which is completely idiotic, because everyone is forced to pay for health insurance and the producer in that case only creates this new medicine, which means he can't afford to give it out to hundreds of patients for years. Even if he could, why should a medical company give out medicine for free. It doesn't make sense. Especially on the other hand they would pay 3000EUR+ Remicade every 2 months.
In my case even a system like in Africa would have been better, because I would at least have been allowed to get the official medicine in case I paid for it. Yes, people that couldn't afford it, would be in bad luck - but those are in bad luck here as well. No difference. In my case the whole situation was totally illegal and in theory the professor, that gave me the medicine, could have gotten sued (and would have gone to jail) for him saving my life. That's how crazy it is. Additionally I even paid for the official medicine, because noone paid for it but the study department of the clinic. Legally I wouldn't have been required to pay for it, but then noone was required to pay nor give it to me either.
I agree totally. In US you got all the approval crap as well, which in theory makes total sense. But in cases like this - where all the medicine against UC is working against symptoms and people know that - and the new medicine works against the cause - and noone gives a shit (for that new medicine the patent was granted over 10 years ago and it's still not approved - partly fault of the clinic, because they wanted to get it approved by themselves and overestimated the situation - they feared that medical companies could not be interested in getting it approved - it's too cheap and has actually no side effects besides flatulence - but then the patent was sold in 2009 and the medical company, that owns it now, works in slow-motion. I got told end of 2010 that it may be approved by now and they haven't even started study phase III, which means it will take till at least 2015).
If the active substance wouldn't be a food ingredient and there also wouldn't be any pharmacy that produces the unofficial medicine, I would have lost my colon by now or even more than that - not because there is no medicine, but because the official medicine is not approved yet and although I'm an adult that pays taxes and other crap, I'm not allowed to make that decision. That's why I'm really pissed about the system here. What's even worse is that there are many children that get their life ruined by the crappy disease and although there is a working medicine, they aren't given it and most of the time doctors don't even know about it - although everyone in this country pays for health insurance. Even liquid food is not paid by health insurance most of the time - even if it's confirmed to help in a case. It's intolerable.
Because they need a biopsy of an inflammed area to make a definitive diagnosis.
Vire
Member
My heart skipped a beat when I read the thread title.
I was diagnosed in elementary school, I'm now 22. Thankfully after having surgery and now being on Humira, I'm currently in remission. I really honestly didn't think it was possible, but I've seen the light at the end of the tunnel, at least for now.
I'm thankful for every single day that I go without a flair.
Unfortunately, my insurance is jacking up the price to insane levels for Humira...
I was diagnosed in elementary school, I'm now 22. Thankfully after having surgery and now being on Humira, I'm currently in remission. I really honestly didn't think it was possible, but I've seen the light at the end of the tunnel, at least for now.
I'm thankful for every single day that I go without a flair.
Unfortunately, my insurance is jacking up the price to insane levels for Humira...
Eighty Deuce
Banned
Great now I think I have Crohn's Disease, my VA doctor was planning on checking me for parasites first.
Ah, okay. But can a colonoscopy even detect inflammation in the small intestine? I thought it could only examine the colon.
Knock on wood. Fuck insurance companies.
Sorry, dude.
I have crohn's disease and am recently recovering from a nasty flair up of the disease. From my personla experience, and believe me people's experiences are varied with the disease, it doesn't sound like you have crohn's.
And seriously, you do not want crohn's, it sucks bad. Best of luck with what ever you have
And seriously, you do not want crohn's, it sucks bad. Best of luck with what ever you have
Vire
Member
Thank you.
Yeah I'm currently trying to do this actually but the problem is, it's such a long winded process. I've been on the phone with my insurance and Humira for what seems like 2 hours every day trying to get this straightened out. You have to pay upfront for the full cost and then you provide the receipts and you supposedly get refunded. The problem is, they want you to do this for every shipment every month. I did it once already and it was a fight just to get the receipt with them.
The hoops and loops these assholes want you to go through is absurd. But I will do it, since this is the only medication that seems to help me after 10 years.
As a side note, for people looking for things to eat or things to avoid, here are some things I've noticed I've done really well with and other things that gave me trouble:
Great Things for Crohn's Disease:
Salmon
Avocado
Eggs
Melon
Rice
Lean Poultry
Peanut Butter
Bad Things:
Popcorn
Anything with roughage (Broccoli is a no no)
Greasy Foods like Bacon
Lactose Milk
Fried Foods (Fast Food)
Nuts/Seeds
Things with lot's of Fiber
The worst thing you can do is self diagnose yourself reading things online.
That being said, I had almost identical symptoms as you and ended up having to have an upper-scope, abdominal CT and colonoscopy done. Wasn't fun and now I have a nice bill from the hospital (or GI clinic) despite having insurance.
That being said, I had almost identical symptoms as you and ended up having to have an upper-scope, abdominal CT and colonoscopy done. Wasn't fun and now I have a nice bill from the hospital (or GI clinic) despite having insurance.
Vire
Member
No, I wasn't. I've tried nearly every drug on the market unfortunately and nothing seemed to help. It's one of the more "extreme" medications I guess in terms of potentially bad side effects, but the risk has been worth it for me.
6MP
Flagyl
Remicade
Prednisone
Pentasa
Endocort
Alienia
I could go on for about an hour but I'm sure you understand...
I was reluctant to go on it at first, but it's been one of the best decisions of my life thankfully. I've been in remission for about 2 years or so now and I've gained close to 20 pounds. (Trust me, I needed it :lol)
oh ok yeah. I was going to say I hope you weren't put on it immediately. I was put on remicade from the first two doctors I saw, and when that wasn't working, I ended up seeing a different doctor. He told me that was overkill because I had mild Crohns, and I've been on Pentasa ever since.
It works sometimes but I think (and my doctor said it too) that me being on Remicade probably made the Pentasa not as effective because I have flare ups here and there and it's the worst.
EightBitNate
Member
I had a friend who went through hell and back with this disease. I honestly wish anyone with it the best of luck.
Vire
Member
Yeah, Pentasa was the first drug I ever took for Crohn's back in elementary school. Funnily enough, I didn't know how to swallow pills at that point because I was a dumbass kid. So they had to open the pills up and dump them in Cool Whip. It was the most disgusting shit imaginable. Since then I've been scarred and will never eat Cool Whip again :lol.
I wish you the best though and hopefully it stays mild!
Little Old Man
Member
Okay first up. Don't panic, the first priority is getting whatever you have diagnosed. This may be IBD or something else entirely. Usual test for Crohn's is via a colonoscopy and endoscopy, and biopsies are taken from areas where there is inflammation.
Secondly if you have IBD, UC is often misdiagnosed as Crohn's or vice versa.
Thirdly- every case is different. Different age of onset (though typically late teens to middle age), different symptoms, different triggers, different treatment plan, different severity of the condition and different effects on the body. Ultimately it affects somewhere along your digestive system and so your how your body interacts with its food/liquid intake, and so with pretty much every other part of your body.
About the only thing I've seen/read about anecdotally is that those who show symptoms early on tend to be worse off due to more side affects.
Good luck and whatever it is I hope you are treated quickly and relatively pain free. As a sufferer, it pains me that you might not have access to all the care you deserve due to the insurance bills if you too face Crohn's disease.
If you want the fully story just PM me!
Psychoward
Banned
I've had it for years, just got off imuran since that decided to stop working, so I've been taking remicade recently. An IV ever 6 weeks or so. It sucks, but it could be worse, my symptoms are pretty much gone. I still take Flagyl if there's a big flare-up though, but that causes a whole other slew of minor shit for me, like thrush for one. I used to take ursodial but after I had a liver transplant, I haven't needed that anymore. Woo.
Edit: also, colonoscopies are the fucking worst. It's ruined like three drinks for me, since I took it with the salty solution or whatever, and then castor oil once. Awful, awful. The prep is the worst, but other than that, it's fine.
Edit: also, colonoscopies are the fucking worst. It's ruined like three drinks for me, since I took it with the salty solution or whatever, and then castor oil once. Awful, awful. The prep is the worst, but other than that, it's fine.
Was diagnosed with it a little over 2 years ago, had it a lot longer. Went through a whole lot of testing to find out what it was.
First medication I was on was Pentasa, not only did it not work but I got pancreatitis about a month after I started it. That was pretty scary. Next big medication I started taking was Cimzia, it really didn't do too much. After six months my family and I moved to a different state and I was having trouble contacting the company that was sending me the stuff so I dropped that. Various doctors and months of steroids later I started seeing a GI doctor that specialized in Crohn's and he put me on 6MP. That one is working pretty well for me, it's been about 3 months with hardly any problems. So I've been slowly testing what I can and can't do. If problems ever arise from this next up is probably Humira, but so far so good.
It's been a trip for sure. Emergency room visits, sharp stomach pains, lots of blood in the stool, ect. Only thing that really bugs me about it is it's hard to make progress at times when you are working hard to accomplish something and you flare up, and you have to drop it for awhile only to come back to it feeling like you are starting all over. It's alright though, everyone has their own problems and some have it worse than I do for sure, it's hard for me to get angry about it. Just got to deal with the cards you have been dealt I guess.
First medication I was on was Pentasa, not only did it not work but I got pancreatitis about a month after I started it. That was pretty scary. Next big medication I started taking was Cimzia, it really didn't do too much. After six months my family and I moved to a different state and I was having trouble contacting the company that was sending me the stuff so I dropped that. Various doctors and months of steroids later I started seeing a GI doctor that specialized in Crohn's and he put me on 6MP. That one is working pretty well for me, it's been about 3 months with hardly any problems. So I've been slowly testing what I can and can't do. If problems ever arise from this next up is probably Humira, but so far so good.
It's been a trip for sure. Emergency room visits, sharp stomach pains, lots of blood in the stool, ect. Only thing that really bugs me about it is it's hard to make progress at times when you are working hard to accomplish something and you flare up, and you have to drop it for awhile only to come back to it feeling like you are starting all over. It's alright though, everyone has their own problems and some have it worse than I do for sure, it's hard for me to get angry about it. Just got to deal with the cards you have been dealt I guess.
I found this from a website that may be legit.
http://www.everydayhealth.com/crohns-disease/crohns-disease-surgery.aspx
It doesn't fully answer your question, but I guess it will give you some idea of the chances of having some form of procedure.
I went to the hospital yesterday. I had finished my course of antibiotics and woke up in pain. I used the bathroom and my stool was like coffee grounds. It was dark and I looked at it as best as I could and felt like maybe there was blood. So my mom left her work at 7 am and drove us to a hospital called Olive View. We waited for 12 hours for a doctor. They ran blood and urine tests. The doctor said those results came back normal. She stuck her finger in my rectum and said there was no blood. I asked her if my White blood cell count was normal. She said yes. I told her I had been in pain for three weeks. She didn't bat an eye. She said if I wanted she could order a CT scan but she stressed the radiation warning. I told her to do it. So I got a CT Scan. She came back an hour later with the radiology results. No abnormalities. No bowel wall thickenings. No inflammation. I was at a loss. She told me I probably have IBS.
Three weeks of pain and nothing was anatomically wrong with me, according to them. So I was discharged early this morning.
Now I'm really terrified. I hope they're right and that it's IBS and I can just adjust my diet and normalize, but I've read too many stories on the net of Crohn's sufferers who were misdiagnosed with IBS and dismissed for several months until the pain persisted and they had to go back and get more tests done and by then their bowels were in trouble.
I'm really hoping that the doctor was right. But her attitude was off-putting. She accused me of having a not-nice tone, even though her dismissive tone was far more offensive to me.
Three weeks of pain and nothing was anatomically wrong with me, according to them. So I was discharged early this morning.
Now I'm really terrified. I hope they're right and that it's IBS and I can just adjust my diet and normalize, but I've read too many stories on the net of Crohn's sufferers who were misdiagnosed with IBS and dismissed for several months until the pain persisted and they had to go back and get more tests done and by then their bowels were in trouble.
I'm really hoping that the doctor was right. But her attitude was off-putting. She accused me of having a not-nice tone, even though her dismissive tone was far more offensive to me.
It could be dark, because of dark blood. Which would mean blood from way higher up. Blood from rectum is light red (looks just like when you cut your finger). Blood from your stomach or small intestines is black when it finally comes out.
Did the doctor send stool to a laboratory? They can check, if there is blood in it.
This makes no sense.
For Colitis it probably would at least make a bit of sense. For Crohn's there doesn't need to be inflammation in the rectum. There doesn't even need to be inflammation in the whole colon at all.
My Colitis experience was that my blood tests looked almost all the time pretty normal. I only had really major problematic test results, when I had blood poisoning. Even then my CRP wasn't that high, but PCT (Procalcitonin) showed that I was almost dead.
She performed a test with the stool using some kind of device.
Another thing that concerned me was that when I told her I feared I might have Crohn's, she said that if had Crohn's I would be having bowel movements 20 times a day.
When I voiced disagreement she said I had a "not nice tone." I've been reading up on Crohn's for a couple weeks, and the information says that number of bowel movements would really depend on the site of inflammation and that if the ileum is inflamed, you wouldn't necessarily have that many bowel movements per day.
Anyway, she told me if my pain persists I can come back later. I think I'd probably just go to the gastroenterologist I went to 9 or 10 days ago.
There are certain stool tests I'm willing to pay for to bring me peace of mind. First, C. Dificile (sic). There are also two antibodies associated with Crohn's that I can get tested for. All in all, that may cost me a couple hundred dollars. Of course, I was told to sign up for ORSA (sic), a temporary medical insurance for people in my position.
But frankly, I feel a bit better today than I did throughout the week I was taking antibiotics. Maybe the effects are starting to kick in. Or maybe I had small bacterial overgrowth in my system. There's about a million things they could have checked for at that hospital to ease my concerns, but that doctor really didn't even want to perform a CT.
I have (had, as far as you can call it that) Ulcerative Colitis, and my experience with it is that my blood test never show anything. I've had my large intestine removed, but since they leave the rectum when you get a pouch that one flares up from time to time, as well as my pouch. Like with the diagnosis, blood tests never show anything and the only way to be sure is an endoscopy (or something similar).
I can tell you that I hope for you it's not Crohn's/Colitis. I've been diagnosed with 5 other ilnesses since (PSC, Addisons, Minimal Change disease and medicine induced diabetes) and Colitis is by far the worst of the bunch. If you're unlucky it really influences your daily life, but at least with my pouch I don't need to run for toilets anymore.
I can tell you that I hope for you it's not Crohn's/Colitis. I've been diagnosed with 5 other ilnesses since (PSC, Addisons, Minimal Change disease and medicine induced diabetes) and Colitis is by far the worst of the bunch. If you're unlucky it really influences your daily life, but at least with my pouch I don't need to run for toilets anymore.
Did she really test for blood?
But: even if there is blood, it doesn't mean that you have Crohn's or UC. In such case you should get an endoscopy though (and maybe check stomach too, for small intestines, I don't know how to check that) to find the cause.
Doesn't need to be that way at all even for UC.
Before my really big flare-up 3-4 years after I was diagnosed with UC, I went to the toilet just like normal, although my colon was really badly inflamed. The only major symptom was blood. In case of Crohn's, you may even puke blood instead.
It seems she mixed up UC and Crohn's, which is a common thing to do.
Yes, that's probably the better choice. Get an endoscopy if it continues.
It isn't really bad. The worst thing about an endoscopy is the crap that you need to drink the 24 hours before it. They can only check your colon that way, but at least that would make sure that there is nothing wrong with it.
It could also be that you still got "bad" bacteria in your colon, because the antibiotic didn't work. What do you eat currently? Like normal? Try to avoid fibre so that your colon has not much to do. And try to avoid sugar as well at least for now. Drink lots of tea.
I'm sorry to hear about all your illnesses and am glad that the bathroom doesn't rule your life. I've had three blood tests done and one urine test and so far 2 of the blood tests have been normal and so was the urine test. I'm assuming that the chances of missing something over the course of three blood tests in a three week span are probably very low at this point, but I'll continue to get check ups. Thinking back, there have been several times in my life where I've needed to go to the bathroom but decided to hold it. This past semester of university, I woke up every morning needing to use the bathroom. And I had little time to shower and dress and get to school so I stupidly held it in. During morning exams, my stomach pains were really terrible because I needed to go to the bathroom but didn't. I didn't treat my body well. And I've always been hesitant to use public bathrooms or bathrooms other than my own. If I was at a friends how and felt the urge to take a crap, I would be so embarrassed at the possibilty of clogging the toilet or stinking up the bathroom that I would just hold it until I got hime. These past few weeks I feared that all of those terrible mistakes were catching up to me, thatI had developed some kind of disease from it. I was so stressed out that I cried every day. My mother would come home from work and like a 5 year old I would run to her and hug her and break down. Before this illness, I never hugged my mother from the time I was 10. Now I'm 22 and I realize how much family means to me. It really changed me. I no longer engage in stupid arguments with my sister. I let her watch whatever she wants on television. I don't criticize her anymore for her taste in books and film (Twilight and Nicolas Sparks stuff). I really felt like I was either going to die or was going to end myself. I became suicidal. I formulated a plan on how I would kill myself. I would get sleeping pills from a friend and overdose.
She did. She told me if there was any blood in my stool, the device would find it and tell her. There was none. Endoscopies can reach into the beginning of the small intestine, but not much further. Colonoscopies won't go into the small intestine. I'm guessing they use that camera capsule that you swallow. It takes a ton of pics. Another way was the CT scan, which they performed. According to the radiologist, there was no inflammation, no "obvious signs" of bowel wall thickening, and a bunch of other good news that indicated I was okay. Now, I pretty much trust them but in order to keep my mind at ease I'm glad I know of a personal gastroenterologist who can run as many tests as I want for confirmation.
I brought up UC to her when she mentioned that if I was having Crohn's I'd be going 20 times a day. She says that these two diseases have a lot of overlap in their symptoms and that if I had Crohn's there would be some obvious symptoms.
Today I ate two pieces of toast with peanut butter and drank three cups of water. I feel a lot better than I did in the preceding weeks. I have a very dull stomach pain. It's possible I need to take probiotics and start exercising and finding ways to relieve stress. If it's definitely not Crohn's or UC then I'll just have to find a way to deal with IBS. If I have IBS, it's probably the post-infectious variety, where my digestive system is out of whack because 1) I had an infection and 2) I killed both good and bad bacteria with antibiotics and now it's going to take time to sort everything out.
In any case, this episode has been a big wake up call for me about various things. 1) I need to eat better, exercise, and find some way of relieving stress. I tend to bottle things up a lot. And 2) I need to get a job with a good healthcare plan, and save up some money so I can move my family out of this country. 13 hour wait times is not acceptable no matter what my insurance status is. And I'm not even upset for me. There was a poor guy there who was in so much pain he was doubled up in a wheelchair and couldn't move. He had arrived at the hospital around the same time as I had. They let me in before him and I really felt bad. Fortunately, the nurses aren't that heartless when it comes to children. A baby was brought in with a fever and vomiting. They let her in immediately. That was a good call.
I have Crohn's Disease. I was diagnosed with it December of 2011 a few days before Christmas. Ever since January of last year, I've been taking a shot of Humira once every two weeks. My side effects were just frequent bathroom uses, fatigued, a slight pain in the abdomen (not for long though), and that's about it.
At the same time, I had a perianal abscess that I found November of 2011. I found it because I had a lump near my tailbone. At that same time I had a fever, chills, fatigue, aches in bones, and other similar symptoms. I went in and had it lanced but it wasn't doing it's job so I went into surgery that December to get it "fixed". The doctors found signs of Chron's in the preop blood work so I had to say in the hospital overnight. During the procedure they found that I had a fistula forming as well. 4-5 months later, I went back into surgery to get it repaired because it wasn't looking like it was healing. I went into surgerey August and September to get it "cleaned". Since then, it seems like it has been healing, but I haven't been to my doctor in 3 months for some reason.
I had to cut down on a lot of things I ate prior to finding out, but so far Humira is doing it's job and I haven't had any relapse/symptoms in a year.
At the same time, I had a perianal abscess that I found November of 2011. I found it because I had a lump near my tailbone. At that same time I had a fever, chills, fatigue, aches in bones, and other similar symptoms. I went in and had it lanced but it wasn't doing it's job so I went into surgery that December to get it "fixed". The doctors found signs of Chron's in the preop blood work so I had to say in the hospital overnight. During the procedure they found that I had a fistula forming as well. 4-5 months later, I went back into surgery to get it repaired because it wasn't looking like it was healing. I went into surgerey August and September to get it "cleaned". Since then, it seems like it has been healing, but I haven't been to my doctor in 3 months for some reason.
I had to cut down on a lot of things I ate prior to finding out, but so far Humira is doing it's job and I haven't had any relapse/symptoms in a year.
Don't panic too much.
In 2008 I had severe digestive system problems with all kinds of symptoms. I went through so many tests and spent a lot of time looking for a fix. Was convinced I had something like Crohn's.
I didn't. The thing that really helped me turned out to be a low dosage of Amitriptyline. I've been fine ever since.
In 2008 I had severe digestive system problems with all kinds of symptoms. I went through so many tests and spent a lot of time looking for a fix. Was convinced I had something like Crohn's.
I didn't. The thing that really helped me turned out to be a low dosage of Amitriptyline. I've been fine ever since.
Why haven't you bought probiotics yet? Seriously, they are safe, affordable and over-the-counter. There is absolutely no reason not to try them.
If you have some sort of bacterial infection like H.Pylori or C.Difficile, probiotics can help eliminate it.
The fact that you were on antibiotics for your GI tract necessitates that you go on probiotics. I know you said you were eating yogurt, but unless you were eating a specially formulated probiotic yogurt like Activia, you aren't getting any benefit from doing so. Go to your local walgreens or CVS and buy a multi-strain probiotic supplement. Jarrow makes a good one but you'll have to buy it on amazon or vitaminshoppe.
And if you're really serious about figuring out what this is, KEEP A FOOD DIARY.
And at the very least, go a couple days without dairy and wheat and see if you have any symptoms. People that go on the Paleo diet because of GI issues tend to experience almost immediate relief of their symptoms because they've eliminated dairy and wheat from their diets. You very well may have a wheat/gluten allergy and/or be celiac. It's much much more common than you think.
I've seen it happen before. A few people I've known have complained about GI issues that never go away and I've suggested they eliminate dairy and wheat. They'll generally try giving up milk, icecream or butter for a couple days but they stubbornly refuse to believe something seemingly innocuous as bread or pasta can be hurting them (even after I explain to them that wheat is inflammatory in people's bodies because mankind has only been consuming it for a fraction of its existence). Eventually they get desperate when nothing else works. And then they try going without wheat for a few days, and lo and behold their symptoms go away.
Just do it man. You've got nothing to lose.
If you have some sort of bacterial infection like H.Pylori or C.Difficile, probiotics can help eliminate it.
The fact that you were on antibiotics for your GI tract necessitates that you go on probiotics. I know you said you were eating yogurt, but unless you were eating a specially formulated probiotic yogurt like Activia, you aren't getting any benefit from doing so. Go to your local walgreens or CVS and buy a multi-strain probiotic supplement. Jarrow makes a good one but you'll have to buy it on amazon or vitaminshoppe.
And if you're really serious about figuring out what this is, KEEP A FOOD DIARY.
And at the very least, go a couple days without dairy and wheat and see if you have any symptoms. People that go on the Paleo diet because of GI issues tend to experience almost immediate relief of their symptoms because they've eliminated dairy and wheat from their diets. You very well may have a wheat/gluten allergy and/or be celiac. It's much much more common than you think.
I've seen it happen before. A few people I've known have complained about GI issues that never go away and I've suggested they eliminate dairy and wheat. They'll generally try giving up milk, icecream or butter for a couple days but they stubbornly refuse to believe something seemingly innocuous as bread or pasta can be hurting them (even after I explain to them that wheat is inflammatory in people's bodies because mankind has only been consuming it for a fraction of its existence). Eventually they get desperate when nothing else works. And then they try going without wheat for a few days, and lo and behold their symptoms go away.
Just do it man. You've got nothing to lose.
I've been eating wheat all my life. It's never given me any trouble before. Also, I will most definitely go on pro-biotics soon. It's just that I've developed a very nervous obsession with Crohn's. I'm absolutely convinced that unless several tests are done to confirm that it's not Crohn's, I'm going to continue to believe that it is. I made the mistake of reading one too many horror stories from people who claimed that it took several years of pain and wrongful diagnoses in order to finally be told they had Crohn's. The pain is in the right lower quadrant, where the ileum is.
MasterLeePhD
Member
I've had Crohn's since I was 16 (26 now) and had an operation to remove my whole large bowel. Also have a stoma.
Been pretty good until 3 years ago when my weight got around to 6 stone. They found out I have gut failure in my smaller bowel and now do Parental Feeding at home 3 days a week.
Crohn's is one nasty disease! The thing that pisses me off is that there is good research that proves Bacteria In Cows' Milk May Cause Crohn's Disease, but the government doesn't seem to give an eff.
Anyways I'm lucky my wife is awesome and supportive.
Been pretty good until 3 years ago when my weight got around to 6 stone. They found out I have gut failure in my smaller bowel and now do Parental Feeding at home 3 days a week.
Crohn's is one nasty disease! The thing that pisses me off is that there is good research that proves Bacteria In Cows' Milk May Cause Crohn's Disease, but the government doesn't seem to give an eff.
Anyways I'm lucky my wife is awesome and supportive.
Oh shit. Damn. I'm sorry dude. Can I ask a somewhat personal question? I don't want to be rude, but the question is about the appearance of the abdomen following intestinal removal. Do you have a sunken or recessed abdomen?
I don't have Crohn's, but I have Ulcerative Colitis, which is similar but not as bad, from what I understand. Sometimes I question if I really have it, because since having a really bad flareup once and being hospitalized for a week, I have been in complete remission going on seven years. I don't take medication and eat pretty much I want. I have noticed that since that occurrence, my stomach has been a little more sensitive. Like, I'll get the runs more often than the average person, and I absolutely have to take a shit every morning or my entire day will be extremely uncomfortable.
I feel for you, man.
I feel for you, man.
MasterLeePhD
Member
No problem at all. You wouldn't know the difference from a normal stomach, well apart from the scar. I'm actually around 11 stone since doing the PN... Getting a wee belly now. Haha.
If you're really that worried you should have an endoscopy/colonoscopy. If they're going to check the entire intestinal tract you'll probably be given a sedative, so it won't be too bad (apart from staying at the hospital for a day or so). It's really the only way to be completely sure and probably put your mind at ease.
As far as celiac disease is concerned; my sister has that, and bread is actually the only thing she really misses. She's got a bread maker and eats fresh gluten free bread nowadays. She did have the same symptoms, stomach pain, going to the toilet a lot, being tired, etc and also never had any problems before.
MasterLeePhD
Member
The vaccination is actually ready for human testing now.
http://www.communigate.co.uk/sussex/thechroniccrohnscampaignuk/page42.phtml
Frankly, a lot of people say this and that, but everyone has different foods that will cause flare ups. Some people can be fine and eat anything, some people can be really delicate to foods such as wheat or dairy. However, his advice is sound and you should definitely start a food diet, maybe you'll be fine or maybe you'll have to reconsider your diet (such as the Paleo diet).
I'm not sure if you have crohns, I wouldn't obsess too much but a endoscopy will tell you for sure.
Since I've had my large intestine removed as well, and had a stoma for 2 years, can I ask you how it is working out for you, stoma-wise? I really hated that thing, because of how acidic and watery my faeces was and how it seeped through to destroy my skin. Also after half a day it couldn't handle my stomach gasses anymore and just inflated like a small balloon attached to my stomach. I really hope you have a better experience.
If you are going to get tested, get tested for gluten sensitivity as well as Celiac. You can test negative for celiac but still have a sensitivity to gluten. You'll have to read up on the most effective testing for gluten sensitivity because I know doctors often conflate celiac with idiopathic gluten sensitivity when they are two separate things.
Anyway, my intention wasn't to set you off on another obsessive paranoid webmd stint. I really do suggest trying going dairy and wheat/gluten free for a few days at the least and see if it makes any difference at all just to narrow down what may or may not be causing your symptoms.
As far as wheat not causing any issues for you throughout your life, well that's par for the course for many people that discover they have a gluten or wheat sensitivity. People's immune systems get weakened due to stress, age or various illnesses they've contracted over the years like Mono and suddenly they're having gut issues. You could have been asymptomatic your entire life and then eventually your immune system reacts to wheat or gluten in a negative way.
MasterLeePhD
Member
You've probably been told this a million times, but once you sort out your diet you'll have no problems at all.
I stay away from most fruit and veg as they give me bad gas. Also, ever since I got put on Thiamine my stool been really thick. Like others have said - keep a food diary.
Skin Wise My Stoma nurse gave me a power that you put on the skin that reduces the irritation.
I stay away from most fruit and veg as they give me bad gas. Also, ever since I got put on Thiamine my stool been really thick. Like others have said - keep a food diary.
Skin Wise My Stoma nurse gave me a power that you put on the skin that reduces the irritation.
Update on my condition.
Three days after I stopped taking the antibiotics, my family and I went to Trader Joe's, purchased gluten-free bread, and some probiotics. We also got some foods that are high in fiber.
After a couple of days of that, my bowel movements because more normal and I was relieved to see that they were formed, sausage shaped, and thick.
I tried my best to keep a gluten-free diet, but there were some challenges along the way. For example, if I bought a Chinese Chicken salad from Trader Joe's, it contained these little fried wonton strips with that taste really good. Unfortunately, they're made from wheat flour or something that contains gluten. At first this did not seem like a problem. My bowel movements continued to be normal.
For about two weeks, I started to feel a little better. Yesterday, I decided to go for a walk, and though I was wearing a sweater and a leather jacket, I still felt cold. When I got home, I got a headache and felt very weak and couldn't identify the cause of it.
I ate some veggie sausage links and a veggie patty from Trader Joe's, thinking it was good for me. I woke up today and have used the bathroom about 7 times before noon. It's not really a matter of urgency. I just feel like I can go so I do and the doodoo has become a strange color and thin again. One of the movements I had was watery diarrhea and I don't know what a fatty stool looks like but it looked like it. Now, I've just been having some nausea. Not a whole lot of abdominal pain but my abdomen feels tender.
So I looked up the ingredients on those veggie patties and links and they contain wheat.
I'm thinking now that it probably is a gluten intolerance. Or maybe it was the cold weather. Or maybe it was the bowl of almond milk and cereal I had yesterday morning. Or who knows?
I have an appointment with my gastroenterologist on the 12th of February. So far, none of these new symptoms are indicative of ulcerative colitis. I'm not experiencing bloody stools. I don't have a major urgency to go. I'm also not sure if it's Crohn's. The burning sensations I used to feel in my lower right quadrant have gone away. Now I just feel bloating.
My guess is that it's a post-infectious IBS. But I don't know. I have health insurance for a year now, until December 31, 2013. I signed up for a no-cost health insurance for people with no incomes. I guess I can order some tests for gluten intolerance, C. Difficile infection, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, maybe an endoscopy/colonoscopy.
Thank you all for your support and posts.
Three days after I stopped taking the antibiotics, my family and I went to Trader Joe's, purchased gluten-free bread, and some probiotics. We also got some foods that are high in fiber.
After a couple of days of that, my bowel movements because more normal and I was relieved to see that they were formed, sausage shaped, and thick.
I tried my best to keep a gluten-free diet, but there were some challenges along the way. For example, if I bought a Chinese Chicken salad from Trader Joe's, it contained these little fried wonton strips with that taste really good. Unfortunately, they're made from wheat flour or something that contains gluten. At first this did not seem like a problem. My bowel movements continued to be normal.
For about two weeks, I started to feel a little better. Yesterday, I decided to go for a walk, and though I was wearing a sweater and a leather jacket, I still felt cold. When I got home, I got a headache and felt very weak and couldn't identify the cause of it.
I ate some veggie sausage links and a veggie patty from Trader Joe's, thinking it was good for me. I woke up today and have used the bathroom about 7 times before noon. It's not really a matter of urgency. I just feel like I can go so I do and the doodoo has become a strange color and thin again. One of the movements I had was watery diarrhea and I don't know what a fatty stool looks like but it looked like it. Now, I've just been having some nausea. Not a whole lot of abdominal pain but my abdomen feels tender.
So I looked up the ingredients on those veggie patties and links and they contain wheat.
I'm thinking now that it probably is a gluten intolerance. Or maybe it was the cold weather. Or maybe it was the bowl of almond milk and cereal I had yesterday morning. Or who knows?
I have an appointment with my gastroenterologist on the 12th of February. So far, none of these new symptoms are indicative of ulcerative colitis. I'm not experiencing bloody stools. I don't have a major urgency to go. I'm also not sure if it's Crohn's. The burning sensations I used to feel in my lower right quadrant have gone away. Now I just feel bloating.
My guess is that it's a post-infectious IBS. But I don't know. I have health insurance for a year now, until December 31, 2013. I signed up for a no-cost health insurance for people with no incomes. I guess I can order some tests for gluten intolerance, C. Difficile infection, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, maybe an endoscopy/colonoscopy.
Thank you all for your support and posts.
- Status