Crohns Disease - Help

by Laurie Hitchner
(Millville, NJ)

I was recently diagnosed with Crohns and I need to know as much as I can about it. I have so much pain with the meds I was given. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

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Crohns Disease - Help NEW
by: Annette Young

Hi there,

Sorry to hear that you have been diagnosed with Crohn's disease. For some people it's a real shock whilst for others, there may have been a suspicion that Crohn's might be present.

One thing I tell people who are new to the disease is that acceptance is hugely important.it can take a while to get to this point however as many people try to fight the disease. But it is hard to fight something that affects individuals very differently.

I think it is good to adopt the attitude that the disease will not stop you from getting on in life as this can give you the focus to strive forwards and to find ways to deal with the condition. But it is important to address any potential triggers. For example you might be eating something that makes your body react badly.

I think it's important to go back to basics with your diet and to go for the most simple and basic of options. You are aiming for food that is easy to digest so that it takes the pressure off your body. If you smoke or drink alcohol, you have to do cut these out. Some people have a reaction to dairy products so eliminating these can be helpful too.

Stress also contributes to aggressive bouts of pain and discomfort, so it is easier said than done, if you can start managing your stress levels, you may find that you feel more settled.

Crohn's is an isolating disease. Many people with Crohn's spend a lot of time running backwards and forwards from the bathroom and many find this very embarrassing. I would try to take the mystery out of the disease by telling family, friends and work colleagues and especially your employer about your health condition because people can be a lot more understanding once they know what you're going through.

The good news is the condition does not always stay aggressive. Some people experience a few symptoms and others experience a lot. It affects people on an individual level. Hopefully any medication that you have been given will help to settle the disease and will enable you to have quality-of-life.

I hope this helps and wish you the best of luck. If you need any more information, do reply.

Annette

Me too
by: Anonymous

Yeah, that is what I am taking,,,Pentasa. I mean before I would have one bad attack every year. Bad enough to put me in the ICU this last time before they diagnosed me. Now it seems that I have the pains every day since I started taking the meds. I am starting to wish I never found out what was wrong. At least then I could go on with my daily routine. I have 3 kids that need me to fell well every day. Ya know???

it works for me!!
by: al blanco

hi laurie
sometimes is not the meds that can make you sick, chk your diet. you are having the same problems i was having, all meds were getting me sick, until i started checking my diet, i stopped eating a few things and ive been alot better. for ex, i dont eat nothing thats not cooked, like tomatoes, lettuce, brocoli and so on, not even pickkles, nothing thats not cooked!! and even cooked ill watch out.. we all have different bodies and we all going to have different side affects to meds, but in chrons part of the war is the diet! and there are foods that we eat everyday without knowing that its getting us sick and we blame it on the meds., so make sure you know what you can and can not eat. and i know we all have the problem with our appetite, my medicine for that and i prescribed it to myself after researching that in chrons is not known to have an bad affect, and i dont ecourage but i smoke some pot, it has helped me alot in my gaining weight and my stool beign more formed cause of the whole meals that i am able to eat with apetite 3 times a day. hope u get better..

Crohns Disease - Help
by: Kim

I had a lot more problems with the medications I was given to treat the Crohns disease then I think I would have had without them. I was put on Pentasa at first which caused stomach cramping and diarrhea. Then I was switched to Lialda which helped for awhile but then also caused me problems. Now they have me on Humira and Entocort. I took myself off the Lialda when I was having some problems that I thought it might be causing. I told my doctor and he said that it was okay. Sometimes you just have to trust your instincts but you also need to listen to your doctor. It may take a while before you get settled with the right medicine. Just have faith and trust your doctor to see you through.

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