Hello

Just got diagnosed with crohn's last week when I went to the hospital for stomach pain and was put in surgery to find out what it was. I woke up with a big incision and an ostomy bag. They took out a couple inches of bad small intestine and put me on a small dose of steroids and 4000mg of pentasa a day along with flagyl and augmentin. I am supposed to keep the ostomy for a couple months and then go back to get it reversed. I've had diarrhea and some stomach cramping for well over a year now and never did take anything but over the counter immodium. I also smoked over 2 packs of cigarrettes a day for 5 years and well over a 12pk of diet cokes a day. I went and saw a GI specialist and hes already talking about putting me on one of the biological drugs such as remicade and it has me pretty worried. We have a big farm, so I stay really active on a day to day basis and don't know how I could deal with being in and out of the hospital forever and having constant surgeries to deal with this. I havent had a cigarette or a diet coke since ive been out of the hospital and am just drinking water. I just dont know what to think about this. I never really had any trouble before that kept me from going, just a little stomach cramping and diarrhea, and I just don't know what I'm going to do. Thanks in advance.
Chris

I woke up in hospital with a bag too! It's not really that bad (turns out that mine's permanent). There are alot of things you can do to keep this disease in remission. Take a look at the Treatment section in regards to the Remicade (I've never been on it, so can't comment), but being on maintenance drugs is not a bad thing. The problem with this disease is that it's different for everyone. One thing that works for one person, won't necessarily work for another. Keep in touch with your GI, keep them informed of your progress and try to follow their advice. Unfortunately, this disease is incurable. Live with it the best you can. Finding this forum has been a life-saver for me and for many others I'm sure. We all try to lend an ear, give an opinion, and most of all....give support.

Good luck to you...and welcome

Welcome Chris

Glad you found the forum. There are a lot of really great people here with a lot of experience with surgery and medications. Ask away, there are no dumb questions and you can come here just to ramble if you want There are a lot of funny people on here. It helps a lot and serves as a distraction when you cant get off the couch. Look around and I am sure you will find the discussions interesting. I have learned a lot here.

Wendy

Hi, Chris, and welcome to CF.

Welcome to the forum Quicksilver. Sorry you had to wake up and discover something foreign. There are many people here with stomas and are living a fairly normal life. There is alot of support here and information to help you get through a rough time. Smoking is not good for Crohns so best you are quitting. I quit 9 years ago and I never look back.

Talk to your doctor, let him know what you are expecting in your lifestyle to cope with. Takes time getting used to the disease itself, let alone a stoma. Good thing yours can be reversed. Take it one day at a time, welcome aboard!

Hi Chris and :welcome:

Glad you found us. Stacks of good advice and information to be found here. Although I don't have CD myself I had those exact same feelings of being lost, and wondering about how many operations and hospital admissions my daughter would end up with. Well 4 years on she has only had that one admission and op. As Jett said, and as hard as it is early on, the best thing you can do is take one day at a time and inform yourself as best you can to tackle it head on.

All the very best,
Dusty

:ghug:Welcome to the group. I remember when I was diagnosed I went straight into denial. After a 5 year remission it's back in full swing and I thank God for this forum. People here will laugh with you, cry with you, and just hold your hand when you need it. As Keona said, it's a great place to hang out with people who can truly understand what you are going through. I know that doesn't help with your farm, and being an active person I know how hard it is. Take care of yourself and I hope to see you around.

Hi Chris and welcome!!! What's your location? I grew up working on a large farm. What kind of farming do you do? Good luck staying off the smokes. I remember even as a child on a farm that smoking and cussing was just part of the m/o haha!! Great to have you aboard!!! Hope everything works out with the stoma reversal and the meds. Good luck.

I live in leitchfield, about an hour south of lville. I actually haven't even had any desire much for a cigarette yet. My diet and lifestyle wasnt good at all before this and Im hoping that all the good changes can take care of me, but from what Ive been reading its just a crapshoot.

Hi Chris
and welcome

sorry you've had that horrible experience of going into hospital and waking up with something alien! Wishing you good luck with it and the meds!
We'll see you around the forum, enjoy!
any questions, we're here to support and advise
lotsa luv
Joan xxx

Hi Chris,

That doesn't sound like a pleasant surprise to wake up to. Sometimes having Crohn's Disease kicks all of us in the face - especially when it's a new discovery.

You know I woke up with Crohn's Disease this morning. I knew I had it, and that it didn't go away. I was driving home from a trip Sunday, and it was a thing with family, and half the food they served I had to pass on. I thought out loud, "How the hell did I get this disease?"

I sort of felt way out of place because of the limitations CD has put on my lifestyle. Most of the days, especially most recently, I can put it in better focus. My habits and lifestyle has changed, in many ways for the better.

Accepting this is a challenge - Im feeling for you since you said you live on a big farm. I know what it's like to bust my ass working hard. I still do it - but you know what? My ass is busted now - lets just say it's permanently stuck in the "busted position" - it just doesn't work the way it used to. I can't work the way I used to either. When I try, I pay the price dearly.

So welcome to the "crap-shoot", pardner. It's not going to be easy for you with the new limitations you have. You'll have to dig in your heels - the "hard work" you'll need to do often times doesn't add up to what it used to.

It's tough when you're the only one realizing you're doing "hard work" by making changes in your lifestyle and learning how to take care of yourself for the first time. You won't get a lot of "atta boy's" with Crohn's disease and overcoming things that "normal" folks don't even think about.

Stay strong - you've got the foundation.

And welcome to the forum. We're all here for you.
Joseph

hello Chris and welcome to the forum.

As everyone has said before me, you've found the right place to find good advice and support and no question is a daft question. I have CD but mildly when compared to many here.
Just wanted to welcome you and say hi

busy

Hi Chris, Welcome.

Hope you are feeling much better after the surgery and removal of the bad parts. I also hope you can stay off the ciggies and the diet cokes - both are very bad for Crohns! Plus, think of the money you will be saving - you can treat yourself to something really great with all that savings!

It is kind of a mind-bender when you first get the DX of Crohns Disease, and sometimes I takes a long time to really sink in. It's hard to understand how it's going to affect your life. Just remember - Crohns is what you have, not what you are.

Take care of yourself and feel free to vent away or ask a million questions!

- Amy

hi! just caught your post in the other thread and wanted to come see what your story was!

man that sucks, i would not be happy waking up to an ostomy. it took me years to accept the idea of the surgery. but like the others said, there are many treatment options for crohns which hopefully will help you live relatively symptom free and just live your life!
the concept of somthing like remicade might seem daunting at first, having to get the infusion every 8 weeks, but once you feel the trade you are making? the justification is settled within you.
so really, you do what you gotta do. in the meantime, be kind to yourself! being active is great, but pushing too hard is just worse in the long run. i learned that the hard way as well.

well just wanted to find the scoop on quicksilver and say an official hello hahaha =]
good luck in the coming weeks and doctors appts!