Hi everyone
I'm new to this forum and I wanted to start by sharing my story. I was diagnosed October 2000 at the age of 26. A nice way to start the 21st century
))
First I would like to mention that I'm from Lebanon, and Crohn's is not very common here but luckily we have a good medical system.
Since I was a teenager I always had stomach pains, which were always diagnosed as nervous stomach. But in 2000, I started getting lots of cramping and gas in my intestines. And then once, when I was in Turkey on business trip, the pain started getting worse in my lower right abdomin and I had a lingering fever. As soon as i got back home I was rushed to the emergency room and had a CT scan. Although the report mentioned probable Crohn's disease, the surgeon thought it was the apendix. But after 3 days in the hospital nothing happened and I felt better so I was released. This only lasted a week and then I was back with pain, fever and vomitting. i went to a Gastro who immediately admitted me to hospital and started me on IV of prednisone and antibiotics. A week later I had a colonoscopy which showed high inflammation in my ileo-cecal valve and they couldn't reach the ileum. A small bowel X-ray (where you swallow barium and then have a series of Xrays) showed I had inflammation in the last part of my ileum conclusive with crohn's.
After that I stayed 2 years almost symptom free on Pentasa (except for a per-anal abscess which i had to undergo surgey to drain), but then suddenly after having a shot for Yellow fever vaccine (as I was supposed to go to Africe on business trip), I started having high fevers with chills and nausea. Another CT scan showed that my inflammation was getting worse. I started on prednisone and weaned it in 3 months , taking Imuran and Pentasa. But 6 months after that I had a bowel obstruction, and went to hospital again. Prednisone for 3 months and 150 mg Imuran.
everything was fine till 6 months after that, when I started vomitting a lot and having nausea all the time. Blood tests showed abnormal liver indications, so my Imuran was lowered to 50 mg and kept taking the Pentasa.
Now I'm almost in remission. I watch a lot what I eat (no fried food, no seeds, no nuts, no ragguage and peels, no sugar.....). I also take a multivitamin and Fish/Flax oil. I try also not to stress a lot, although my work is very stressful and requires lots of travel. I also try to read as much books and articles on the net regarding IBD
But I have to say there is something positive with this disease: it makes you wiser person, more compassionate with the suffering of others, and also forces you to change your lifestyle.
Hope I wasn't too long, and great to finally find people who I can share my experiences with and understand.
Regards
Mazen
I'm new to this forum and I wanted to start by sharing my story. I was diagnosed October 2000 at the age of 26. A nice way to start the 21st century
))First I would like to mention that I'm from Lebanon, and Crohn's is not very common here but luckily we have a good medical system.
Since I was a teenager I always had stomach pains, which were always diagnosed as nervous stomach. But in 2000, I started getting lots of cramping and gas in my intestines. And then once, when I was in Turkey on business trip, the pain started getting worse in my lower right abdomin and I had a lingering fever. As soon as i got back home I was rushed to the emergency room and had a CT scan. Although the report mentioned probable Crohn's disease, the surgeon thought it was the apendix. But after 3 days in the hospital nothing happened and I felt better so I was released. This only lasted a week and then I was back with pain, fever and vomitting. i went to a Gastro who immediately admitted me to hospital and started me on IV of prednisone and antibiotics. A week later I had a colonoscopy which showed high inflammation in my ileo-cecal valve and they couldn't reach the ileum. A small bowel X-ray (where you swallow barium and then have a series of Xrays) showed I had inflammation in the last part of my ileum conclusive with crohn's.
After that I stayed 2 years almost symptom free on Pentasa (except for a per-anal abscess which i had to undergo surgey to drain), but then suddenly after having a shot for Yellow fever vaccine (as I was supposed to go to Africe on business trip), I started having high fevers with chills and nausea. Another CT scan showed that my inflammation was getting worse. I started on prednisone and weaned it in 3 months , taking Imuran and Pentasa. But 6 months after that I had a bowel obstruction, and went to hospital again. Prednisone for 3 months and 150 mg Imuran.
everything was fine till 6 months after that, when I started vomitting a lot and having nausea all the time. Blood tests showed abnormal liver indications, so my Imuran was lowered to 50 mg and kept taking the Pentasa.
Now I'm almost in remission. I watch a lot what I eat (no fried food, no seeds, no nuts, no ragguage and peels, no sugar.....). I also take a multivitamin and Fish/Flax oil. I try also not to stress a lot, although my work is very stressful and requires lots of travel. I also try to read as much books and articles on the net regarding IBD
But I have to say there is something positive with this disease: it makes you wiser person, more compassionate with the suffering of others, and also forces you to change your lifestyle.
Hope I wasn't too long, and great to finally find people who I can share my experiences with and understand.
Regards
Mazen
