My boyfriend is a hormonal teenage girl now-HELP!

Hi there...

I am looking for support....my boyfriend has had colitis for 11 years, and I have known him for a short period of this time. He is the sweetest, most attentive and loving guy...off Prednisone. He recently flared and his personality did a total 180....I am looking to see if this is common for others out there...or how is the best way to deal with it.

Everything is suffering...he doesn't want to be close, he feels "numb", his drives are decreased, he is irritable. I am trying to be as supportive as I can, but I don't know what the nest plan of action is here. Does it go away once he weans off? Please help if you have any insight, I am so frustrated and sad...I miss him

Amber

Steroids do wreak havoc on the emotions & personality. It also affects the physical symptoms such as moon face, weight gain, the eyes, & causes bone loss if the person is on them for a long period of time say over 5 years or so.

I was on prednisone for 13 years until my GI slowly weaned me off and put me on Entocort which is a steroid BUT it doesn't get absorbed into the system which causes all of these nasty side effects. It goes straight to the inflammation. Instead of a whole lot of pills, the most you can take is 4 capsules or less as they come in 3 mg. It comes in generic form now so it is much cheaper to purchase if you don't have insurance.

Have you looked into joining a local Crohn's & Colitis support chapter near you? That will help tremendously as you can meet others like yourself (girlfriends included) to swap war stories, find the best GIs in the area as well as hospitals that treat IBD, which ones to avoid, diet tips, plus most support groups have educational meetings where there are dietitians, drug reps, surgeons, & GIs from the area that have a Q&A session for patients & family members.

I belong to the local CCFA chapter where I live and I've gotten free ostomy samples from the ostomy reps, tons of brochures on Crohn's, assisted with the Take Steps walk, made new friends, met others like myself, heck even my husband when we were dating attended all of the CCFA and ostomy meetings to educate himself so if I had a flare or blockage he'd know what to do and it came in handy because a few months later he had to rush me to the ER due to a full blown blockage. My GI said Phil not rushed me in when he did, my gut would've burst. He saved my life. Knowledge is power. The more you know, the better off you are.

Hang in there Amber and just know that I am behind you 100%. Feel free to PM me with any more questions. ~Gutless Wonder woman :hug::hug:

Hey GWW,

Thanks for the support. I am a RN, so I know all the ins and outs persay of the disease...myself, I have IBS. For some reason it doesn't make it any better. I will look into a support group here and hopefully I can find something to do to keep my mind occupied. Its very difficult to be second guessing your every move all the time.

Rob is a sweet man, he is trying....its just very hard to know if in that moment I should hug him or walk away and I usually guess wrong. Tonite is just a very hard nite I guess, we had a talk earlier and he wasn't very reassuring and I am feeling guilty for needing reassurance when he is the one suffering with the disease. Ack. Thanks again for the post, it helps to know I am supported.

you are an RN? RNs RULE!!! Real Nurses--ACCEPT NO SUBSTITUTES!! I am recovering from surgery myself as I had an abdominal abscess that never got better so my GI surgeon had to go in to cut it out due to an infection. While in there he found a hernia near my stoma so instead of 1 hr. it took him 3 hrs. to clean everything up.

I have a visiting RN, Val, who has 22 + years experience in the ER & ICU so she knows a thing or two about packing a wound & ileostomies (unfortunately, the wound is near my stoma). I personally feel that RNS are the BEST line of defense in a hospital & they deserve more pay because they are the ones who care for the patient 100% of the time as the patient's doctor is in and out of their room in less than 5 minutes. RNs are a patient's body guard because they give the pain shots & can get on the phone if there is an urgent problem.

Amber, definitely look into a support group. I believe Canada has one, CCFC or something like that. Even if Rob won't go, family and friends are more than welcome to go. I know they'd love to have a medical personnel like yourself attend a meeting. :thumright::thumright:

I take zoloft and ativan while on long stints of prednisone. It helps stabilize my mood. I am much nicer this time around. It would have been a hellish few weeks for my family without it. I only have 6 more weeks to go.

It should improve once he is finished with the pred.

illowfight: Oh my gosh - when I take Predisone - look out! The first day is minimal - when it kicks in - I feel like Babe Ruth - I don't sleep - eat like food will evaporate the next day - talk, sing and dance. Then after the pack weens down and I'm only taking two - Heaven help us all. I warn my family to stay away for the next week or so because the irritability is awful for all... It's a shear roller coaster ride.

I've not taken Predisone for any extended time - just the packets.

Good luck - and if you need time for yourself - take it. If you have a refrigerator that needs cleaning - do it - lol - until he stabilizes. Hugs. Lynne

Thanks guys!

Rob and I had a big talk last night....he finally let me get it out how I was feeling instead of cutting me off because he was frustrated. I told him I felt like I was grieving a loss...not to be melodramatic, but I keep having memories of not that long ago being happy and smitten....he tried his best to logically explain it to me, and I'm doing my best to understand. He starts weaning on Sunday....what can I expect? Someone said he may end up depressed, some say they bounce back...what should I consider normal when he's coming off, and is there anything else I can do to help him transition?