Hello :)

Hello everyone!

Thought I would introduce myself to the board (shall try and do so with limited moaning!).

I'm 19, currently a biomed student and have recently been given a half hearted diagnosis of Crohns disease whilst at University. Now back home for the Summer, I'm trying to get this confirmed with a specialist here in London but NHS referral is not in my favour with my appointment not until the end of July.

I've only had a flexible sigmoidoscopy which did show some inflammation but apparently not to the extent which would cause the symptoms I've had (typical passing of blood and mucus, diarrhea for months, constant "need to go" - upwards of 10 times a day, cramping pains etc). My consultant said that he believed the problem to be higher up in the bowl suggesting Crohns, but then my health insurance money ran out so back home to London I came.

Towards the end of Uni semester things got pretty bad, being shattered almost all the time as well as not wanting to go out – as would just be standing in the queue for the bathroom all night, doesn’t really conform to University protocol! Sharing a bathroom with 20 other girls was not pleasant at all, especially trekking to it a hundred times a night, does anybody else find themselves hunting for a disabled toilet where you can just sit with a pillow for hours!

I’m on asacol 6 times a day which only seems to deal with lowering the frequency of trips to the loo but not any of the other symptoms. I’m struggling with the side effects – feeling extremely nauseous and headachey after taking it but should perhaps give it a little longer to see if this subsides. Colifoam did absolutely nothing – apart from thoroughly amuse my boyfriend who felt that he should watch the administration…

Look forward to sharing even more delicious details with you all!

Lizzie xx

Welcome to the forum.

I hope you start to feel better soon.

Nice to meet you Jeff - is that motor bike or push bikes you're into?!

Hey Lizzie - if you take a look around the forum, especially the thread "were you diagnosed right the first time" under Chrons Related Polls. It ought to make you feel a bit better about the process at least.

There are many ways to get diagnosed and many people go through a LOT to get their diagnosis. So welcome and hope we can help you in any way you need through these trying times!

Hi Lizzie,

Good to see you found us! There are a fair few on here from the UK and am sure you will bump into them. Also a fair number of young folk too.

Just tell us when you are having a good or bad day we totally understand both here and good at propping each other up.

Hang in there and keep at the docs til you get the answers you need.

Looking forward to hearing more from you on the site.

((hugs))

Holy COW! You let your boyfriend watch you put foam up your butt??!??!??!?
Wow - that's love right there. My husband and I have been together since 1985 and he would NEVER ever see me do that! Jeez!
Sorry to yell, I'm laughing as I do it.
Anyways - welcome to the forum. It will feel like a really long wait until your appointment. Maybe if you call and cry they will try to get you in earlier. Tears work wonders, and your situation sounds like an emergency. In the meantime, have you ever been on prednisone? Most people hate it because of the side effects, but it brought my trips to the bathroom from 12 a day down to 6 a day, and my side effects were minimal. That might keep you a bit more comfortable until then. Also, are there any more private dorm rooms for next semester? One with more bathrooms maybe? And don't worry about limiting your moaning here. That's what we're here for. Good luck, I hope you get an answer soon.

welcome to the forums lizzie!
good place here

I'm into bicycles but I can't ride at all anymore. They cause me to get abscesses, hemmies, and fissures. So I can't ride for at least 6 months and maybe longer so all I do now is play guitar. Just as satisfying.

hi Lizzie, and welcome

yep, moan away all you need - we are here for the groans and the giggles lol

i hope you get a proper diagnosis soon, and then you can get on the right meds, plus you'll feel better mentally once you know what you have. the NHS do seem to take a long time getting these initial appointments made, but in my experience, apart from the delays, the NHS is still pretty good and i feel quite safe in their care. keep us posted how you get on.

Thank you everyone for such a lovely welcome!

Regarding the colifoam My butt hurts (hehe), I'm lucky to have an exceptionally understanding and earthy boyfriend (who who spotted I had a problem before I did) who took great glee and amusement from it - which is nice as did stop the upset and trauma! I think it impossible for me to be embarrassed in front of him now!

I was supposed to move into a house with friends next year, but with 6 of us and 1 bathroom I've decided to go back into halls (dorms) and applied for one with a en suite bathroom. Very posh!

xxx

Welcome Lizzie, liberating to be able to be so open about all things bowel here, n'est-ce pas! Sure you'll find this site and the inspiring folk in it as helpful, supportive and non-judgmental as I have.

Looking forward to seeing you around the site.
Cheers,
Al

Welcome to the community Lizzie! Thank you for sharing this and I do look forward to more "delicious details"