Being A Teen With Crohns..

Hey Everyone,

My name is Kristen and I'm 16 years old. Ive had crohns disease for almost a whole year now and I'm still getting used to it. But for any of you who are just getting diagnosed.... Don't be afraid!!! Being a crohnie is not the worst thing that could ever happen to someone. I use to feel alone and just over-all depressed. Having crohns has changed my life in numerous ways. Some for the bad some for the good.

This is how I got diagnosed..... Its a pretty long story. It was may 10th and I came home from school not feeling well.. My tummy hurt and I was vomiting with a fever. So I had stayed home from school the next day and things took a turn for the worst. I literally felt like I was so sick that I couldn't even help myself. So my mom took me to our local hospital ER... They said they didn't know what was wrong... My blood work came back and my white blood cell count was very high but my levels were off and just not normal... I needed to be admitted into the hospital but they did not have a PEDS floor so I had to transfer to another local hospital.. I got to this new hospital and I had 3 CT scans done. They all said it was just some bad virus and I would be okay.. They released me.. Still vomiting, no bowel movements, fever, Abdominal pain, bad nausea, ect. I went home for two days and nothing got better it just kept getting worse so my mom took me to another local hospital ER there I did another CT..... The doctor came rushing in and said I needed a surgeon right away because I had several gallstones and my gallbladder needed to be removed immediately. The next day I saw my PCP and he referred me to a surgeon on may 18th they took my gallbladder. I did it outpatient. Surgery went fine and two days later I developed appendicitis. My appendixes had ruptured. But the surgeon who had done my gallbladder was out the country. So I was taken to another local hospital where I had my appendectomy. But things took a twist here. While in surgery my surgeon had found this fluid around my liver and in my abdominal cavity. I was put in PICU then They found out the fluid were TWO fatal infections known as CDEFF and parententitus(sorry if my spelling is wrong.) But I could have very easily died but I had an excellent team of doctors and nurses who got me through it all and also family and friends. But I soon started getting better than I finally got diagnosed with crohns. They also found out I have a blood clotting disorder known as DVT. which I currently have a new clot. The first one I had dissolved, Thankfully

I still have flare-ups about 2-2 1/2 months apart. Im still keeping hope that I reach remission and I know ONE day I WILL

For all new crohnies YOU CAN GET THROUGH IT... Keep hope faith & love

I also know what it is like to have the clotting problem. During my 9th grade year, I was diagnosed with a pulminary embolism, whichis a blood clot that gets shot into both of the lungs. I was put on blood thinners for 6 months and stayed in the hospital for a week. It's amazing how people like us get hit with everything imaginable.

I am new to this whole thing myself, but I wanted to say welcome to the forum!! Don't ever be afraid or embarassed to ask questions here, as we all support one another to the best of our abilities!

Also, I'm not sure if you have looked around the different forums yet, but I suggest you should definitely check out our "teens" forum to find even more information. Never hurts to be informed and to hear from other people your age that are going thru the same issues.

Hope you feel better & get into remission soon!!

Welcome to the forum, I'm really glad you joined I hope to see you around more often.

I wish you all the best!

Well, I'm having a cronhie problem!!

For the past 4 days Ive been having diaherria.. Im experiencing Nausea and pain(More pain when I have a BM) Im taking Zofran for nausea and nothing for pain. At first there was huge clots of blood and now there is no blood but my bowels are very thin and flat shaped.... Ive also noticed Im having to Urine more frequently and the pain is pretty bad.. What Should I Do? Is This Normal For A Crohns Patient?

Hi Kristen,

It's not normal. Give your gastroenterologist a call. If the pain gets really bad and the GI can't see you for some reason, then head to the emergency room. I'm not trying to scare you with that, I'm just saying IF. You're going to be fine, but give your doc a call.

Thank you! and its okay the ER doesnt scare me. Im from a small town and I go to the same hospital everytime I get sick they all know me and my condition well in the ER lol

Hello! I'm also 16 an have Chrons. I have had it for almost 4 years though! And I'm still learning. You went through it rough! I'm sorry! It can get really hard but it's always nice to have people that understand! What kind of meds are you on?

pentasa 4 pills 4 times a day(16 per day)
Nexium 1 a day
Singular 1 a day
Amitriptlyline 1 a day
Ondansetron(zofran) as needed
Promethazine as needed
Pro air as needed
Lovenox 2 injections per day
Rezyst 1 a day

I take alot of meds
Bc I have the whole Crohns thing, asthma, severe allergies and ezcema!!

Do your friends ever ask why you don't go to alot? Bc I miss alot school and my friends were always curious....

Hey Kristen!
I'm just a bit older than you (almost 18yrs so not much) but I've also only been diagnosed for about a year - it's certainly been a tricky year getting used to all this. Sorry to hear you had such a rough time getting diagnosed though
As for more recently, I agree with David - it's not normal so I'd make your GI aware as soon as possible so they can check what's going Hope you feel better soon :hug:

Most all my freinds know that I have it, I feel like it makes it's easier. But that's just me.

My really close friends know but I don't like just friends knowing but it's hard to explain why... And I just don't want people to feel like sorry for me. I want to feel just as normal as everyone else but I feel like if everyone knew I wouldn't really be looked at the same. I'm just really involved in my school. I'm a cheerleader I run track and play softball. I just dot want to be treated any different