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Being diagnosed at uni

Hey everyone!

So here's my personal story! Last summer I started getting symptoms such as blood in my stool and diarrheoa as well as abdominal pain whenever I ate. After a couple of weeks I decided that a visit to the GP was necessary as the internet (as I'm sure you all know) can be very scary!
I was referred to have a colonoscopy which was an absolutely awful experience! I wasn't completely asleep and felt the colonoscopy happen (I screamed the clinic down before passing out haha)! Afterwards, I was told that it looked like Crohn's disease but that it wouldn't be confirmed until the biopsies they took came back. Anyways that night I was in extreme pain and didn't sleep all night :( ! The next day the pain was so bad I couldn't eat and needed a doctor to come and visit me in my home as I was so weak I couldn't leave the house! The next day I was so dehydrated, I vomited and my boyfriend decided that I needed to go to A&E where I was admitted overnight :(
From then I began to feel relatively normal! YAY! However the biopsies came back showing ulcerative colitis so I was put under the unclassified category along with 10% of IBD patients... So frustrating to not be able to put a name to your illness!!! I was put on mezavant, adcal d3 and ferrous fumerate. I felt so alone!!! The only person that was really there for me was my boyfriend as my family live abroad and my friends, I realised, were actually inexistant... :(
My symptoms were pretty much inexistant which meant that people around me (especially my family and friends) began to believe it was nothing. Sadly in February I suffered from a serious flare-up (severe abdominal pain 24/7, vomiting, oesophageal pain, diarrheoa) which led me to lose 5kg in 2 weeks! :poo: I felt awful and seriously depressed. I was admitted to hospital twice (re-admitted in less than a week) where I stayed for a week... I felt like an 80 year old woman, I could barely walk down the ward without being absolutely shattered! I was on IV steroids which made me extremely emotional, one minute I was giggling at the most pointless things and then I was crying because my lunch wasn't on time... As the steroids didn't seem to be relieving me from some of my symptoms, I was started on the infliximab treatment! My symptoms practically disappered over night! I was so relieved! :) However they still wanted to do an MRI scan (which I hate cause the drink makes me so bloated and unconfortable) and a sigmoidoscopy! Everything seemed fine so I was discharged and am still currently on oral steroids (prednisolone) which increased my appetite massively the first week and made me moody! The side effects seem to have calmed down a bit now though! I'm also on a multivitamin, ferrous fumerate and adcal d3! They have also kept me on the infliximab treatment which is going well so far although I've started getting the sore throat and headache symptom! My doctors think I am more likely to have Crohn's disease as well so I've decided to give that name to my condition :) !
Through all of this my boyfriend of just over 1 year (we celebrated our anniversary in hospital :devil: ) has been extremely important to keeping my chin up! I honestly don't know where I'd be right now without his support! It does worry me that I can't just be simply "normal" 19 year old girlfriend sometimes but he said that I'm worth it even though it can be difficult at times!
I am in my second year of nursing studies at university and being diagnosed with IBD at the beginning of the year came as a massive shock. It has also effected my course work as I had to miss an exam during my flare-up and have missed 2 weeks of a 4 week placement due to waiting for an occupational health appointment! It's a bit stressful cause I don't want to fail uni because of IBD!!! I won't let it beat me and neither should any of you!

That's my story! I think I've felt every emotion possible in the past 7 months!

Thanks for reading :ybiggrin:
 
Welcome to the forum! I also have IBD unclassified, so we are some of the lucky few! Re: university- get the IBD team/ your GP or Specialist to fill out one of their special consideration or similar forms. Often Uni's will even let you forgo important pieces of internal assessment or put the percentage loading onto end of year exams for IBD flare ups. I'm happy to hear you are on Remicade- from what I've heard, it is a miracle drug! How is your eating? Have you seen a dietician yet?
 
Welcome to the forum! I also have IBD unclassified, so we are some of the lucky few! Re: university- get the IBD team/ your GP or Specialist to fill out one of their special consideration or similar forms. Often Uni's will even let you forgo important pieces of internal assessment or put the percentage loading onto end of year exams for IBD flare ups. I'm happy to hear you are on Remicade- from what I've heard, it is a miracle drug! How is your eating? Have you seen a dietician yet?
I didn't know anything about the special consideration form! Thank you! I'll be sure to enquire about it!
Since my flare-up in February I've been eating quite large meals. I think this may be due to the prednisolone I am taking (steroids). However this does mean I am gaining weight which is making me quite self-conscious! No one has even talked to me about a dietician... I should probably ask about a referral at my next follow-up appointment!
The infliximab has been doing it's job so far! :)
 
I was very sick in my lastest stint at University. I found the course co-ordinators/ lecturers were very understanding when I went to them. I'd recommend you talk with the person who oversees each paper and see what the process is. I was the same when I was on steriods- although I felt self conscious I only gained 3kg of weight overall. I've been off steriods (prednisone) for two months now. I've totally lost the moon face; and expect to loose the excess weight soon! I find some foods increase my symptoms like (although everyone is different): corn, wholegrains, cabbage/onion family etc. At first when I got sick, I didn't pay attention to my diet as everything I ate made me sick. However, I'm back in full time work now, which is a distance from the toilet; so have started to avoid some of the foods that increase the D and urgency. You may want to start a food diary and note down what you have eaten in each meal so you can identify which foods increase your symptoms. Although foods and diet do NOT cause IBD, certain foods can irritate the digestive system. Hope things go well with nursing- you are certainly going into the right career with this!
 
I was diagnosed with Crohns on 2008, just after starting my second year at university. I did Primary Education and underwent 3 teaching practices all against the advice of my specialist. I was told i wasn't well enough to continue with university but i completed University in 2011 and since then i have been working as a supply teacher during the day and working a part time evening job everyday as well.
You have to believe in yourself and have a positive mental attitude. Without this the Crohns will win!:thumright::thumright:
 
Thank you so much for your stories abic and mitchell66!
I will follow your advice and see if any food triggers my symptoms!

I WILL NOT LET CROHN'S STOP ME FROM GOING THROUGH UNI! :D
 
Being on steroids is horrendous.. my fiance believes they are worse than PMT. I was forever eating and raiding my mums fridge. I was known as the fridge monster for a while.
I too was in and out of hospital but "touch wood" i have been out since December 2011 and been off steroids since March 2012. My moods were ridiculous but i think this is normal with steroids.
I would be honest with your uni tutors..tell them what you are going through etc. Most people hear the word "Crohns" and don't understand what it is so don't know how to help. I was honest with my employers as soon as i started and now i have just got a new manager i had to explain the entire thing again but they have to have things in place for you.
 
I second that. I was totally honest with my employer at the start and it feels good that even though I haven't required any time off; they still know what is wrong should I end up in hospital. I think if an employer doesn'r understand, perhaps they are not the right fit for me. I hardly ever take sick days- I'd only go off if I was really sick! I think at the end of the day, people appreciate your honesty. For me, my IBD does not effect my ability to perform my job or complete a degree, but it does make the journey more difficult. Everyone has their own cross to bear. I'm in my thirties now and I've realised that every one has their own challenges- this is just mine. Good for you that you are completing your degree. I think its healthy to have goals, as well as to know when you need to stop. The great thing with uni is that your credits stay with you for life! Even if you have to have a break it really doesn't matter in the great scheme of things!
 
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