• Welcome to Crohn's Forum, a support group for people with all forms of IBD. While this community is not a substitute for doctor's advice and we cannot treat or diagnose, we find being able to communicate with others who have IBD is invaluable as we navigate our struggles and celebrate our successes. We invite you to join us.

Introduction

Hi, my name is Courtney and I am new to the forum. I am 26 years old and I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease officially in 2012. It was brought up in 2011, but my primary doctor dismissed it saying I wasn't in enough pain to have Crohn's and the blood was from something else. In 2012 I was having abdominal pains again and went to the ER. They said it was appendicitis and planned on doing a cat scan for the surgeon. Right before they took me back to surgery the doctor came in and said the inflammation was in the terminal ileum and not my appendix. They admitted me to the hospital where I had my first colonoscopy. They diagnosed me with Crohn's and I started taking Pentasa. I was on that pill for a little over a year. Finally my doctor switched me to Cimzia which wasn't much better. In 2014 I switched primary doctors to one closer to me and when she saw me she made me get blood work done (I had been avoiding it as I am terrified of needles) and that night she called me telling me I needed a blood transfusion because my iron levels were dangerously low (14 is healthy, 7 you qualify for a transfusion, I was a 5.4). They determined that the blood loss was from my Crohn's which was still flaring despite the Cimzia and a year and half of prednisone. My doctor got me in with a new GI whom I adore, and he switched me to Humira despite me begging him not to. I finally went into remission in 2015.

I'm mostly here for support and advice- it would be nice to talk to people who really understand what I'm going through or how I'm feeling.
 
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