Ryan from Missoula

I've only recently been diagnosed with chrons disease. i was diagnosed in october of 2010. im 15 years old and i started having chrons symptoms during 8th grade but i thought it was nothing. I didnt tell my parents right away because i did not want to worry my mother who was hospitalized with stomach cancer at the time. i had flare ups quite often but i took some asprin and peptobismal and told myself it was nothing. this went on untill the summer of 2010, right after my freshman year. my mother had pased away on febuary 11th 2010 so i figured telling my dad wouldnt make a difference at this point. he suggested i start taking fiber, this did not help. we finally decided to get a colonoscapy in early october, shortly after i was diagnosed with chrons and was put on a genaric immunosupressor and pentasa. sence then i havent had many symptoms aside from my latest run in with the law where i was in custody for 10 days and later found not guilty. so im pretty much a normal kid.

Welcome to the forum, Zootown! It must have been hard dealing with the pain and discomfort by yourself. I'm sorry to hear about your mother. I've known two young women who lived in my town that died from stomach cancer. They were both in their 30s. Truly sad. I hope that you are under the care of a good doctor and that you have your symptoms under control. We are here for you. Hugs!

Zootown,
Welcome to the forum, I am glad that they have your symptoms under control now. I am sorry that you lost your Mom last year. You are in the right place for support. I have met many incredible, very caring and supportive members here that help me get through all of my daily challenges. We are all here for you.

Hi Zootown, and welcome to the forum!
My daughter also has Crohn's and she just turned 18. There are a lot of kids out there, unfortunately, that have this disease so I hope you don't feel like you are alone and no one could understand. There are plenty of people that do!

I'm sorry to hear about your mom too; no child should have to go through that.

If there are any questions that I can help you with by chance, please feel free to ask. My girl has been dealing with this for a long time so I have some experience in knowing what the teenagers go through. There are also a lot more people on here that are so friendly and much more educated than I.

Best of luck to ya kiddo! Hang in there !

Hi Zootown and welcome! First off, I am so sorry about your mother. It's awful you had to lose her at such a young age. I hope you and your father are close and can lean on one another. Unfortunately, all of the emotions that come with a death are not good for your Crohn's. But I am glad to hear you are doing well on your current treatment. Remember to always take your meds, even if you feel terrific. And take care of yourself in other aspects of your life to avoid future flare ups, such as stress. I am sure a "run in with the law" isn't good on the nerves. I look forward to seeing you around the forum!

Hi Zootown! Wow, you sure have had a tough couple of years! You are in the right place to get lots of information and support. I myself was diagnosed with Crohns when I was just a bit younger than you are now, and although this disease has held me back from time to time, I am a very happy productive member of society now! Keep your head up. Life does get better. Welcome to the forum.

Hi!
It's nice to see another teen on here, I'm 17 I hope everythings ok soon, and I'm sorry about your mom.
Try to stay positive; Crohn's is full of good times and bad, but just remember that with every 'down' comes a later 'up'

Hi Zoo and welcome!

I'm sorry you have had such a rough time with your DX and losing your mom. But very glad to hear that your current treatment is going well!

And stay out of trouble and on this side of the law! You don't need the stress of legal troubles!

- Amy