New to Forum, Not to Crohns

Hi all, I have been suffering from Crohns like symptoms for over 3years I think. I was a severe (I thought so anyway) alcoholic and would have such aweful pains and BM would never be solid, many mornings I would stand up take a few steps then suddenly be overcome with dizziness nausea and a cold sweat all at once, along with gut wrenching stabs and cramps. The only relief I could find was stripping down to nada and lying on my cold linoleum floor. Then the heaves would come and I was literally evacuating from both ends. :sign0085: I experienced this maybe 2-3 times a week for close to a year before I pulled my head on straight stopped the alcohol abuse and waited. Still the same things. This terrified me and I really thought that I had damaged my liver or my pancreas beyond repair or hope. I finally went to the Dr and confessed my shame at what I had done to myself. The GOOD News? My liver was fine. A little fatty but fine. My pancreas? Fine. I apparently didnt do as much drinking as I thought I did! (Yes, I am still sober..) My WBC was however very high. So they ran more tests, urine, blood stool and finally I was sent to a GI Dr. I have had a colonoscopy, I have swallowed and recovered :shifty-t: a camera pill (It was the one featured on Jay Leno's Ebay did it sell segment) :shifty-t: (No, it did not --Sell) Anyway I was being treated 1st for IBS then Crohns and now I am scheduled for a Double Balloon thing. That is 09/22/2011. I guess I really do not have a point. But I wanted to join because I am have lurked here and everyone is so nice and just like me :thumleft: and I wanted to be able to jump in when I thought I had some input, or a Q. So Thank you Everyone! Really sux to be a member ...:yrolleyes: But Glad too ..

Hi Gidget

Welcome to the forum! Yep, really sucks to be a member here, but it's not a bad joint to hang out in!

You sure had a scary time getting to your Crohn's diagnosis. I'm glad the drinking didn't affect your liver and that you're doing fine with your other organs. But oh, the GI tract sounds like a whole other issue.

What treatments are you currently on? Are they helping? Where are you at with your symptoms---are they under control somewhat?

Again, welcome to the forum---I look forward to reading and learning from your contributions on the various threads.

Cheers,

Kismet

Hi Gidget and welcome! I am glad you are now sober, but I am sorry to hear of your Crohn's diagnosis. I assume you have some narrowing, hence the procedure scheduled for September? I wish you luck and hope it gives you some relief. Hang in there!

Good Morning, Afternoon to all! Thank you for the warm welcomes! I am supposed to be on Pentasa and Entecort. In the beginning I was on Pentasa and Pred but I was a pretty uncooperative patient. I kind of liken this to my leg. You ever notice how you don’t really notice your leg? It functions and does its job in harmony with the other leg and life is good until you get kicked in the shins. Then your leg is very 'present' and noticeable. Well for some silly reason I thought with the GIANT blue pills I had to take 4 times a day that things would go back into Harmony with the rest of my body. Nope, so I complained more and so Dr suggested maybe this is IBS? So she took me off the Pred (b/c if not Crohns...) and my back was :mad2: mad.. along with my .. legs (knees actually) nothing improved in fact I felt altogether worse. So we did the Colonoscopy and I forget the one where they go in through my throat too but that was all done at once. Those results showed Crohns (possibly) so she told me to continue with Pentasa and prescribed a myriad of Colon relaxers some of which were not covered under my insurance but what the hey! I want my 'Leg' back. None of these seemed effective. So we advanced to the Pillcam b/c she is still on the fence with IBD/IBS (Likely because of me... in hindsight) those results showed more like Crohns so they put me on Entecort and still the Pentasa. Now I understand what it is I likely have and was able to articulate the Leg theory to her and apologized for all the gobbledy gook... I understand that my leg will always need a splint and I will likely always 'know' it is there. But because this was such a convoluted mess (again.. me and my leg) we have decided to just go through with the double balloon thing to put the final stamp on it. So she told me just last week that she doesn’t want to refill my Entecort b/c we want to see the inflammation in the results. That had me thinking... (Bad idea?) so I also discontinued my Pentasa about 4 days ago. Just to make sure I am good and rotten in there. My procedure is not until Sept 22 so I don’t know if I can make it without the Pentasa or Entecort, she doesn’t know I stopped the Pent. But said if I think I can't make it w/out the Entecort she will refill me. I think the Pentasa thing is a test.. to see how long I can go before I need it, if it only takes a week to feel pain then I might start it up again and two weeks before procedure stop again. K, I have a new laptop Courtesy of a LOVING Husband and Crohns… LOL and a new kitten just because I have a weakness… anyway the heel of my hands are apparently NOT supposed to graze the mousepad area without doing some “things” and I have done some things .. that combined with my ramblings and new kitten I have typed this response twice. I will close now before I hit some key and have to do it again! :rosette2:!!!

Good luck with your upcoming procedure!

Hi gidget, welcome to the forum i hope to see you around forum.

scott

:frown:Thank you Scott, :thumleft: This seems sooo O/T.. But can anyone tell me if I need to wait for my profile picture to be approved? Or am I trying to load it wrong? Thank you! :confused2: