Newly Diagnosed

Hello,

Over the last 3 months I've been doing the tango with my GP. I started having diarrhea after my christmas break and went to see my doctor after it hadn't resolved come the end of January. At that point, though It was watery, I was still only going once daily. After being back and forth to the GP, getting blood taken regularly and with no leads as to what was causing it, they decided to give me a round of antibiotics. Bad news. I almost immediately went from once daily to almost 10 times on average. Finally, they decided to get me an appointment with the specialist. but the waiting list was 11 weeks. I lasted 2 weeks until I landed in the A & E at the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh.
I spent 6 nights in the hospital and following a sigmoidoscopy and pathology results, I was diagnosed with having Crohns.

Its really quite scary in the hospital, I guess because the doctors are all so busy, I really didn't get a good understanding of what was happening. How it was going to affect my life and school.

I am originally from Ontario, Canada and am in Edinburgh studying for the next 3 years. I have no family history, have always been gluten free and never smoke.

I'm really glad I found these forums, It makes the diagnosis not as rough and kind of feels like I joined a new club.

Carrie

25 year old, diagnosed 08/03/2012.

Hey Carrie and welcome to the forum :bigwave: I am sorry about the diagnosis, it must have come as quite a shock to you :hug: I take it you are now home? Have you been given any meds to take? I would expect the hospital to now be arranging for a proper follow up appt with a GI so you can discuss things in more detail including a treatment plan, did they mention anything about this to you?

One thing to do now is to have a good nosy around the forum so you can start educating yourself on the disease, bare in mind we are all different and not all of us get the same issues so pls do not worry that you will get it all.

I am pleased you have joined us hun, we are here for you for any info and support you need.

xxx

I am at home now, which is helping a lot with my mood. The hydrocortisone I was getting in the hospital was making me sad.
I am currently taking 40mg Prednisolone and 50g Aziathrioprine. and I'm going back to see them in a couple weeks for more bloodwork and I guess to discuss things further.

Thank you for the welcome Its comforting to know there are people to talk to .

Welcome! This community is awesome in making friends and resolving any questions you may have to ask. I have found many new friends and answers to alot of questions on here. The prednisone is a pain, but it will def make you feel better. Good luck on your journey and we are here if you need us!

Hey there Carrie! Thought I'd respond because I can relate to your timing -- I started getting sick just before my Christmas break, and over the course of the following weeks I went through multiple tests and medical exams until I was finally diagnosed. So I've got about a three-week head start on you, but I'm still in the process of figuring this all out.

Anyways, like you said, welcome to the club! So far, I'm not completely convinced that it's a club I necessarily WANT to be a part of... But yeah, everyone on this forum has been super helpful and friendly. Genuinely good people from what I can tell. Ask the board questions, keep sharing your stories and experiences if you want to... it all helps.

Hi Carrie, it looks like you are on the same meds as me although I am now down to 5mg of the pred.

The pred is good at getting inflammation down and you will stay on this for a little while whilst the Aza kicks in (can take up to 12 weeks). Once your bloods start showing things are improving you will then start to taper off the pred- that's the theory of it all anyway. You will also be on regular blood tests for the Aza for as long as you are on it.

Wishing you well soon!

xx

Hi Carrie,

I'm so glad you found us Please keep us updated as to how you do. I hope to see you around!

All my best to you.

Hi Carrie,

I myself was DX'd this month.. I hope you start feeling better soon.. This site has been helpful. Wish you the best in your recover..

Carrie

You are on the same medication as my 16 year old dx in January.