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I'm Narnia, nice to meet you.

Location
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I was diagnosed about 2 months ago with severe Crohns disease, I'm 19 and ever since I was a baby I've had problems with my stomach areas, after my colonoscopy and endoscopy i was immediately admitted into hospital where i was put on a Cortisone IV drip every 6 hours for a week and had a Iron trasnfusion- apparently my blood count was so low I almost needed a blood transfusion which I think is preeeetty daunting because I'm all of 19. I am now on 150mg of AZA/Imuran (and increasing) and 15 mg of Pred (and decreasing) but it's really bringing me down.
I've always been overweight and during the 6 month flare I had which landed me with a diagnosis I lost 15 kg and was sitting on the healthy BMI range, but now after being on Pred I've gained 8kgs in two months.

But I guess I can't complain because I can eat again now.
And before the diagnosis i was a medical mysery and was seeing at least 4 GP's for different opinions, and even formed clinical depression, anxiety and panic disorders after my doctors claimed they couldnt see a thing wrong with me and it was in my head- I was even put on some nasty anti-psychotics which gave me acute liver failure and pancreatis in the middle of my flare!! But now that I have a diagnosis I am alot better mentally and dont need to be on any anti depressants or anti psychotics at all!
Being diagnosed changed my life in a good way but I'm really becoming slack when it comes to trying to find my footing with diet.

Any help, advice or suggestions with weightloss, diet or bloating would be very much appreciated.
Sorry I talked for so long, it's nice to be somewhere where they people know what you're talking about :)
 

Jennifer

Adminstrator
Staff member
Location
SLO
Hi narnia and welcome to the forum! :D

I'm glad you finally got a diagnosis and that you don't have anyone telling you its all in your head anymore (we hear that more often than not on the forum unfortunately).

As for the weight loss, I wouldn't worry about that too much just yet. With Prednisone it causes people to retain water and it gradually goes away once you hit around 10mg and after stopping (it may take a few months to go away completely though). Avoiding salty foods can help you not retain more water. If you fear that the steroids are causing you to eat more causing fat as well as water retention then you could try eating smaller meals more frequently.

As for diet, while in remission I don't follow any particular diet but during a flare I always go on the Low Residue diet http://www.crohnsforum.com/wiki/Low-Residue-Diet which helps reduce my symptoms. Its the one diet I recommend to people but there are many other diets out there if you're willing to try them. Feel free to check out the Diet, Fitness, and Supplements section: http://www.crohnsforum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=17

We also have a Mental Health Support section if you're still having issues with anxiety or if you'd like to help other members who are currently dealing with it: http://www.crohnsforum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=77
 
Hi Narnia, Welcome to the forum. Sorry about your DX, but on the positive side now you know what is the problem and you can get medical treatment. I know is easier to say than done, don't worry now about gaining weight, after you stop the prednisone it will come off, at least some of that. Put all your energy in getting better and feeling good. I hope to hear from you soon. Best wishes.
 
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