New to Crohns

~Hello, I was recently diagnosed with crohns, i was told i had ibs from the age of 14, im 38 now. I am currently on steriods and will start a corse of azathioprine this week. Over the last year i have found that i have become very tired and find it difficult to get motivated. I have put it down to me being lazy and it has made me feel very depressed. Is this part of Crohns. I feel it is effecting my marriage and i feel that i am not dealing with children/work and general life as i would. Help .... need educating

Crohn's can definitely drain you physically and mentally and many medications like yours can further cause fatigue. It is hard to cope with and your days need to be calculated. I wish I had good coping advice but don't be too hard on yourself it's not your fault.

yes, fatigue is a big part of this disease. You are probably not absorbing the nutrients you need to feel good. Besides, going to the bathroom all the time is exhausting unto itself! Have you tried to change your diet yet? it makes a HUGE difference. The top four offenders of causing inflammation are gluten, dairy, soy, and eggs ( in that order). If you want to feel better, try cutting out gluten and dairy. Also, until your gut is somewhat healed, RAW FRUITS AND VEGGIES are very irritating. Too much fiber.
Sometimes taking control is empowering. The thing about the drugs, is that they work ( maybe) while you are taking them, but if you try to get off of them and continue eating the foods that you have become intolerant to, you will most likely relapse.
So be proactive!
Good luck
Leah

You should get your vitamin levels checked. Low B12 can make you feel exhausted, along with many other vitamins. I just ask my PC to run them and she does. Then I suppliment where needed. Crohn's does come with exhaustion on occasion as does depression. Best to take a mental inventory then check with your doc. It's not your fault. I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety along with IBS. Turns out it was Crohn's and lack of vitamins. It only took 20 years for them to figure it out. Lol

yep. and if you can take the vitamins ( Bs and D is very important) sublingual, that would be best because it is absorbed through the skin in your mouth and doesn't have to go through your digestion system.

Thank you all for your support and advice. I am seeming my consultant today so will discuss. Thanks again

first off,your not lazy!!your ill and having the blues is normal when your feeling sick and the weather in uk is pants so that won,t help,come on sunshine!if your new to this it can take a while to get under control follow your dr advice get chatty with your clinic nurse there pretty good for advice and god ones are more approachable than consultants and very knowledgable.have a look on the forum about diet advice,beware of dr google no news is good news.all the best good luck

Hi, I've recently been diagnosed, I'm 36. I was feeling just like you, exhausted.... then feeling depressed because I was so exhausted.
Everything was such an effort. Work, housework, kids etc. Meds are keeping things under control now.
I'll be honest, the diagnoses affected my marriage also, but only temporarily. It's easy to forget that this illness affects our other halves also.
Don't stress about it, as soon as you start to feel good again, things will seem so much easier. I'm sending you a huge hug :ghug:

I find my energy levels have improved since starting supplements. Vitamin D, B complex and fish oils and I seriously recommend watching your diet. It's a matter of trial and error.

Steph