My story, three years in

So, three years after my diagnosis and about 5 after I started noticing something wasn't quite right I'm feeling pretty much like I'm back to square one.

My diagnosis took a fairly common road from what I can tell, about 12 months of cutting out various food groups with no success, until I finally decided to make more of a fuss and insist I had a referral from my GP, after my 'issues' started really affecting my ability to do my job. From then progress was fairly swift, with diagnosis coming just after a few outpatient tests at the hospital. From there a fairly positive year as the tablets seemed to cure all, ignoring those times I forgot to take them!!! I was pretty much symptom free. After then there have been good times and bad and some fairly terrible (emotional and physical).

I have had a fairly tumultuous relationship with Crohns/my tablets, mood swings, concentration issues, huge energy loss and lethargy at times. I'm a company director and feeling like I 'just can't do it' sometimes is probably my biggest side effect. I'm tired of alienating everyone because I can't/don't want to explain what it's like and I let it get the better of me.

Up to now I have done precious little in research, preferring the, just push on and get on with it type attitude, but that's not working for me anymore. Thinking 'it's not fair' and sulking is not the way forward! Just reading some of these forums today has helped, so this is the start of a concerted effort on my part, an effort to be more informed, understand that crohns doesn't have to isolate me and to hopefully learn how to cope better by learning of other people's experiences, who knows, maybe I can even help people in return!

Welcome to the forum! It is a difficult disease to deal with. Hopefully this forum will help you...sounds like it already has a bit. Feel free to vent away and get those negative feelings about it off your chest.

Hi im Mandy. Have issues with crohn's for the last 5 yrs also. Diagnosed 3 yrs back. Im glad meds are helping you, as mine didnt help at all at one point, well i say one point about 12 mths really. In the end i took myself and my suitcase to the local hospital (in the uk), and said im not leaving untill im rid of this pain im suffering and have done for a year. In a way luckly for me my gastro doc came to see me. We decided that surgery was now my only option. I had an ileostomy done, and what an amazing difference that made to my life. I could eat and drink what i liked. Before water used to cause me pain. I feel iv got a life again , iv also had the ileostomy removed a couple of months ago, and lifes still looking good so far. I hope you wont need surgery but if all else fails !! Id recommend it. I do still feel tired, achey joints not much bowel control ie when iv got to go iv not long to get there , but that is improving. It's a bit of a waiting game this crohn 's lark, no fun when your in agony though, sometimes i dont think the doc's realise how painful this can be. So i advise put your foot down with doc's and stand your ground. Hopefuly you will get result's and feel a lot better. Please try and keep strong , il try and help support and advise anyone i can. Good luck and best wishes .Mandy