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Hello I have had Crohn's disease for 7 years now.  I am 24 yrs old.  Although I am used to having the occaisional flare up I'm just tired of it!  I have been on Remicade for 3 years now and have increased it to every 6 weeks.  I was doing great on it but all of a sudden about 1 week ago I started having problems again.  This past weekend I was sick to my stomach and couldn't keep anything down.  I ended up in the ER last night.  They are putting me on Xifaxan for 10 days.  I'm just so tired of being sick.  I've missed a lot of work and I'm sure everyone at work is upset with me.  They don't say it to my face but I know they think I use having Crohn's to my advantage when calling out sick from work!  I hate that.  I would much rather be at my job making money to pay my bills than feeling like this!  I feel bad for my boyfriend because he gets so scared when I get sick.  I know sometimes he probably wishes he had a normal girlfriend.  He claims that he doesn't and that he loves me the way I am but I still feel guilty.  I am on Effexor XR for antidepressant but I'm still feeling depressed.  I feel like no one can understand what I am going through.  I'm trying to live a normal life and go to school and work and be able to go out and hang out with my boyfriend whenever I want to.  I just feel like I don't know how to deal anymore!  Does anyone have any advice?  I would really appreciate anything anyone could offer in the way of advice!  Thank you and I hope you all are doing well!

Megan

 Reply posted for meggs313.

I know how you feel .I have been living with Cronh's disease for 25 yrs.Life could be going along just great you are feeling really good and then out of the blue it flares up again. It's hard to deal with! Keep your head up things will and do get better. Just remember to take one day at a time. And remember their is people out there that care and know what your going through.  

 Reply posted for meggs313.

I'm 41, but I completely relate to what you are saying.  Try to give those around you the benefit of the doubt.  Part of loving your boyfriend is communicating with him about these issues and trusting him.  My girlfriend then was great, and she still is as my wife of 15 years.

Re: work, you just have to do what's right for you and your health and not worry about what the folks at work think.  I'm sure that they appreciate that you are doing your best.  Everyone has their cross to bear.  Some folks at your work will have lived enough life to realize that and be compassionate.  Some may not have yet, but you can't worry about them.

Re: depression, make sure that you are getting help, communicating honestly, and doing what you can for yourself.  It's depressing to be chronically ill, but trust that you eventually will get healthier.

Hang in there.

 Reply posted for jstepnio.

Thank you so much for your post!  It is nice to hear from someone who has been through it!  It is also nice to hear that your boyfried who was there for you at the time is now your husband!  That definitely gives me hope.  I am going to try to cut out more of the fat than I currently am to see if that helps.  Next semester I am taking a self-defense class and I'm hoping that the activity will make me stronger and help in the long run.  Thank you again for your post!  You definitely helped me calm down a bit.  Have a great weekend!

 Reply posted for meggs313.

While it's been nearly 10 years since I was 24, I can remember all too well trying to handle work, school and relationships in addition to managing Crohn's. 

Honestly, there's no magic solution.  But, I will say that managing my diet and doing yoga really helped me at the time.  Dealing with all the stuff referenced above can be pretty stressful, and I think the yoga did a lot to keep my levels in check. I do tai chi now, which has been even better. 

As for diet, I was a vegan for a while during that time and really did see a difference in my disease.  Just cutting out dairy and fatty foods might help if you don't want to go all the way.  It's worth it to skimp on the diet if it helps you feel better, trust me!

Other than that, just keep your eye on the prize.  Once school is over and life settles a bit, I found things got a little easier.  The disease is always there, but there's less going on to deal with.  My boyfriend at the time, who is my husband now, was a serious help in keeping me in check.  Having a good support system in invaluable.