Community Forum

Hey, My names Marla and Im 21 years old.
I was diagnosed with Crohns Disease my senior year of Highschool back in 2006. Before i was diagnosed i had lost around 11 lbs in a months time. I went from 110 to 99lbs. I had stomach pains that brought me to the point where i could not eat anything but liquids. After I got diagnosed i have seen that i have been increasingly getting a little more depressed each time i have a flare up. My first flare up took 2 months to recover from and it sucked royally. 2 years later and 2 colonoscopys later i found out i had dodged a bullet. I had a fistulla (wich is now currently healing) inside of my colon. It scared the living daylights out of me. Over these 2 years my Doctor has been trying to lower my dosage of medication and each time he would try to do so i would end up getting flare ups. He just recently took me off Cipro and Im so terrified that its going to happen again. I just hate feeling depressed bc of this and I know Im not ever really going to have a normal life style. It sucks and I keep crying about it and i know i shouldnt bc there are people out there with worse conditions then mine. I would just really love to talk to someone who understands and who could help me cope. Please...Im me anytime....HoTbUnNy134   (i know its a rediculous sn...but i had this since freshman yr of highschool..please bear with me)

 Reply posted for skibum1987.

Marla, you are definitely not alone. I'm Jessica.  I'm 21 and I've had Crohn's since I was 13. I am currently flaring and have been for the last month or so. I'm also feeling depressed and having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that I will never lead a normal life. I cry a lot too. I think we might be able to really help each other, if youd like to talk. feel free to email me j.limperis@yahoo.com 

 Reply posted for skibum1987.

hi Maria,
it is not much fun having crohns disease.
i have had it since i was 18 and am now 32, and it has been a rough road, but fortunately i have good people around me who love me and have helped me out with all walks of life.
Depression is so normal....i go in and out of it all the time.
Its not fun feeling crappy.
I lowered my expectations a lot, when i got sick...
that helped.
at 18 i wanted to be a pro golfer and was well on the way....but it all changed, and my expectations changed...all of a sudden i stopped being pissed off that i couldnt play golf 4 days in a row, or do manual labour like my 20 year old friends, or eat things......
as a 20 year old, your expectations are high...you almost expect to be able to do everything and to run around and be awesome.
if you lower your expectations to a level where you wont be disappointed, that might help.
for example, if you are going to a friends 21st birthday, you might think 'ok i will prob need to go to the rest room at least once, and there is a possibility that i might have to go home early.'
when you get to the party, and you have these expectations, you might get there, have fun, go out and not need to go to the rest rooms at all, except for a number one!
then you will finish the night and be happy, as you exceeded your expectations...

if you go to the party thinking 'i will rule, and dance and laugh and eat a big dinner and then drink and be merry and everyone will think i am the best...'
if you think like that, you might get let down when your tummy freaks out and you feel crap and need to lie down...go home early and all that...

sending best wishes and happy to talk any time,
andrew

 Reply posted for skibum1987.

Hey!
My name is Stephanie, I'm from KY. I'm 25 and have had Crohn's for 15 years now! I completely understand how you feel! I'm getting to a point where I am SICK of this stupid disease! Don't think that you won't ever have a normal life. It may not be exactly what we wanted, but I've still been able to do most things I've wanted to! I've been on Remicade for about 6 years and it's started not working as well...so I actually just started on Humira today...that is why I'm so frustered right now...b/c I hate knowing that I will have to been on these meds forever...but I've never met anyone with Crohn's and never had anyone who really understands what I'm going through...so maybe using these discussion boards, we can all get the support we need!
Hang in there...it's going to be hard...but you can do it!

 Reply posted for Quarmla.

thanks so much Carla...just the fact that someone understands makes my life a bit better. And i totally understand the whole bathroom thing...its like a never ending marathon....i lived on a campus at FDU inNJ for a yr..i had 24/7 partiers next door and suitmates that would smoke weed constantly....i would have to bang on their door almost every night to try to get them to shut up.....hopefully you will do beter then i did in a dorm...oh and please if you ever need to talk please im me anytime!
Marla

 Reply posted for skibum1987.

Hey... it's not weird at all to get depressed from Crohn's. Seratonin can be digested from foods and when you're prone to be mal-nourished... you get the point. It makes sense that you would become more depressed with each flare up. At the same time, though, you have your thoughts and your personality that's specifically yours and not belonging to Crohn's, but to you. I have to remind myself of this -- am reminding myself of this right now.

I'm staying at a dorm with many judgmental young adults... it's the 3rd day and I've already had my loud and humiliating bathroom flatulence episodes enough to last me through this lifetime. When I get down I think of others who have it worse, too... but deeply... and compassionately... for example, there are people who have intensely disturbed neurological systems, where-in all of their skin (try to imagine bit by bit.... face... neck, ears, mouth, arms, hands, toes, soles of feet, etc.) is raging with un-ending agony that is heightened by touch -- any touch, including human touch.

That brings me back to reality. And I am grateful. And I realize I am me, and I just have Crohn's disease... and I have to change my life around it on the daily, but... hey... challenges are here to be overcome with creativity. :) And seeing as your e-mail name is so creative... lol

Yeah. I hope I helped. I know sometimes what people say is never the right thing. Take care. Don't forget the most important things in life.

=Carla