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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 10/13/2015 8:28 PM (GMT -8)
Hi. I've had Crohn's since childhood but was only diagnosed after 40 (I'm now 54). I've had several surgeries and don't suffer with obstructions anymore, but depression, fatigue, shoulders and arms inflammation and extreme legs pain are destroying any chance of a bearable life now. All the drugs left my liver and kidneys in poor conditions and I'm a bit desperate for any tip I can get on the best treatments you can offer, especially natural medication. Getting rid of refined sugar helped bowel a lot, becoming vegan got rid of headaches and tummy bloating and diarrhea, but it's the leg and shoulder pain and depression that are killing me. Thanks for any help at all!
Posted 10/13/2015 11:54 PM (GMT -8)
It sounds like the leg and shoulder pain, along with the depression, are bigger concerns for you. Are you looking for an advanced treatment for Crohn's as well?

Have you ever had the body pains diagnosed? Perhaps you should see a Hematologist.

As far as the depression, you could seek counselling, but it's been my experience that if you address the cause of the depression and are able to manage that, the depression might take care of itself.
Posted 10/14/2015 5:41 AM (GMT -8)
Seeing a rheumatologist might be a good idea as well. Are you on any meds at all right now?
Posted 10/14/2015 9:08 AM (GMT -8)
Thank you so much for your reply, 73monte and scifigal2k!

As for medication, I've used Pentasa, Prednisone, Sulfasalazine, Azatioprine, Remicade, Methrotexat, among others. Prednisone, azatioprine and Methrotexat are real killers for me - they messed up my whole body, prednisone being the worse by far, it's a no go! Remicade was perfect, I never had side effects and it helped immensely with joint pain as well. This has been diagnosed as polyarthritis, a consequence of Chron's as well. The rheumatologist wants me to try Remicade again, but my heart may not cope.

All in all, the pain and inability to move normally and work is aggravating the depression, and the natural treatments are helping in many other aspects, which is why I'm trying to find out more from other patients regarding what helps them.

Wish you the best!

And scifigal2k, "Amen" to the Bible text you sent me! It has been my best consolation in life!!!
Posted 10/18/2015 9:05 PM (GMT -8)
For Crohn disease peripheral neuropathy is the best option now a days. It is painless therapy and with the help of electrodes attached to the effected area and with calmare device open, it vibrations provides much relief to the nerves and it send the message to the brain that there is no pain now in the affected area. As such this sufferer gets relief.
Posted 10/19/2015 5:03 AM (GMT -8)
@jameshenry, your post doesn't make much sense..... peripheral neuropathy is nerve damage, which isn't very common with Crohn's and has several different treatment methods.
http://www.webmd.com/brain/understanding-peripheral-neuropathy-basics

@suzie, it's one of my favorite scriptures. It reminds me that hard times are going to come, no matter what. So I handle it is really all I can do. I can choose to be happy about it or miserable, and I try to choose to be happy and see the purpose in it.

If you like natural treatments, acupuncture may be a good route to help ease pain if you can find an honest one who knows what they're doing. I have fibromyalgia, so I get the body-wide pain. As backwards as it sounds, exercise has helped a ton. Last year I could barely get up and down the stairs (and I'm 29), and now I can walk 5 miles each morning. Not saying this is totally the right answer, but it's worth a shot. I started by just walking around the block once a day, then twice around, and slowly built up.
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