Hi everyone,I’m new here and wanted to share that I was recently diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease. Honestly, it’s been really overwhelming trying to process everything — the symptoms, the treatments, and how this might affect my life going forward.Lately, I’ve been struggling with abdominal pain, fatigue, and unpredictable flare-ups that make it hard to plan my days. Some days I feel hopeful, and others I just feel so frustrated and scared about the future.
I’d love to hear from others who have been living with Crohn’s for a while — how do you manage the emotional ups and downs? What treatments or lifestyle changes have helped you the most? Any advice on coping with the uncertainty would mean a lot.Thanks in advance for your support. It’s comforting to know I’m not alone in this
Hello Sab',
Welcome to Healing Well. You'll find this forum to be an excellent resource. You'll also find that there are numerous members here that will be more than happy to offer you support and advice.
Being diagnosed can certainly be "overwhelming" as you stated. The good news is, there's plenty of reason to be hopeful. Treatments have improved considerably, even over the last few years.
From the start, the best thing you can do, is get a really good GI, that you have the utmost confidence in. A good GI will do an array of diagnostics when first diagnosed, along with a full blood panel. He/She will discuss a treatment plan based on the results. Not sure what point you're at in all of this, perhaps you've already been offered some meds to decide upon?
Perhaps you could relate more about that. If you've already had scopes or an MRE, how did the results come out? Some with Crohn's present on the mild to moderate side, and stay that way life long.
As for the emotional side of things, yes it's definitely a handful trying to cope with this disease, and carry on with daily life. It would be helpful if you could get a family member to act as an advocate for you when attending appointments.
Good luck with things going forward. Please post as much information about your current status as you can. You'll get plenty of good advice here.
My daughter was diagnosed Feb. 19/07, (13 yrs. old at time of diagnosis), with Crohn's of the Terminal Illium. Has used Prednisone and Pentasa. Started Imuran (02/09), had an abdominal abscess (12/08). 2cm of Stricture.
Started Remicade in Feb. 2014, along with 100mgs. of Imuran.
Welcome to Healing Well. You'll find this forum to be an excellent resource. You'll also find that there are numerous members here that will be more than happy to offer you support and advice.
Being diagnosed can certainly be "overwhelming" as you stated. The good news is, there's plenty of reason to be hopeful. Treatments have improved considerably, even over the last few years.
From the start, the best thing you can do, is get a really good GI, that you have the utmost confidence in. A good GI will do an array of diagnostics when first diagnosed, along with a full blood panel. He/She will discuss a treatment plan based on the results. Not sure what point you're at in all of this, perhaps you've already been offered some meds to decide upon?
Perhaps you could relate more about that. If you've already had scopes or an MRE, how did the results come out? Some with Crohn's present on the mild to moderate side, and stay that way life long.
As for the emotional side of things, yes it's definitely a handful trying to cope with this disease, and carry on with daily life. It would be helpful if you could get a family member to act as an advocate for you when attending appointments.
Good luck with things going forward. Please post as much information about your current status as you can. You'll get plenty of good advice here.
My daughter was diagnosed Feb. 19/07, (13 yrs. old at time of diagnosis), with Crohn's of the Terminal Illium. Has used Prednisone and Pentasa. Started Imuran (02/09), had an abdominal abscess (12/08). 2cm of Stricture.
Started Remicade in Feb. 2014, along with 100mgs. of Imuran.
Hi, thank you so much for the kind welcome.It really is overwhelming right now, but your message gave me hope. I’ve had some tests done and I’m waiting for results. No meds yet my GI is still deciding.Thanks for sharing your daughter’s journey, it helps a lot to hear from someone who’s been through it. I’ll post more soon once I know more.