Depression and Crohn's

Crohn's disease has no mercy. Crohn's disease can be very painful, embarrassing, and unappealing. Many  people do eventually become depressed.

I would like this thread to be a place to share your experiences with  depression  and post ways in which you have been coping or not coping.
I have depression and I was diagnosised 26 years ago.  I also live with my husband who has depression due to his chronic illness and is unable to acknowledge it.

I ask you to share your cares, concerns and support here to help each other.
Bless each of you
Kitt

I like PB4 developed anxiety about 5 years ago. Mine is caused by constant worrying about things. What if this happens, or what if that happens. I do take an anti-anxiety med when needed, but would like to worry less about things. I can't tell you what triggered it, possibly having resections, and the side effects I live with because of them maybe. But this site has been alot of help for me too. Being able to share our fears and worries with others who are suffering just like I am, has been a godsend. I am still working on it and really do have a long way to go, but I am confident that this too shall one day pass. Plus I think I have the most amazing and supportive husband a woman could ask for. And that alone makes all the difference in the world.

caution: *sarcastic remark of a chronically ill, depressed man*

i have to fight the temptation to fall into depression, but i find if i can't be happy about my life, pretending to be happy is far more fun than acknowledging my depression....

^{Hi Kitt! I'm over here now.  This is a mixed bag.  Crohn's and depression.  Kinda like the question "what came first the egg or the chicken?".  I went to the doctor for the depression before I was diagnosed with Crohn's.  I've had depression a few times in my life, I think Maybe always at some level slightly depressed. But this has been major depression, the disabling kind.  And the final diagnosis of Crohn's really topped it off.  I knew it might be, Crohn's but now that I know for sure, it's been  harder to deal with than I thought it would.  Especially since I was already in a major depression before diagnoses. I definitely think there is a chemical link between the depression and the Crohn's inflammation. I think your whole    chemistry goes whacko when you get an autoimmune disorder like Crohn's.  I've have never felt so crummy. I was feeling better for a while but now I think I'm flaring up. First thing I noticed before the physical flare was the emotional flare. That's probably why it's called systemic, it effects everything.  It sucks!I had to change my GI appt. to next week.  It was snowing real hard and I don't have four wheel drive. I have a 1992 Nissan Sentra with 250,000 miles on it so I decided to change my appt. to next Thursday.  I really need to go. I don't feel good.  My digestive symptoms aren't what bothers me so much as I just feel sick all the time.  What's that word malaise is that it?  Is that normal?  I also need to call my psychiatrist too because I think my antidepressants aren't working anymore, but it maybe could be the Colocort side effect.  All I know is I'm tired of crying   all the time.  I've been crying for days.  I'm just not coping with anything anymore.  I need to get a job but I don't feel good and I'm afraid I will cry and blow it. I read where you have been through therapy, well I'm just starting.  I have to go through the county cause I can't afford a private therapist.  I like the one I'm going to but I've gone 4 or 5 times so far and we haven't gotten past all the intake and red tape Q & A stuff yet.  So I just cry and cry some more.  Listen to me! I sound like a crybaby don't I? Wah! Wah! WAh!  OK I'll stop now.}

 

 

^{Hi timmisang,  I know exactly what you mean!  I was in that same high pressure, high tech multitasking environment until 10 months ago when I had a meltdown.  I didn't know I had Crohn's yet.  I thought I was just tired and burned out from all the stress.  I thought all I needed was to rest and I would be OK.  It hasn't gotten better for me yet. It did for a little while but its getting worse again.  Normally I would have loved being home taking care of things but I'm too depressed, fatigued and sick.  When I started The Lexapro I felt much better for a while.  I think I need to up my dosage, which is not unusual I guess.  I think I could handle the physical parts of this if I didn't have the depression and fatigue.  I'm glad you came on here.  I know how you feel.  My family, mostly my sister has all but disowned me because I quit my job and I'm Kinda poor and depressed right now they don't understand at all.  They think I'm just being flakey and irresponsible. I'm 50 next week, I'll be flakey and irresponsible if I want so there!  Nevermind that I'm sick.It sounds to me like you are having depression.  I have noticed on this forum that a very high % of Crohn's members do take antidepressants.  And I don't mean to sound hopeless,  Mine were working for a while,  it just takes time to find the right one and the right dosage.  I tried cymbalta at first but it made me too nauseated and dizzy.  My son has very bad anxiety and depression and cymbalta worked wonders for him.  I would Talk to your doctor or psychiatrist about it. I think if I had known all this a year ago, I might have done things a lot different.  I may have changed jobs but I think I would have gotten meds before it reached the meltdown point.  By the way when you describe what you do, I almost know you.  I ran the statement department of a 33 branch bank and we produced and mailed 75,000 statements each month.  We depended on you to keep us going.  Statements have to go out on time and be perfect! LOL  I know the pressure you endure.  It is very intense.  Please take it from me, get help soon.  You don't want to end up like me.  I may be working at Mickey D's soon!    P.S I feel old too}

I would like to know too PB4. Also Is that the same as royal jelly?  Does royal jelly work?  I tried st johns wort before and it did nothing at all.  Believe it or not, my ADD meds made a huge difference.  I felt normal for the first time in my life for about five years until this Crohn's thing.  I know I have issues I need to work on and I am but this is a sick kind of depression that I believe is because of the disease.  I know that the Colocort isn't working and  I'm getting worse. It is also giving me really bad insomnia which I've never had a problem with before. That seems to make the moodiness and depression even worse.

Hi All, I will be back in a bit, going to town...........and I will try to help you. 

Deb, Hey there, your font is fine can you size it down to a 10 or 12 before copying to the forum to save the room.  Thanks sweetie.

Thanks..luvs ya all
Kitt

vidoska and debbikay :)

I read about bee propolis from another support forum...this poster with crohns took it and it put him into full remission, so I thought I'd try it, I had nothing to lose since I'm either allergic or non-responsive to traditional oral RX used for IBD....

I could only find bee propolis liquid at my local health food store so I bought it, it tasted terrible even mixed with anything but only a small amount was needed...well I had always been skeptical of the "natural route" but I was desperate, and holy cow was I shocked when the next day my bleeding had stopped, my frequency cut back some and no more lower back pain during every trip to the can for a BM (which at the time was 30+ times a day, it cut back my daily BM's to around 15....I moved onto the pills I purchased them from puritans pride online and I bought the bee propolis 500mg and took 2/day the first day I got it and it continued to help in the same way as the liquid....

Things continued to improve as I added more things, like prodiem stool bulker (a fibre therapy my GI told me to take, he was impressed with the bee propolis as well and encouraged me to continue with it for the rest of my life, saying it was also an excellent dietary supplement), then I added omegas 3-6-9, BM's continued to lessen a bit each day, and when adding the prodiem no more mucus (although the bee propolis cut alot of the mucus down too) and then I added the probiotics, the one I use is called primadophilus reuteri made by natures way...well with the above mentioned regiment I went from 30+ BM's a day along with alot of mucus, lower back pain and alot of bleeding down to 5 or less BM's/day, no blood, no mucus, no pain, formed stools (sometimes the TP is clean when I wipe).

Through all this I also altered my diet, no junk-foods/beverages, no processed, no refined sugar, caffeine, animal fats as these can all exacerbate IBD symptoms.

No, I'm not in full remission but I'm a heck of alot better off than I was...I also exercise regularly with cardio and weights.

:)

thanks pb4. Surely it's worth trying. I am convinced that exercising is good to fight depression, but the problem is how to overcome depression by making a step forward to motivate yourself. I completely understand keepingthefaith saying to have too much depression even to write about it ... with years, I have been too much depressed even to speak ... I have found myself speechless. I think that CD is more about your feelings than it is your food. Sadness, stress, restlessness are more powerful triggers than any of food

You're welcome vidoska, just keep in mind to avoid bee products if you're allergic to bees...I've been taking it everyday for 5 yrs now with no problems or side-effects, it's 100% non-toxic unless you have bee allergies...one day after about 2 months of taking it I thought I would see what, if anything, would happen if I stopped, well after one day of not taking it at all, the first thing that came back was bleeding so I made sure to start taking it again and the bleeding subsided, I wasn't going to wait to see if the frequency and pain would return too.

:)

Wow, I am impressed................you are all doing great sharing.  Somtimes being able to just get it out and talk about it helps with the depression.

A lot of people need to be able to express their feelings and their fears.  I am glad to see this  happening.  We have lots of  threads about the treatments and the surgeries but your feelings are a large part of who you are so share here if you want to.  No one will ever be forced to talk or criticized here for any feelings they bring up.

Everyone is entitled to their own feelings but depression hurts, I know, I have depression and I hid it for 24 years from friends.  I just kept it inside of me.  I feel safe coming to HW and talking about it. 

Link to short info on depression and IBS or IBD:

http://ibdcrohns.about.com/od/mentalhealth/a/blues.htm

I offer you support and my email is open if you need anything. Bless each of you and lots of hugs too.

Kitt

_{You're welcome timmysang,  I'm so glad to here that you are going to the pdoc.  I am taking Lexapro. It started working within a few days for me instead of a month or two like some of the others. What a relief it was to start feeling good again so quickly.    I didn't get the bad side effects with it like I did with Cymbalta.  My son has very bad anxiety and Cymbalta works great for him.  Like I said you may have to try a couple of things till it's right.  I was feeling better till I started the steroid enemas. I think depression is a side effect of those so it may be counter acting the Lexapro. Until that the Lexapro was working good and things were looking up.  I'm going to email my psych today and ask him what I should do. I think I may need to up my dose since I'm on the lowest dosage now. I'm sorry you feel so trapped at your job. That's a terrible feeling. I know how it is when no matter what you do it isn't enough and you never get credit for a job well done. How long before you can retire?  My heart goes out to you especially since It's all still very fresh in my memory. I never want to do that again. Well I have to go get dog food before it starts snowing again.}

I had my first rectal fistula 30 years ago. Fifteen years ago I perforated my colon and had an out-of-body experience. I actually watched the surgery! Ten years ago I had my entire colon removed and a J-pouch installed. Five years ago I had emergency surgery to remove a trapped capsule endoscopy. Recovery was another out-of-body expeience.
This past year I have Postier Scleritis of the right eye, a rare auntimmune disease associated with others like Crohns. I have been on heavy Prednisone for a year to treat it. My mood swings are driving my wife away. I'm now blind in my right eye and the disease has found its way to my left. In three days I will take my 5th Remicade infusion in attempt to quiet the eye inflamation. If it doesn't work, by this time next year, I will be totally blind.
Where can I find a pill that will make me happy?
Dave D