Chrone's Disease - Coming Out Of The Shell...

Hello,
I have chrones disease have had it since i was 14 am 18 now. have had 2 flare ups!
i refuse to take my medication because ever since i left skool i wanted to join the royal navy but they woodnt let me because of the condition i have.
BUT...
i have been talking to my specialist and he says if i come off my medication and wait for a year to let it clear he is goinng to write me a letter officialy to the medical officer of the royal navy!
so hopefully in november i willl be able to join the navy and get on with my life...
just to let everyone know you can do wat you want if you put your mind to it.
this is the first time i have ever spoken out about my chrones disease because i refused to let my self and my friends know that i hace it! but i have grown up and realise that this is going to be a problem for me but i have to deal with it!.

Many thanks if you read this.
Kelsey Sewell.

 

I couldn't vote in your poll because it's basically a combination of things..one being, a person has to be predisposed to getting IBD (genetics) and 2 being there is then a trigger involved which is suspected to be environmental...they do know that stress, fast-foods, processed foods/beverages can all very well exacerbate symptoms, but that again may be different from being actual triggers, diet has not been ruled out as a trigger for IBD, smoking (including second-hand smoke) is actually one KNOWN trigger for crohn's (yet the carbon monoxide from smoking is known to benefit UC as it decreases/keeps at bay, the inflammation in the colon specifically), that said, there is still no guarantee that smoking for a UCer will put them into remission and that not likely every single CD will have their CD triggered by smoking or second-hand smoke.

More needs to be learned, however it is known that probiotics (a good one) taken daily and indefinitely can certainly benefit IBDers since we all tend to have bacterial over-growth which exacerbates our symptoms as well.

I'm either allergic or non-responsive to traditional oral RX used for IBD but thankfully I've found a good combination of natural things that have certainly helped me (not full remission, but I'll take what I can get given I have some special circumstances involved with my crohn's)...I use bee propolis (natural anti-inflammatory), omegas 3-6-9, fibre supplements (as strongly suggested by my GI) and a probiotic called primadophilus reuteri made by natures way which has guaranteed intestinal release...I also take my B12, vitamins, C-Calcium ascorbate and vitamin A.

I've altered my diet (no junk/processed food/beverages) and I exercise with weights and cardio regularly.

:)

Kelsey,

Keep your head up! I came down with Crohn's when I was an Intelligence Officer in the US Navy. It'll be tough but you can manage. I do have a few things for you to think about though. Try to stay off of a ship. I'm not sure how long the Royal Navy deployments are, but for the US Navy our deployments on a ship are between 6-10 months. You should try to avoid this as much as possible because if you flare you will become more of a liability than an asset.

Try to find a job in the Navy where you can be shore based, OR if you go overseas, make sure you are next to a major medical facility. You can definitely serve in the Navy, just be realistic in job choices. Take care of yourself and stay optimistic! Drive, optimism, and the right attitude can get you far in life! Keep us updated on your progress and if you have any questions feel free to email me at: the address in my profile.

-Emma

Post Edited By Moderator (MMMNAVY) : 8/23/2008 6:00:38 AM (GMT-6)

Yes LondonRed it was great, I miss those days, but it ended ugly unfortunately.  Kelsey, I hope I didn't make you think that you couldn't do what you set your mind too, because I believe you can.  I just want you to always remember that you have a chronic illness.  I just want to make sure you do all you can to keep yourself healthy.  PB4 gave some great tips to do it naturally.  I think if you are cautious with your diet, get proper rest, and keep your stress levels down you should do well.  But I still personally believe you should take some kind of maintenance med to keep the inflammation down.  I just don't want you to totally ignore your disease and have a bad end to your remission like I did.  

I have been able to accomplish much in my life even with Crohns.  I have been at the same job for almost 19 years, been married, have 3 grown daughters and 5 grandkids.  So you too can have a life with Crohns, but just be sure to take care of yourself too.  ((HUGS))

Hi I am glad you are speaking out but I was a little concerned for you when you said that you refuse to believe that you have crohn's. I am not on meds right now but I know they are there if I get sick again. I had severe crohn's disease and as mentioned some people have mild to moderate as well. I was very sick before my resection and did take meds but they weren't helping. I think that was because the area removed was so bad. I hope things work out for you .Also keeping a check on your blood levels might help to let you know how things are going on inside. lol gail

I don't recommend anyone come off any drugs they are taking.  I recommend everyone become more knowledgable about the natural course of the disease.  The natural ebbs and flos.  Instead of talking about this med and how it effects you, from my point of view, it would be great to talk about how you deal with things without meds, but I am a small fish in a big pond.

I don't want anyone to think I am putting them down for being on meds, critizing them for being on meds.  I know that for the huge majority, now that they are on them, getting off them would be a huge step.  I know that for a huge majority the meds help with the side effects of this disease and have a more normal life and that is great!

I definatley don't think I am better than anyone for not being on meds.  I do know that from several people on this site - and I post very infrequently because of this - I get very defensive feedback.  Please don't take me that way - I only want what is best.  And most of you would agree that being able to cope with this disease without meds would be better and that the meds themselves come with some pretty nasty side effects.

I also get the assumption that because I am not on meds that my CD must be mild.  I can tell you that at diagnonsis it was 70% of my small intestine.  My last barium (5 months ago) now shows that it is only in the ileum.  That is with no meds from the GI or GP.  I suffer some similar things to most people here and would like to be welcomed onto this site regardless of whether I take the meds or not and be able to put across the point of view that meds are not strictly necessary, I am living proof of that.  I am more than willing to listen to you say they are and respect your point of view.

My signature will now not load because it references something I am not allowed to say here.  I will have to change it again.

yer haha! male or female? im male!

Thank you for your comment LBJ, i will keep that all in mind because i know what i am doing is risking my body very badly!
my specialist says that it is fair enough what i am doing and that i should have self control over MY Disease. He says i am old enough now to decide if i want to go on meds or not because like he said.... he cant force me!.
I really appreciate all the comments everyone please keep them coming thanks!!

If you can control your inflammation to the point where you feel no gut pain, no slight knot in the gut even, then you can be off meds. It is much better than taking meds if you can manage it. It will probably take a radical revision of your diet and a collection of supplements, but the meds have their side effects. That said, if the gut is not completely controlled, you run the risk of many complications. GERDS, rashes, eye irritation, esophagitis, arthritis, urethritis, sinus headache, all appear to be complications from Crohn's. Many in this forum have had these complications even with medication, if the gut is not quiet. Myself, I am trying the no meds route, but I don't know how many people would follow my diet and supplement regime.

I couldn't vote in your poll because I don't think any of these things cause crohns. I think crohns like most immune related or autoimmune illnesses are caused by a lack of evolution of our immune systems. Until western influences started creeping into less developed nations you didn't see very many auto immune illnesses in these places. Even in areas of western nations where children have grown up in farms and haven't received the immunizations that we do, these kids don't get allergies, asthma and autoimmune illnesses as much as the rest of us. They are exposed to germs and their immune systems are allowed to do their jobs. We don't even let kids get chicken pox anymore.


As far as being on medication or not I feel that this is a personal choice. I made the decision to start remicade and 6mp in February 2007. My crohns is considered to be mild and my pill cam last month showed no signs of active crohns. I don't get d the way most people do. Maybe once a week I'll have a bout of d that will last an hour or so and them I'm fine. I get pain and I vomit every so often now. I chose the meds when I went into a flare up set off by antibiotics. I threw up everything I ate or drank and had d every 20 minutes. Had I not gone on the drugs this would have passed eventually as I suffered these symptons a few times a year for almost 30 years before I was diagnosed. When your main sympton is pain and puke most doctors don't think crohns. I don't have the discipline to regulate my diet so the option of drugs that could make me feel better fast sounded good to me. My gi has suggested going off of the 6mp because of the recent studies but I choose to stay on it because no one can guarantee that it isn't the thing keeping my crohns in check. If you can keep your illness in check through diet and alternative treatments good for you.

i am a female 18 year old kelsey! but still, that's funny that someone my age with the same name with be on here with crohn's!

Why do I get so so irritated when people spell Crohn's incorrectly?

I don't know why it gets to me so much!