Surgery, prolonged steroid use

Well for me it was my last obstruction that landed me in the hospital. After I got out they did a colonoscopy, SBFT, and live x-ray, and found that I had severe narrowing that was due to scar tissue. No drug will ever fix that. My doc said the next best thing was surgery. I met with my surgeon and she agreed that it was of my best interest. Now mind you I really never had any pain and my bowel movements were once/day and formed. I did have a had time trying to get off the Pred. I started to oget pain again when I weaned down to 5mg. I went back to 20mg for 1-2 months and weaned off than.
My surgeon was completely amazed at how i was getting any food through the narrowing. She told my wife that I had to of been not telling anyone that I was in pain,which I wasn't. She said that i would have definetly been in the hospital soon with another obstruction and possible perforation. I would of then required emergency surgery. I have pictures and I am amazed that it was that bad when i really did not feel bad.
I guess my moral of the story is: I was better off having elective surgery, rather than emergency surgery, and it can always be worse then what you think.

Sorry for babbling!
Best of luck in your decision and I hope you feel good soon!!!

I don't know if I need hospital care right now but maybe soon, and I really feel so much that it is the stress. Last night I sucked it up and called a break, a real break, in our relationship because I couldn't stand that I couldn't make him happy, that he would stay out late because it was preferable to coming home and that he still thought about asking heather on a date. It makes me sick and it really does make for some dark thoughts concerning my worth as a woman and human being.
I'm sure the prednisone isn't helping, but you're right I should get help...I have never been so depressed.

I really want to but no one is even there to take my call right now...you know I counted and I have been crying since 1:30 last night. I can barely speak now..I just want him to come home...I don't know what to do. I can't even get any medicine to make this go away right now.
Thank you guys for your concern. I am grateful so please know that..
I just..don't really know. I don't want to do anything. I wish I could just go to sleep and not wake up you know?

No, it should not have made me feel that way, but it was the most painful thing I have ever felt even compared to Crohn's problems. I thought I might die.
He went out like I told him to, tried a new girl like I told him to, and he came back saying he felt nothing with them and he really wanted this life. That he understood he said that last time, but we didn't give each other a chance to really spend time apart. I know what I want...it was just up to him really and he chose and I am really happy...with a new found appreciation for him as a person and a greater understanding of human beings.
I still will try to go to the ER soon. This depression can't last or it will kill everything and the blood loss is not improving so..
Thank you guys for your advice...I really wouldn't know what to do or even think without you and it's just been nice knowing someone cares.

LMills,

I am pretty new around here but I totally feel your pain - both with the crohns and the depression. I have to seriously encourage you to go to see you general doctor or GI and tell them what you are feeling. And don't sugar coat it either. They need to know exactly what is going on. Depression and anxiety are common with long term illness. I suffer as well (well I "suffer" anymore as I am on a cocktail of crazy pills). When people ask me about it I try to explain it like this. A person can only handle so much stress. Image that you have a stress cup in your head. Everytime you have stress you put a little bit more liquid in that cup. Eventually that cup will overflow. Long term illness means that your cup is always somewhat full so even the smallest thing can put you over the edge. Most people seem to get that analogy.

As for the surgery question...I elected to have my first surgery when I was in college. I had been very sick for about 8 years and on pred. most of that time. I got sick of being sick. It ended up that when they got in there for what they thought would be a standard operation, I had a massive absest (imagine a softball) in my gut. Apparently, I had been perforated for sometime and didn't even know it. It was amazing how much better I felt. I went from barely finishing 15 credit hours to flying through 23 credit hours, working 2 jobs, and still having fun.

My second surgery was emergency surgery as I perfed mid-colonoscopy. That one was not so fun. But very necessary.

Please please please seek some guidance from a professional. Once I was over my initial anxiety, I got the book "The feeling good book" by Dr. David Burns. I have read it probably 6 times now. It spoke to me and gave me a different perspective on things.

Good Luck. You will be in my thoughts.

-K

Crohns and college are a tough combo. I was there and it wasn't easy. My sorority sisters even left one toilet stall open for me at all times.

Keep your chin up. There is light at the end of the tunnel.