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Posted 4/20/2009 6:01 AM (GMT 0)
I hear alot of people saying " you look so great! You've lost soo much weight"!  Are you kidding me?  They ask "How did you do it?".  Ugggg.  Any responses here other than "I've been ill but thanks for asking?"
Posted 4/20/2009 12:25 PM (GMT 0)
That's exactly how I respond. I lost 46 lbs last year before my diagnosis. The weight loss is nice since I was overweight to begin with, but losing by being sick is certainly no fun.
Posted 4/20/2009 5:20 PM (GMT 0)

Hi tiamarie,

I remember years ago someone saying to me "god you've lost loads of weight how have you done that" I told them i had crohn's to which they replied " oh i need to have that to get this weight off" i was fuming and told her if you knew what it involved you would rather stay fat and happy she soon backed down people like that really wind me up

Posted 4/21/2009 12:47 AM (GMT 0)
wooow. I have not heard this one. You should tell them to take laxatives everyday for a moth and see how they feel.
Posted 4/21/2009 1:13 AM (GMT 0)
Oh my gosh!  This has happened to me more times than I can count.  Partly because I had Crohn's all through adolescence, and we all know how self-esteem and body image are front-and-center!  One person even asked me if I was anorexic!! Are you serious??  It used to be nice, a few years ago when I was thin, but not too-thin.  Now, I am underweight, and I really do look sickly.  It sucks, but some people don't have much tact when it comes to this.  It's like me saying, "Wow, you're so fat! I wish I were as chunky as you!"  Same thing to me.

 

Posted 4/23/2009 4:39 AM (GMT 0)
haha...i was down 30 lbs...i got the same reactions...although i was so self-conscious from the puffy prednisone face i also had.
i was telling people i was running a lot since i did not want to admit i was sick in a work environment...show no weakness right?!?!?
Posted 4/23/2009 4:42 AM (GMT 0)
Oh, I got tons of those. I was down to 85 lbs about 2 months ago, except I wasn't getting compliments, everyone kept reminding me of how sickly I looked! Really made me self-conscious and not even want to go in to work and deal with the comments.. People don't seem to realize that you're AWARE of the fact you're thin, and don't need reminding every 2 minutes about it. On the bright side, I gained 15 lbs back in a month! LOL. So I'm back to 100 lbs now, looking much healthier. Getting tons of compliments and really feeling a lot better about myself. I just hope I don't gain 15 lbs every month for a year or something, heh. :(
Posted 4/23/2009 7:01 AM (GMT 0)
You're a mess Valerie! I am sure that you look great. Brittany, you called it just right. Not that I was ever "over" weight, but the little, anorexic women at work think that I hove some "miracle" cure. How funny is that? I am so self concious now that I am always embarrased. I have two over night shifts so I come home one the other days, try to eat and go to bed. Hoping that the scales will turn. No luck yet...
Posted 4/23/2009 10:32 AM (GMT 0)
At one of my yearly kidney doc visits when I was feeling really poorly during a flare and trying to explain to him how I felt he said "Crohn's isn't so bad, at leas you can keep your weight off. Just stay on predisone and you will be fine." I wanted to strangle the skinny louse.

Elizabeth
Posted 4/23/2009 11:29 AM (GMT 0)
:-O And from a doctor too!!!
Posted 4/23/2009 12:46 PM (GMT 0)
Why is ok for people to remark on how much weight a person has lost, but who would dare say how fat someone has gotten??!! I've heard that too - when the same people who know that I was in the hospital because of a bad flare say to me - oh, but you look so thin, you really look good... duh... like they can't put 2 and 2 together about Why I'm so thin...? haha
And to add to the dumb comments - someone said to me the other day when I was explaining my meds and such - "Oh really? I know someone with Crohn's and I heard that it's not that bad. I've never heard of anyone having any problems with it like that." Well, IDK what to tell you...
Posted 4/24/2009 1:58 PM (GMT 0)
Amazing.  To all of the "skinny, preppy, girls" I look fabulous and to the others, I look sickly.  What a world that we live in!!!  Thank you for your responses....

Posted 4/24/2009 3:15 PM (GMT 0)
I have alot of experience here too. Too thin, all the comments. I've realized that the most important thing is being comfortable in my own skin. I've eaten like crazy to gain weight, and it only makes me feel worse. If I weight 90lbs and feel awesome, it's about being strong in that and saying, who cares what anyone else thinks, i feel better now. or, just accepting yourself where you are, whether you feel good or not. we have to live with ourselves, let us love ourselves just the way we are. We are not alone.

Posted 4/24/2009 3:29 PM (GMT 0)
I want to hang out with you guys!
Posted 4/24/2009 6:27 PM (GMT 0)

tiamarie:  I'm curious if the people who are saying this silly stuff to you KNOW you have Crohn's.  If they do, they are IDIOTS.  If they don't, you shouldn't fault them...they're just paying you a compliment! blush   However, having said that, I DO know how you feel... I've had people say the same thing who did NOT know I have Crohn's but because I know I have it and know what I went through to lose the weight, I get defensive...I can't help it! rolleyes

Funny, too...I was just talking about this issue with one of my friends in the office today.  I was diagnosed 5 years ago and decided to only tell a handful of people about it - my boss and a few girlfriends in my office.  I asked them all to keep my Crohn's Disease to themselves because I work in a building with 100 people, most of which are gossipy women who don't NEED to know my health problems.  Plus, I don't want to be known as the "sickly office girl" even though I'm not oblivious to the fact that I do look terribly ill when I'm in a flare. 

I went from 170lbs last January to 130lbs by March. 40lbs off just like that. I flared for 8-months.  Low iron, too, so although I TRIED not to look sick at work, no amount of makeup was working.  I couldn't walk up straight from the lethargy, I was skinny and white as a ghost. 

In the past 4 months, I've dropped another 10lbs down to 120lbs (thank you, VOMICATION) and recently had my gall bladder removed.  I'm ACUTELY AWARE that the people in my building (even the ones who don't know me) KNOW something is wrong with me.  MANY people have asked my close friends in the office if I'm sick or if I'm okay...and my friends usually just respond with a "yes, she's fine" or a "well, she hasn't been feeling too good" or whatever but they never mention my Crohn's.

But today I'm starting to wonder if I should give up on keeping the secret.  Over the past year, I've had people come up and say, "Wow!  You look great!  You've lost so much weight!" and I just say "thanks".  But I had ONE woman (every office has at least one like her) who came straight up to me and said, "Ewww...you've lost a ton of weight!  You look awful." She said it while crinkling her nose up like something stunk. So I said, "Yes, I have lost weight. Thank you for noticing.  I understand how jealous you must be about that...you know, with you not being able to lose all that weight on you, particularly at your age and all...now go away and bother someone else."  Yeah, yeah...that was tacky of me (to say the least) and not one of my better verbal moments but that woman truly is the devil's spawn... devil  

Maybe I SHOULD just TELL people in my office I have Crohn's.  Get it out there.  No more questions or wondering or curiosity floating around.  I don't care who outside of my office environment knows about my Crohn's, it's just been my office that I've wanted to keep it a secret in.  If I tell within the office though, it would at least stop all the inquisitions on my friends and me.  I feel bad I put that burden on my friends to keep a health secret.  I know people are curious as to why I've lost so much weight and continue to lose weight.  And on top of that, I model part-time just for fun so I'm SURE people who DON'T know me (I'm an advocate for teen and adult health and personal development) think I'm bulemic or anorexic.  I'd rather THOSE people know I have Crohn's!

So I'm considering allowing my friends to spread the word about my Crohn's the next time someone asks about me...because my Crohn's still isn't under control and I know I'll be out sick - again - at some point in time.  But it does just get frustrating when people make uneducated, ill-thought-out comments and I guess THAT is why I don't want people to know.  Because if they DO know and STILL make STUPID comments, I'm not going to be able to handle that well!  BUT if people know at least there wouldn't be any more, "WOW! You've lost so much weight! You look GREAT!" when I'm standing there feeling like crap.

I can't help but wonder how many times I've told someone they looked great b/c they'd lost weight when really they'd been sick... confused

And weight gain...geez!  I've had that, too...that's how I got to 170lbs from 140lbs.  No one bothered to ask what was wrong with me then!  BUT I guess they didn't because I felt good!  I was in remission!  I smiled and had a healthy color and did fun stuff around the office so at the WORST people thought I was just over-eating!! tongue

Posted 4/25/2009 12:44 AM (GMT 0)
I've been dealing with this a lot lately. In the last week or so I dropped between 15 and 20 pounds. I was already underweight and not in a flare. I HATE when people say I look good when I know I am not at at healthy weight. I want to be like really, you want to look so thin that the only way to achieve it is to be ill? It just reminds me how other people have their priorities messed up and at least CD gives me perspective.
Posted 4/25/2009 3:37 AM (GMT 0)
Kitti- good for you for standing up to your rude and inconsiderate coworker. She's probably just trying to drum stuff up to talk about... I can't stand people like that!!
Posted 6/22/2009 12:49 AM (GMT 0)
Hello everyone I have Crohn's also I was dignosed about 6 months I have had several problems with my stomach I had 6in cut out when i was a baby and scar tissue blocked my bowles when i was 19 and more of my intesince was cut out along with the scar tissue. I have been tired and out of breath and I have blood in teh stool not where you can see it. But yeah I have anemia really bad and am taking medice for that. I started seeing that I was eating as much after i went back to the doctor. It is suposed to keep me from bleeding. I usually get sick when i eat pasta. The medicine helps that some. If i drink milk i get really tired and fall asleep at the drop of a hat. So i avoid drinking milk. Well in a couple months i noticed i have been losing weight. I can eat once a day and been fine. Its crazy. I used to weigh about 160 I am down to about 138 its crazy i used to fit in 30-32 and no i swin in 30-30's so yeah i need some help anyone having the same problem. Yeah having problem gaining weight just not hungry and dont really feel like eating at times. Also have acid problem when i eat in the mornings or late at night.. p.s im a 3rd shifter...

~pooh
Posted 6/22/2009 2:25 AM (GMT 0)
I definitely know the feeling. Being a male, I feel the pressure to not be so skinny. I fall into the complex of wanting to LOOK good instead of being healthy. It's tough, when you're down on yourself its easy to get carried away with these things. I pray and pray for a healthy day.

This round has me 25lbs lighter (maybe thirty) and pale as pale as pale can be. I think I'm going to start that maker's diet thing. He gained a lot of weight, if i'm not mistaken.
Posted 6/22/2009 3:13 AM (GMT 0)

It seems like us crohnies are often upset by what others say in relation to our weight. I would say just see it as jealousy – most people (even slim people) are looking to lose a few pounds, so really, they are just jealous (even though they don’t realise that our weight loss is a result of our suffering). If you try and look at it as flattery, it makes it a lot easier.

 

Personally, I wouldn’t spend my energy getting antsy at people who have no idea what you’re going through. See them as children – how are they to know any better? So what if people think you’re skinny – let them think what they want I say!

Posted 6/23/2009 5:32 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks everyone. Kitt- It is hard. I am in the "Gaming Industry" and we all know that "skinny" is better. That is what the "guest's want". I won't lie. It does make a difference but yet, my true guest's are concerned. Some are doctors asking me what is wrong and to get another opinion. These are my guest's that make it worth while. It's a "love, hate" relationship!
Posted 6/23/2009 2:51 PM (GMT 0)
weight loss bites!!!!! i lost 30 pounds in 2 months. i was only 130 to start.

if your feeling to skinny for your own good look into a rice protein with rice milk(its a complete protein and hypo-allergenic). toss some honey and nut butters into it to up the calleries. im starting on one this weekend. also you can add chocolate or bananas and other fruits you tolerate. yogurt, liquid vitamins, acidophilus, cal/mag..... its endless
Posted 6/23/2009 3:00 PM (GMT 0)
I have the opposite problem. No matter how ill I am with my crohns I never loose weight. People sometimes say to me that they cannot understand how I can be so big when I have crohns especially when I am always on the loo.  I have even been told I cant have crohns because I am not skinny
Posted 6/23/2009 11:07 PM (GMT 0)
I'm so skinny now and am 6' and 164#. I cannot afford to lose anymore weight. If I get sick I'll dip into the 140# I wish I could gain weight, I eat and eat and eat and still nothing. Even with the help of Prednisone. I think that I have a rapid metabloism.
Posted 6/27/2009 2:10 AM (GMT 0)
I lost 50 lbs over the last year. It's weird because before this i couldn't diet to save my life. So the weight loss was kind of nice except that it came with debilitating illness!! It seems like even the people whom i tell i have CD don't get it. They have no idea what Crohn's is. Even a couple of people have said "oh i know someone with that and they are fine". I don't know if they are trying to make me feel better or just being ignorant, but it's really infuriating. I haven't told one person who really understands...thank goodness for all of you!
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