Hi Newbie here:)

I've been battling Chrohn's Disease since 1992 .  I was 24 when officially diagnosed. I still take most of the same medicines including Pentasa, Questran and Pottasium along with vitamins.  I had surgery initially removing parts of my colon, cecum and small intestine.  I've been hopitilized many times am unable to work.  I've had a bad frare up recently, Had to have an abcess drained and other infections have ensued.  I get depressed because I'm alone alot and it's difficult to function most of the time as most understand I'm sure.  Hello to everyone who deals with the same condition.  I hope you'll keep me in your prayers and accept me into your family on here. I'm hoping for a friendly welcome, I'd sure appreciate it  Take care :)

Post Edited (vince2) : 1/19/2011 12:13:13 AM (GMT-7)

What's up Vince : )

Hope you enjoy your time on Healing Well and get the information, advice and help you need. Welcome.

Thank you for the welcome walrus and navy.   I understand that everyone including myself tires easy.  I'm usually asleep but my stomach is really acting up.  Since I posted my introduction,  There have been other postings treating mine as if it were not there.  I just took questran and klonopin to help me sleep.  May I ask is this geared to teenagers or females in general? Otherwise I'm confused.    I'm sure there are lots of informative info about IBS but touching base with others is also the benefit of joining the board or so I thought.   I will try to participate in other threads later but understanably I'm alittle hesitant now.   Take care :)

I am sorry if you felt that you were not being attended to.  No, this forum is not just geared towards females or teenagers. Not everyone responses to everyone else's posts when I got on there were 3 members on and I happen to know that they have different diseases.  Yes, there have been posts (three to be exact, and knowing those people I do not think they meant to as you say ignore you, but I know they are either in Europe and at work<which limits what they can do> or in Japan/down under where they are just getting off work).

I do not think that people did not respond out of any mean intent, but just out of busy lives and limited energy, and the fact that most members are sleeping right now.

So please consider giving people a break about the response time, it was not meant as a hurtful thing. 

Welcome
This is a great place that offers insight and compassion. This group is young and old, male and female.... And more importantly welcoming to all who have a sharing spirit. What thiss means is that any question will get you responses that incorporate a lot of experience, not just one perspective.
I hope you find this site as important as I do
Dave

Morning Vince!! Just got the kids out the door to the bus, so I could not come on at any other time(was sleeping before) ;)
Welcome to the forums there are alot of people here and if you give it time you will get responce to your posts...It can sometimes take the 24 hours for someone to come along that knows how to answer a question you may have. I am in Canada..so this is morning time for me...not sure where you are located....

You will find everybody here very caring and supportive!!

I appreciate the welcomes and the possible reasons people didn't reply but a simple hello Vince would have sufficed but there were several that posted away after I started this thread.  A female newbie posting hours after me received a first reply in about 20 minutes.  Is it because members only care for questions and not a hello/ life history of one's disease?  My hours aren't steady even though I'm on the east coast bcause of difficultiies .   I don't know if some members also go to another board but It seems there is a big outreaching for the opposite gender.  On here all that should matter is that we are human beings who share a common connection.  I hope I am proven wrong and am accepted no more or less than another on here:)

HI I am sure you will find that this cyber family is very caring about everyone on here and even their children... I, myself joined because of a condition my son is battling. Not sure exactly what it is yet, but I have received some awesome incites from everyone on here... I didn't get responses right away and this is a forum that is used worldly and not just in the US. so as you can imagine and understand the times are different. Give people time and a chance and like I said before you will find love, compassion and support on here.

Hope you are well and that you feel better soon!

Hi Vince...welcome aboard. Sorry for the circumstances that brought you here, but glad you are here just the same.

I'm in Colorado and it's cold, cold, cold right now...with a little snow. I see there's another storm headed for the east coast. Tuck in and stay warm.

Welcome!

Hi Vince. I hope you'll hang around and participate in the forum - I have received a lot of support from the folks here to carry on with life despite this illness that afflicts my husband. After my husband was diagnosed with Crohn's and C-diff, I really spiraled into depression, and a major anxiety disorder. I've been taking some anti-depression meds to help with that, and also going to therapy, both of which have helped me.

It sounds to me like you are having a really tough time with not just the depression, but also with the Crohn's. Have you tried any of the immune modulating crohn's meds, such as 6-mp or Imuran? What about the biologics like remicade? Remicade is supposed to be really good for preventing fistulas and abscesses. I think one of the primary goals of the management of crohn's disease is to have a decent quality of life. If your meds are not getting you there, perhaps it is time to get on some stronger meds to give you a better quality of life.

Also, depression if not treated can make a bad situation feel so much worse. I've been there, and I highly recommend taking some medications to control it.

I hope you'll start feeling better soon.

PV

Vince, I have been a regular poster on this board since my husband was diagnosed with Crohn's disease in 2008. Prior to that I posted on the UC board (since 2004). I must say that this forum has been nothing but a wonderful source of support for me, and a place I've come to rely on when times are rough. I do understand that there are forum rules, and it is the job of the moderators to uphold those rules. The rules are not set by the moderators, but by the founder of these forums, and are not negotiable. I have never found it a problem to adhere by the forum rules or be here in the spirit of support and friendship.

I have to respectfully disagree with you about the nature of the moderators. I think they are people who give up a piece of their difficult lives (they too suffer from these illnesses and more) to make this forum a better place for the rest of us. I admire them, and lean on them for support a lot!

Everyone on these boards is going through a difficult time, and we all need to be supportive of each other. This isn't a service you are paying for - these are people who are here because of their good will and their want to help others. So, you may not receive a reply right away - we've all got families and illnesses, and doctors visits, and life stressors, jobs and bills to pay. This is one of the most active crohn's boards I have seen, and the information I've learned here has been invaluable in helping my husband.

All of that said, I think if you hang around, you will see that you too can get the support and comfort you need from this forum. But please, no bashing of the moderators or anyone else for that matter - they have been a Godsend to a lot of people, including me. We are here to support each other, not make this a battle ground.

PV

After reading your replies I have thought some. And please do not take offense to this, I am only trying to help. But have you thought about finding a support group you can attend once a week or so? I am sure if you call your local hospital or something they may be able to help you find a support group for people with Crohn's or at least people suffering with Chronic illnesses. This may be something you may be interested in because they you have some sort of consistency, and you know once every week you will be meeting with people you can rely on and you know that this time every week you will get the support you are searching for compared to relying on a message board where you never know when people will be on or off, so it's always a gamble.

Just a thought.. I hope what I said makes sense.

Welcome and best of luck.