Emotional state and flares

My husband asked for a divorce two weeks before Christmas and it was a shock to me as I didn't see it coming. Ever since then I have been in a horrible flare. I haven't had much if any appetite to speak of, and anything I do eat goes right through me. I'm having some stomach pain and occasional mild pain in my right lower quadrant where I have the stricture and where my disease is usually active. This is very upsetting because I haven't had a flare this bad in years and have been trying to avoid surgery but am afraid that this flare is going to bring that surgery closer. I have lost around 13 pounds in the last three weeks. I don't want to call my doctor because he will probably put me on prednisone to quiet everything down but in my emotional state I don't think I can handle the effects prednisone has on my moods and sleep. That and I know he'll want to do another colonoscopy to move forward toward that surgery that I also don't think I can handle right now or afford. I am due for and am taking my next Cimzia shot today so I'm hoping that it helps to calm things down.
Do you think its O.K. to try to ride it out for a little while longer or am I am stupid to wait? Thanks for listening.

{{{hugs}}} Almost 3 years ago, my ex slammed me with a divorce out of the blue. I went into a flare as well. It was an extra shame since I'd finally gotten my CD under control after being diagnosed 3 years prior. So I got about 2 months of remission.

I managed to limp along by getting help for the anxiety, depression and insomnia that ensued from the emotional shock. That lasted me a few months until my GI pushed harder for the pred. My GI was very sympathetic and understood we had to balance my mood/emotions with the Crohn's. Talk to your doctor, and hopefully he can do something that buys you a little time.

Take care. Be gentle with yourself.

I am so sorry you are splitting with your husband, and I can only imagine how stressful that is for you. How quickly does the Cizmia usually work for you. I absolutely hate Prednisone too, but a horrible flare and the risk of an obstruction from your stricture or surgery is worse. It sounds like you are doing everything you can to try to take care of yourself. Ask for support from your friends and family...and we are all here for you too!

No I'm not on any meds for depression or anxiety. I'm trying to avoid them. If I don't get through the natural greiving process I'll think about meds for depression/anxiety. I won't let it go to far but you all know what I mean when I say "Arg, not another pill". I feel like I take a drug store every day as it is. I have called my doc, unfortunately I had to leave a message on his nurse's answering machine and so should hear back from them toward the end of the day. My doc is really good about calling himself if he is worried. I'll miss him when he retires next fall. He's been my GI doc for over 10 years. Thanks again for all of your replies.

(((HUGS))) My heart goes out to you. My husband and I went through a very rough patch a little over a year ago. He also wanted to end the marriage, and it was out of the blue too. We managed to work things out, and things are good now. But I remember how awful it was on my body, and emotionally. I had NO appetite to speak of, I'd literally force myself to eat. And yes it does throw you in to a flare like nothing else can it seems.

I know it's another pill to take. But it really can help. When your more calm and relaxed it helps with your Crohn's too. I'm also pretty sure that it can help with those mood swings with the pred also. If so that might be a good idea. You don't want to get yourself closer to surgery any faster with all this going on. Take care of yourself!

My heart goes out to you. This disease is very tough on relationships, it's one reason why I am single...
I used to take Prozac for Seasonal Affective Disorder, and found that it had a very useful calming effect on my gut. (This makes sense as serotonin is actually manufactured in the gut, and is a major player in peristalsis in the smooth muscle cells; so anything improving a shortage of that, as Prozac does, might help with diarrhoea.) In the end I stayed on Prozac for a couple of years non-stop, and credit it with having a major part in calming the flare I had. Better than the major steroids in my (limited) experience !
Looking back I would say that being on Prozac also created long-term changes in my personality (I believe this is an effect SSRIs are known to have in some patients); for the better I would say, as I became much less inhibited... you may or may not find that you get - or want to have - this side effect !

Steph said exactly what I was thinking! Even if your doctor does want you to take steroids, you don't HAVE to. You can always tell your doctor that you're not willing to do that right now. Maybe your doctor will have another option to try.

Also, I take prozac and it does help me not get as worked up and have as many side effects or flare when I'm in a stressful situation. I'm overall more relaxed than I'd naturally be, so I continue to take it. A lot of GIs have their patients on antidepressants or anti-anxiety meds because lowering your stress level does help you deal with this disease a bit better. Just know that sometimes you have to try a few before you find one that works for you. Some make you feel numb, while others cause side effects that you can't tolerate, so don't be afraid to go back to your doctor and tell them if it's not working for you.

So so sorry to hear that your husband dropped this bomb, crohnsmom10. Nasty timing, too.

I understand your reluctance to take pred - what about entocort? It is effective in the terminal ileum and if your pain is lower right quadrant that sounds about right. Usually comes with much less systemic side effect.

I think healthy people would react the same way to this news (not the flare or bowel inflammation, but the loss of appetite and weight seems pretty normal for everyone that gets hit with awful news like this). I totally agree with you, though, that a Crohn's flare seems inevitable. Its so darn complicated and there's really nothing you can do to speed up your grief process.

{{{{HUGS}}}} to you.

Hi everyone! I have just recently been diagnosed with CD, although I've have had symptoms since 2003. Due to insurance issues, I've lost my GI and my primary doesn't seem to understand or care about how sick I am. I was on Lialda first and it gave me wicked migraines. I am currently on a low dose of pred and librax. I am also going through a nasty custody battle and have never been more stressed in my life. Since my stress has gotten so out of control, I have been having a lot more health issues and don't know if they're linked to CD or not. I have what appear to be ulcers in my mouth and on my labia, most of my joints hurt, I am having circulation problems(my feet turn purple) I am running a fever on and off and that's all on top of the diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. My doc did give me a script for pain meds but now says he wants me off of them. I am all for not taking the pain meds, but at the same time I am so scared of the pain. It's the worst pain I've ever had and I have experienced a lot of pain.
Sorry for going on and on... this is just all so new to me and I don't get much support or answers from my doc. Thanks for listening :•)

You guys are awesome! Thanks again for the support. My doc is going to hold off on the pred for a while. I feel like my Cimzia is starting to kick in, not so many liquid stools and minimal RLQ pain. I am going to move up to Rx strength reflux meds to help with the increased epigastic pain. Doing O.K. but I'm sure there is more to come. I really do appreciate all of your comments and support. Thanks again...

Well considering my (probable) autism, I'd say I might end up married, with children.
Wouldn't that be a terrible thing??! ROFLOL

Matt

Oh I SO know what you are going through. I had our 3rd child in Dec. 2001, had a major lasting flare right afterwards, had gallbladder issues in 2002, found out my ex was having an affair and that he'd gotten on drugs, was working through that while still in a flare, had kidney stones in 2002 & 2003, had my gallbladder out in April 2003, hospitalized for an obstruction for 2 weeks in June 2003, then had a resection where they removed 3 ft of intestine in Sept. 2003. Served divorce papers in Nov. 2003 but we ended up going to counseling (he went all of 3 times). The drug use made him become abusive so I kicked him out in May 2004 - all the while, never quite recovering from surgery and having 2 docs tell me I'd never work again. So there I was, responsible for a house payment, 3 children ages 3, 8, and 10, and had no job. The next month I found out not only had he had another affair but had a 6 month old baby with someone else!

Things were horrible but by what I call the Grace of God, I was able to make it through. Somehow, my file ended up in a different doctor's hand and I was given a shot at being in the drug study for Humira - not only getting the drug free but being paid (a little) to do it. I felt better immediately! I had a call from the school principal, asking me if I would teach dance after school as an extra activity for the kids willing to pay (I had been a dance teacher before getting sick) and things just went on from there. I started out slow with what I could do and the number of hours I could handle - all the while, being able to bring my kids with me!

I look back now and it's been 7 years since my divorced was finalized. I can't say it was all easy because it wasn't. But I'm here to tell you that you CAN do it and make it through this tough time. I am a much stronger person for it and I LOVE who I have become. I have more faith in myself and I am able to talk to others about divorce, being a single, sole caretaker, and can talk to anyone about Crohn's without thinking it's 'gross.' It's all a part of life - everyone poops but we just have more issues with it (and more often).

Here I am now, remarried in March and together raising 7 kids. God sure has a sense of humor too because I married a plumber! :p (They know about poop as much as we do!) Sure, I had my downs but I also had my ups! But one thing I learned is not to shut myself off like I did when I was super sick and when my ex was doing everything he could to make me feel bad about myself. After kicking him out, I surrounded myself with people I knew who loved me and who could help life my spirits.

It will all be OK! I am proof that you can come through the worst, look back and give yourself a pat on the back.