Newbie here- HELP

Hi I have just returned home after a 6 day stay in hospital...they have dx me with cronh's disease I am devastated. its such a long story but just quickly I have a 3yo ds and wanted another so had 5 IVF attempts within 1year period I miscarriage and then last month had an ectopic pregnnacy surgery and had to have a tube removed, anyhow from then on I had heartburn and indigestion we went on holiday to thailand I ended up in hospital 3 times...when I arrived home I went to see GP who said it was heartburn due to stress and she checked for H Pylori  which it turned out to be so after q week of antibiotics I started feeling worse indigestion etc...so went to see GI (gastro dr) he did a Endoscopy on the monday and by the wednesday I had pains in my lower right side I went to ER on the Thursday and they gave me buscapan and said see GI DR but on the Friday pains getting worse so went back then they decided that it was my tubes that was the problem...and I was admitted to hospital anyhow gyne dr said nothing to do with tubes must be Gastro problem well I have had numerous tests and CT scan showed inflamation of lower intestine....then they narrowed it down to TB or CD today the dr told me I have Chron's disease I am devastated I have spent the past several hours here reading and am petrified of whats ahead of me...I had an colonoscopy and they had to give me 2 enemas on monday and yesterday I had to have another and now tonight I feel so banged up its unreal....but my Gastro dr told me I could come home and never even gave me any information about the disease all he said was a low fat diet and no milk products......I have so many questions I don't know where to start they have me on pentasa 500mg ciprobay 500mg Pantaprazole 40mg...I don't know what to do should I take otc meds for the constipation when I said to him will I have to keep coming back for enemas for BM he said no eat bran.....this Dr was so unhelpful it was unreal...he said the blood test showed CD and that he was waiting for the biopsy just to confirm it....please PLEASE can anybody show me some light at the end of the tunnel....how long do 'episodes' last for? should I get a 2nd opinion? I have lost +2kg in the past 2 weeks I can't afford to lose anymore please can anybidy help what is bland food to eat now and also what is lactose free...I would really appreciate some information and support. looking forward to getting to know you all.

Mrs M

Hi Mrs M,
I'm so sorry to hear you had such an unhelpful doctor. Finding out you have Crohn's is tough enough on its own!

Are you going to be continuing to visit this gastro? Crohn's requires pretty regular monitoring, so you do need a regular GI to visit. If you're continuing with this dr, you can always book an appointment to talk to him some more about what he recommends for you re: your treatment plan.

Unfortunately, Crohn's 'episodes'- we generally call them 'flares'- can last quite some time if they don't respond to treatment. This is why your doctor has put you on Pentasa etc- with the goal of putting your Crohn's into remission.

A lot of people with Crohn's find that certain foods make their disease worse; these foods vary greatly among people. For example, I'm okay with eating dairy products, but can't eat raw vegetables or leafy things like lettuce without having major issues. To find out what these foods are for you, you kind of just have to experiment- try not eating certain foods for a while, and reintroduce them to your diet, watching what happens. Since your Dr. told you to avoid milk, you can start with that- there are lots of alternatives to dairy products that are lactose free, such as soy or rice products.

As far as bland foods, when I'm having a flare I generally eat a lot of soft rice, plain chicken, mashed potatoes, boiled veggies, etc. As I said earlier, each person has different trigger foods, so the foods that work well for you might be different.

Finally, there are a ton of great resources on the web, including this forum, where you can find more information about Crohn's! Go ahead and search; you'll find lots out there. :)

Mrs M, All the advice you have just been given is the best you can get anywhere. Like the others, I have had Crohn's for 30 years now and I don't think there's much I could add to what's already been said. I will say this though, don't be scared. You have a very good chance of getting this under control in a short period of time. Flares can come and go and they can be short term or long term but just come back and pour your heart out here. These are the best friends you'll ever meet. You'll learn alot about Crohn's from the folks on this site. We have been there and done that many times over. Best wishes. Tony   P.S. Don't be afraid to ask about anything. We talk about gas, diahrrea, poop, arthritis, fear, depression but we also laugh alot too.