Hi everyone.
My name is Maggie, I am 20 years old, Australian and currently studying.
I have had Crohn's for about 15 months and I have tried Prednisone (50mg then taken off) and Pentasa. I am currently on Imuran (150mg a day) and in two weeks I start Infliximab (which I am terribly nervous about).
I have actually had Crohn's since I was 13 years old. The first major attack I had was Christmas day 2002. I had serve vomiting, a fever and the runs. I had it so badly that I missed out on christmas pudding :(. When I went to the doctors I got told I just had a bug.
Then throughout highschool I stacked on weight then lost it. I was always sick and teachers (and at one point my parents) thought I was faking illness.
Then during my last year of highschool my grandmother died, who was like a third parent to me, and it was like the beginning of the end. I lost roughly 8 kg in the two weeks after her death. I struggled to keep food down and kept on having dizzy spells. BUT once again I was told it was due to year 12 and the lost of my grandmother. Despite all this I was one of the top students at school and I think I put that down to being gutsy- no matter how ironic that seems!
So last year I started uni and yet again I was dizzy, loosing weight and being unwell. I went to the same clinic but I just happened to get my dads doctor and not my own. He had one look at me and sent me to be tested for colitis and chrons. He is now my premenant GP.
I guess the biggest struggle is coming to terms with it. I mean I have a cousin who has chrons so it wasn't new but mine is alot more serve than hers. Unfortunatley because she has had it for 20 odd years my family seem to be very dismissive of my disease. Even the cousin that has it. Also my friends dont understand it and make fun of it. It could be there way of coping but at the moment I feel very isolated. I guess it is because its not well heard off and anything to do with the bowel can be a bit of a taboo in society. Has anyone else had this problem just trying to explain what it is?
In a more postive light, I am one determined girl. I have saved up and worked whenever I can and come novemeber I will be going to the UK for a month. While my doctor is worried he is proud that I have not stopped following my dreams. I just have to have his number on speed dial!