I live in the US, have health insurance through my company, but still face many problems. I would be glad to speak wtih you....
I am scheduled next week for an "exam under anesthesia" to see if the colorectal surgeon can repair an anal abscess and three fistulas. Possibility of a seton or fistulotomy depending on what he...
I work full-time too. I was out of work for 2.5 months last year due to a severe flare-up, and miss occassional days due to drs appointments, sick days, and will miss about a week due to an upcoming...
I've taken this stuff before and it tastes TERRIBLE. I'm not sure about the heatlh benefits (a little sketchy to me) but certaintly don't drink it because of the taste! :)...
My GI won't give me pain meds either, even when I am so crippled over I can hardly function at all. So I go to my PCP and get them, or from my rheumy. It feels a little like I'm going around the...
Hi all - I'm cross posting from the Crohn's board; someone there mentioned I may also find help here. My doctors have discovered that I have at least three active fistulas (cutaneous, rectal, and...
The colonoscopy I get in my doctor's office is about $1,000 total - that includes the doctor's time, the IV/anesthesia, and some other assorted stuff. My insurance is an 80/20 setup so after the...
Hi all - I've been having some issues on and off for the past year, and when I finally thought I was getting over the hump, BAM, it creeps back up in a most unwelcome way. My doctors have discovered...
Thanks all for your support. I do actually have several fistulas (rectal-vaginal, rectal, and external) so I think that is why the doctor told me c-section was the way to go. But everything else I...
Appreciate hearing everyone's input on this. My parents are both primary care doctors and they are very much against me having children. My mom told me I would die during childbirth and my dad told...
I think it's great that you wrote to them - seems like they are passing the buck on to the airlines to deal with any specific issues. I agree with talking to the flight crew beforehand...also I may...
UC Dude - question about your Humira experience - are you able to go off of prednisone immediately upon taking Humira? I am on prednisone now but awaiting insurance approval for Humira (for crohn's...
Hi all - Wondering if it is safe to, or if anyone does, take Humira AND 6 MP?...
An update: I went to see the GI today, and it actually went much better than expected. When I got there, he did get the rheumy on the phone for a conference call. He is worried about the long-term...
I tried ativan, which was anti-anxiety but not anti-depressant. It helped tremendously with just making me calm down when I would get super jittery. Have you tried it?...
I'm so sorry you had to go through this. This is the exact reason I am SO scared to ever change jobs. I love my job now, but I'd like to move back to my "home" area eventually. But alas, I feel that...
I've been on both at different times. They both have long-term side effects that should be taken into consideration, but they definintely do the job they are supposed to (at least for me). The 6MP...
I got it yesterday (the shot) and feel very lucky to have been able to get it...since they have been few and far between in my community. Didn't have any side effects at all....
Latest problem --- Crohn's is acting *okay* -- not great, blood in stool, but no diarrhea and no excess trips to the bathroom. Some cramping, some food issues, but better than it's been lately....
I had mine removed a couple of years ago. Simple surgery - in and out of outpatient in just a few hours and a few days recuperating at home. Stopped the pain and overall a good decision for me....
Yes, I agree! PopChips are yummy! The vendor provided a whole bunch of them for a CCFA walk I did this year and that's how I first heard of them. Now they also sell them in my work vending...
I just added mine up - I included all doctor visits related to crohn's disease (GI, rheumy, hematologist, primary care doctor, blood work, and acupuncture) and came up with the grand total for 2009...
I had my gall bladder removed a couple of years ago. Didn't help the IBD but did help the gall bladder pain....
I had both of my bartholin's glands cyst up earlier this year - I did not realize it could be related to IBD. I asked my OB/GYN why both of them had inflamed so close together and he said, "yeah,...
Hi all - Just wanted to get some perspective on symptoms I've been having recently. Severe flare earlier this year that brought with it extreme joint pain. Been doing better...though not fully in...
Agree with "not creative" - while the physical symptoms may be the same (cramping, diarrhea, etc.) it is much "easier" (loose quotation marks there) on your body to have IBS because it doesn't have...
Not sure what your question is? Is it "Is IBD worse than IBS?" I think most would say yes to that...IBD is a chronic disease while IBD is not considered a disease, but rather a syndrome. There is...
http://www.cbc.ca/shortfilmfaceoff/films.html click on the one called “Glamour Guts” – it’s a 3.5 minute short film that won a short film award in Canada. It’s about IBD. GREAT. not spam :)...
I consider myself an expert (three scopes this year alone!). I usually stay away from the chicken/beef broths because they are so salty, but many find them filling. You could also make Ramen noodles...
Good luck with the surgery!...
I feel your pain - I had four fissures earlier this year and it was the most intense pain I have ever experienced. My doc gave me nitroglycerin cream compound which gave me headaches, but worked, so...
Take lots of your medications, some anti-diarrheals, and have fun! I went to Egypt last year with no problems, China two years prior, and Mexico this year (after ending my worst flare yet)....
I had to have a cortisone shot in my foot earlier this year and all I can say (without resorting to other four letter words) is OUCH!!!...
I don't think it has to be first date conversation, but I think anyone with a chronic disease needs to be open and honest very early in the relationship. If you do not start off on an honest footing,...
I've been having enough joint pain that they had to re-up the prednisone after tapering for the last 8 months (I was down to 4 but now back up to 10). It was either that or a cortisone shot in my...
Reading this post reminds me of why I stay working for the large company that I do that has fantastic heatlh benefits. Do I give up other things I am searching for in a career to stay here for the...
chrisnsteph1022, I too live off of Spaghettio's when I get sick. When I am at my sickest the foods that help me the most are those I ate when I was a child, and the spaghettio's are at the top of the...
yes, yes, and yes I do believe (and have been told by doctors) that stress is a very likely factor in crohn's flares. There are anti-anxiety medications, but the best medication is fixing what is the...
Biotin is fantastic for hair loss - and yes as per someone else's suggestion I got the recommendation from my hair stylist. As soon as I said I was experiencing hair loss, she asked if I was on any...
Just had my third colonoscopy this year (!!!) on Monday. Had a severe flare earlier this year and it's the second check-up to see how well I have improved. Am feeling like I was in remission, but...
Pain is one of the worst things to deal with with this disease because I've found that doctors are so unwilling or unknowledgeable about how to treat it. Best advice, go to a pain management...
Just ignore him when he says such ignorant blabber. I was reading through all of these posts getting really mad and feeling bad for you, but the fact is you're sick, you deal with it, and you don't...
I started taking the 6-MP at night based on suggestions I've read on here...while it has helped with the nasty taste it leaves in my mouth, still all I want to do is sleep, sleep, sleep. I just can't...
Ow, ow, ow - I feel your pain. Fissures are the WORST! I had four of them together earlier this year and I spent weeks not being able to sit comfortably, go to the bathroom at all (I would literally...
Yes! I'm so glad (but not really) to hear you say this...I have been taking it 4 months now, and SO tired constantly. I thought the tiredness was due to my extreme anemia, but I've been doing iron IV...
Thank you so much for all the suggestions here! I have just started losing a lot of hair and don't know where to attribute it. I'm at the end of a prednisone taper and the beginning of taking 6-MP....
(cross posting from CD site) Has anyone here been on immunosuppressants and taken the Yellow Fever vaccine? I may need to travel to Africa for work (and maybe for fun too) in the next two years and...
Has anyone here been on immunosuppressants and taken the Yellow Fever vaccine? I may need to travel to Africa for work (and maybe for fun too) in the next two years and I've gotten conflicting...
I've stubbornly refused to go on Prednisone at the beginning of a flare, but let it get past the point of no return where I had to go on a higher dose than I initially would have. Best advice, just...
Ever since I've been on it I've been experiencing a LOT of hair loss. Anyone else deal with this? It's to the point where I pull out clumps at a time - I've got a lot of hair to start with so it's...