Crohn's Disease Support Group

Thought I'd see if our flares began the same way or similarly..If you can post how you were feeling prior to becoming sick. Should be interesting to see if we have similar stories.

For me..

I'd been watching my granddaughter, a newborn for about 5 months around 9 hours a day 5 days a week. I started getting pretty fatigued, then picked up a cold that I could not kick. Then my grandmother was diagnosed with cancer and died within 2 months. I was not eating properly during all this time, mostly take out. So I think fatigue, stress, diet and possibly that cold may have played a role in my crohns kicking in full force.

For me I was trying to sell my house and going through a divorce in addition my mother became ill. I was under a lot a stress and I think my body just craped out. (pun totally intended)

For me it started in June 2003. I found out I was pregnant in June and I had been having horrible stomach pains, vomiting, blood in stool, plus other things happening. I became very tired and in so much pain, I couldn't get up out of bed. My ex went and bought me one of them pillows that have the little arm flaps that you can sit up against. He had to get me one of them because I couldn't lay down. If I tried to lay down my stomach would hurt way too bad. So I found comfort in sleeping sitting up. In July I had an ultrasound and it revealed that the baby didn't have a heart beat. So a couple days later I had a DNC operation to remove the baby. After that I was hospitalized for 4 days because of a uterus infection. I was released but not getting any better. So I was hospitalized again in a different hospital for 5 days, I had all kinds of tests done on me and they couldn't figure out what it was. So my ex-husband mentioned having me transferred to another hospital and see a specialist. I was transferred on August 5 2003 to South Bend Memorial in Indiana. I had a colonoscopy done that day and that is when I found out I had Crohn's. I was released from the hospital in August 11. It was a very long 2-3 months trying to figure out what was going on with my body and why I wasn't getting any better. It took a couple months before I started to feel good again. I couldn't hardly walk because I was bed-ridden all that time. If I tried to walk my ankles and feet swelled up like balloons. I was so bad in them 2-3 months being bed-ridden that while I was in the the first hospital my mom thought I wasn't gonna make it through the ordeal. She thought I was gonna die from it. I had lost almost 75 pounds in that time frame and my face was sunken in where the bones were sticking out. My mom said I looked like my dad did before he passed away and it scared her that i was gonna be next at only 18 years old. But I made it through it and now I'm afraid I'm gonna go right back through it with my meds not working. But that is my story of how I was diagnosed with it. Thanks everyone who reads this for listening.

Laurie

4 me it wasnt 1 single thing that sticks out or comes 2 mind, i had my last daughter in november 2006 n the last few weeks of pregnancy i was admitted 2 hospital based on the fact i had constant diarrhea bad stomach pains n that in turn cause contractions a few weeks 2 early so they kept me 4 observation till the 38th week then i had a c section, i was back in hospital 6 weeks later cause my blood work wasnt right i had inflammation somewhere ( prob crohns looking back ) but they treated it as an infection from my wound from c section n sent me home, then pretty much i have been un well 4 the past 3 yrs but i didnt get it all checked out till this yr when i couldnt handle things anymore then it was real quick, i had a specialist, colonoscopy n biopsy, diagnosis confirmed n since then prednisene, budesoine, slaofalk n imuran .........ive only known since the 9th Oct this yr that i have CD, so nearly 2 months n what a 2 months they have been n im sure i had my 1st FLARE end of pregnancy Nov 06 ) .......then pretty constant after that......then i had my gall bladder removed (Aug 07 ) n its been pretty constant symptom wise since then......

hi hi

i think stress may have effects on it . u are right .

mine is when i eat row vegitables and also when i work a lot of things and when i am busy.

like stree that means .

hope u are geeting better

all the best

Both of my worst flares came right before finals. So I def think high stress helps bring it on.

My worst flares coincide with the change of seasons and under stress because of work.

Stress has been a big trigger for me most of the times. I was so worried I was going to flare earlier this year because my Mom passed away, and was having alot of problems with one of my kids. But knock on wood I didn't get one. Not eating properly will give me a few bad days, but does not cause me to flare.

We bought a new house and I got through the move with a minor flare-up a couple of months ago. We started to get in a small financial bind and I have been stressing over money. I had a major flare-up a few days ago and I am still flaring. I'm exhausted feeling and my tummy still isn't back to normal. My joints are killing me!! Stress is the biggest factor for a flare-up with me. I try not to let things get to me, but sometimes I don't even realize it until it's too late.

For my last flare (the one that's STILL going) I lost my cat after 12 years. I was to take her and put her to sleep. Very stressful with the kids freaking out, not to mention, she was MY cat. She was so sick for like a week. I couldn't bring myself to do it. She ended up passing away the morning of the doctor appointment to put her down. Thank GOD! I DID not know how I was going to do it.

Then the week after my son was starting full day kindergarten. He has been having some learning disabilities, so I was SO stressed about it. The first day, he went off without a hitch. The second day? Tears like I've nver seen. He's usually a very easy going "go with the flow" kinda kid. It was awful to have him peeled off me the next morning. He didn't stop crying either. He came home with a red swollen face every day. I went into a flare about 3 days into this. I ended up with a hospital stay. Needless to say he got worse with me being gone...and so did I!

I know stress set off this last attack. Now money is SUPER thight and problems with siblings has my head spinning. This flare won't stop! I'm afraid the doctor is going to bump up my steroid dosage again, so I don't dare call him! LOL I know, not good, but I really really HATE these drugs.

I think it's a combo for me. If I'm stressed and eat the wrong thing, BAM! It hits me. Sugar, red meat, and certain carbs seem to set me off. I'm a chocoholic, so if I have a chocolate binge when I'm stressed, I'm done for!