General Chat

when someone is diagnosed with this do they have medication for life or just when it flares up again?

Hi, you tend to stay on course of tabs anyway & have steroids as well when it requires.
Susan, sorry to hear that :(

Thanks Susan ,Wild Cat.Just wondered as my sister has just been told she has it .Has been put onFlagyl and anti spasmodics.Hopefully they will start to work as she is going to go to Greece on tuesday.Has an appointment with consultant when she gets back.She is just hoping the runs will stop before she goes

Hi,again wish her & family best, i'm afraid this is grim area for me, illness which is much overlooked in comparison t some,but thankfuly becoming wider known about

Hi, Susan,
Thats apalling, they have quite easy tests nowadays for this,bit for some obscure logic seem remiss to administer them till they searched other avenues odd.Hope he be ok:)

My son was diagnosed with Crohn's 3 years ago aged 25. He suddenly developed terrible diarrohea (sp) and lost 3 stones in 3 weeks. Our experience was the same as Susan's in that he was sent home from A&E despite being obviously very ill, and all we got from our GP was advice about a bland diet!

Eventually he was admitted to hospital and given a steroid drip and soon started to improve.

Unfortunately, in his case, the Crohn's has never been completely controlled and he has more or less been permanently on steroids (by mouth) since.

He also takes a number of other drugs..so many I can't remember them all...one is called Pentasa. He takes them every day.

Steroids have nasty side effects, weight gain and a puffiness of the face amongst other things. And they also cause bone loss (osteoporosis), so he has to take calcium tablets too. He will be on some of these tablets for life.

In order to be able to work, he takes lots of imodium, otherwise he would spend all his time in the loo.

It's a wicked disease causing inflammation and ulceration of the colon, and usually starts in young adulthood, although younger and older people can get it.

Most people with Crohns, tend to need surgery to remove the affected part of the bowel at some time in their lives...usually more than once, since Crohn's tends to recur in the rejoined ends of the colon even after surgery.

As if it's not unfair (and embarrasing) enough, all prescriptions have to be paid for by the sufferer...even though this is a chronic disease that sufferers have for life. Strangely, if he was diabetic, all his prescriptions would be free!

Sorry to hear about your sister Helen, hopefully, hers will be more controllable than my son's has turned out to be.

Dee
x

Hi Dee ,my sister is 49 I think the older age group to get this.
Thi.nking about it though I think it has been brewing for some time.Fingers crossed it will settle soon .
I want her to be well in July(I know this sounds very selfish) as she is coming with me to my Birth Brothers 60th.I only met him in Feb(i am 54 and he didn't know about me till then) My OH and kids are not interested in my new found family but my adoptive sister is.
Sorry I have gone off track on this thread.