HI Everyone, Newbie to the forum and I would like to share my story and experiences with the disease...

May 2005, I was 15 years old, the symptons slowly started to show... lack of energy, lack of apetite, horrid diarrhea, stomach pains.  I soon had an appointment with my GP.  

My Doctor took my blood and a few days later I had an appointment at the hospital.  I was there for hours whilst they took more blood and had an ultra sound scan.  They could not diagnose anything so they sent me too see a gastroenterologist.  I had to wait untill July to see the gastro doctor, which I had a colonscopy and endoscopy.  I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease after this and was put on a high dose of prednisolone steroids.  

I had a tough time on prednisolone, I was in my final year at secondary school.  I had endless side effects;  bad headaches, my entire back was full of spots, itching, couldn't sleep, my cheeks 'moon faced'.  On the positive side though I put on weight and I couldn't stop eating!  Going through this and having obvious days off school, I still manged to leave school with eight GCSE's.

I had my first flare up just before christmas 2005 and was put back on prednisolone.  In Feb 2006 I was also diagnosed with Liver disease sclerosing cholangitis, after a liver biopsy.  In Sep 2008 after a flare up I suffered a perforated bowel and infection to my bile ducts.  I was very ill and was in hospital for almost two weeks.  November 2008 I had a colonscopy and endoscopy, in which they found varices in esophagus.

November 2009 I am now 20 years old and feeling very well! My current medication is azathioprine, asacol and propanolol.  I recently travelled solo to South Africa to volunteer at a Lion park and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.  If anybody out there has any questions to ask please feel free to do so.  Keep positive.

Best Wishes Arran.

Well Arran well done to you hun, you are an inspiration to us all, im sure peeps will agree youve been through alot, for me especially i get that i cant cope so i go very depressed, but reading your story has lifted me, (unfortunatley i know i will soon forget and go back to feelin sorry for myself). i at the moment is not having a very gd time and i havnt had much positive things happening to me, so i find it very hard to be positive, I know that when the positives things start happening i will be ok.

I have recently been started on colestyramine powders, (its a bulking agent) started then yesterday not been toilet for a poo since, thats making me feel gd, has for 2 weeks ive lived on the toilet every 10 mins, infact i never come down stairs for 4 days at one time cause it wasnt worth it, only to have to go back up. , if youve read my posts previous you will see my story. XXXSUEXXX.

Thank you once again hun, keep me posted of how your doin

Thankyou Sue and I am glad that I have lifted you! I read on one of your previous threads that your having a hard time on prednisolone, I was exactly the same as you.  I too felt better when I was actually on a flare. I found in the long run they are very beneficial though but it's just getting through the point when your on a high dose.  I will be sure to keep you posted, I have another colonoscopy to look forward to after xmas... yeahhhhh bring it on.  

Bless you hun XXXSUEXXX, ive got another endoscopy due soon, just to see if the prednisalone have caused an ulcer, which is now causing me even more grief, im actually coming off pred at the moment bcos of it, but im coming of them in the space of a week, 3 frid 3 sat 2 sun 2 mon 2 tue 1 wed 1 thurs 1 fri  and then thats it, believe that could cause more problems but because of the ulcer i have to come of them faster than normal XXXSUEXXX

hi, when you were on azzathoiprine, did you have any cravings? i started another post about cravings, but no one answered it. do you have cravings when you wereon azathoiprine? sharon

Hi Sharon, i am still taking azathioprine and have been for almost the last two years. I do not have any cravings as such but I have a very high apetite. However this might not be down to the aza, it could be from my other medication that I take.