How has Crohn's or Colitis affected y... - Crohn's and Colit...
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I worked full time for 10 years following diagnoses, but because of a very demanding job I was left without any energy for a social life. I then felt unable to continue full time and so worked part time for a further 8 years. As a part time worker I was unable to gain promotion, because I needed to be there full time in order to supervise others, so my progression up the career ladder that my colleagues were climbing stopped for me. Following a change in my medication, I had a dramatic flare up, involving total loss of bowel control, weight loss, dehydration, pulmonary embolisms and spent 11 months in hospital, a collectomy, and 12 months sick leave. I did return to work part time for a further 4 years, but after reconstructive surgery, which proved quite difficult to manage, I finally gave up and took early retirement, aged 49.
I was diagnosed at 27 - I will be 70 this year. I struggled with various surgeries for the Crohns throughout my 30's at the same time as juggling a career and a family. Lots of complications too with abscesses. EXHAUSTING. This followed 5 operations whilst in hospital for almost 6 months with Ileo-caecal TB .
At 59 I was diagnosed with Hashimotos. Once my thyroid was optimally treated - my Crohns has been very well behaved. I also have B12 injections - loads of VitD - in addition to living in Crete ! I am also gluten free - so after years of suffering - a recent colonoscopy here in Crete revealed low-grade lesions - the Gastroenterologist was amazed. Not least at what he described as the roundabout structure where they joined the small bowel to the large ! He had to consult with his peers in Athens as he said he had not seen anything like it and he was not born back in 1973 when it was done !
I have always refused all medications as they made me far worse - preferring to deal with it through diet.
I would suggest everyone has their B12 levels checked - they need to be around 1000. VitD should also be OPTIMAL - never accept normal from a GP - that is an opinion and not a result. Always obtain copies of your blood test results so you can monitor and take control of your own health. Also have your thyroid checked - again ensure it is correctly done and NOT just the TSH. You also need the FT4 and FT3 as as Crohns is auto-immune then so can the thyroid be under attack. So check those anti-bodies - Anti-TPO and Anti-Tg. My thyroid results were all in range but the anti-bodies were HIGH. Hashimotos is the most common thyroid disorder throughout the world - possibly caused by leaky gut and low Ferritin - Folate - Iron - B12 and VitD due to malabsorption. Dr Sarah Myhill thinks people with Crohns have guts that leak like colanders 
The ACTIVE thyroid hormone is T3 - and the second highest amount of receptors for T3 are in the cells of the gut lining. The highest amount are in the brain ! Every cell in your body has a receptor for T3 - so if it is low then problems ensue. We have trillions and trillions of cells. Docs very rarely test for the FT3 - possibly due to costs - however it is so important so push hard or have it done privately.
Around 40 I gave up trying to work hard and started a business - where I could slope off in the afternoons and sleep until supper-time ! I didn't make any money - but hey the lifestyle suited me I am still working now - running a Guest Villa and Studio here in Crete. I also teach yoga twice a week - swim miles in our pool and generally enjoy good health and fab lifestyle.
Happy to answer questions !
It does affect me day to day but I still work as a cleaner.4 jobs a day 5 days a week.my illness isn't taken seriously enough and can't go on sick etc.this crohns is disabilitating everyday badly.but I have to get up put a smile on and carry on...even with creasing pain in my guts x
Have you thought about going gluten free ? It can help to reduce inflammation in the gut and help it to heal. Also VitD is a steroidal pre-hormone that is anti-inflammatory. LOW levels of VitD are linked to Crohns. Not expensive to buy your own capsules and take them with good fats as they are fat soluble.
I tried a gluten free diet for a few years, but it was very difficult, tasted horrible (I craved real bread), expensive and it made no difference at all to my health. However a subsequent dairy free diet improved my IBD considerably, but I then developed Graves, which I think was at least partially caused by all the soya products I replaced the dairy with. Also by cutting out dairy entirely, plus a restricted absorbtion due to IBD, I wasn't getting any iodine for over 2 years. Fortunately there are now plenty of lactose free dairy products available, that contain plenty of iodine, and taste just as good as the normal ones, so it's a much easier diet to follow, so it's worth trying.
I lost 5 years of work, then managed to get back on 18hrs a week, if I did overtime for more than a week affected my health. Then in 2008 when I was 56 had to give up completely, so need morre than one of the answer choices
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