Does anyone have Crohn's Disease

Hi all,

Just wondering if anyone else suffers from Crohn's?

I got it when my son was a year old, it took 6 months before they diagnosed me. I was down to 43kg with no energy. The gastro fella put me on some wonderful tablets and i came right pretty much straight away.

When i fell pregnant with DD they told me to stay on the tablets (imurun SP?), but the side effects were horrible, so i stopped taking them for the first three months. I went downhill big time. I went back to my specialist and he told me to start taking them again as the possible risk to my baby was minimal compared to having a flare up and my body aborting my baby. So, of course i started them again, and i came right.

However, my placenta stoppped working at some stage and at my 32 week check my fundal height was only 25cm. So after two weeks of ultrasounds and keeping check on bub she still hadn't grown, so she was delivered at 34weeks. she was only 1.5kg but she didn't need a humidi crib, she went straight onto a waterbed and she did great. i took her home 4 weeks later and we are all still going strong.

My specialist told me that my placenta had stopped working because i was having a flare up and thats why she came early.

Just wanted to let you know that if you do have this horrible disease and are trying for a baby, it can be done.........just take it easy.........

I'm so happy to hear that everything worked out ok.
My DH suffered with severe ulcerative colitis, (he stopped taking his meds which included imuran, because he was feeling better!) after 3 years he had another flare up and nothing worked. In November he had to have his colon removed and now has a permanent ileostomy.
It is so important to take your medication (even when you are well) for these diseases as they can come back at any time and you can get seriously ill very very quickly.

Hi there Goof,
I have Crohn's Disease, have had it for 7 yrs. Was on all sorts of meds and Imuran was my biggest concern. However my Gastro assured me that its safe in pregnancy and that as long as you go into pregnancy in remission you have an 80% chance of holding onto that good health or even improving throughout it.
I was lucky, I was in remission after yrs of trying to stop frequent flaring and now am not on any meds for Crohn's (I was at the start of the preg but kept throwing them up so we stopped) Sounds like the failing placenta was due to flaring, it can do awful things to us thats for sure. Thank God your bubba was OK.
x x x

Hi Brooke, my DH decided against the op to build the pouch. He is coping perfectly well with the stoma and it doesn't bother him. It's such a mental thing, I don't know how I would cope if it was me and DH is only 30 so I admire his strength and outlook. Last weekend we went to a World Ostomy Day function and there was a surgeon there who said the quality of life either with the pouch or with the stoma is equal. It's very interesting.
Sorry to hear that your Dad has been diagnosed with Chrons as well. I hope he is coping ok with it all. :)

Yes my DH has had it and has been in remission now for... ummm about 11 years!:)

He went on (and is still on) a specific carbohydrate diet (scdiet org- if you want to look it up). It may not be for everyone, but he was on the way to the operating table when he decided on a different path. (BTW no doctor will ever recommend the diet, drugs and surgery are still the treatment)

Good to hear you had a success story with your baby! Congrats!