Boyfriend diagnosed with Crohn’s

[KG421 18]

Hey everyone!

For the past month, my boyfriend has experienced some mild bleeding with BMs. Doctor recommended a colonoscopy, which he had yesterday. They found some inflammation and took some samples. Doc called today and said Crohn’s is suspected. I’m In a bit of shock right now. He’s 34 years old and has NO symptoms besides bleeding. I’ve had horrible anxiety several times around the idea of having crohn’s myself( I don’t). Now all I can picture is him being in massive amounts of pain in the future and in the hospital because of blood loss or colon cancer or needing his colon removed. I’m afraid to google too much and get too deep into the horror stories of the internet. Does anyone have knowledge about Crohn’s? Can it be mild? Does it get progressively worse over time? Do most people live normal lives? I appreciate it!

[MobileChucko 23]

• Hi KG...  I was diagnosed with Crohn's back in the mid 1970's, when I was in my late teens, early twenties.  I had a very severe case of the disease, and did require a number of surgeries.  I am 66 now, and generally have lead a very healthy and happy life.  As with so many diseases, the severity of Crohn's varies from person-to-person.  Crohn's can affect any part of the digestive system, from the mouth to the anus.  It often can be found in a section of bowel, will skip an area, and then be found in other.  Unlike when I had my bout, there are now biologic medications available, specific for Crohn's and inflammatory bowel disease.  Many people will have a single flare of Crohn's, and then have no future problems with it, but others will have a more chronic condition.  As one gets older and our immune system tends to slow down, Crohn's actually can become less of a problem.  If I can be of further help, feel free to post additional questions here.  The very best to your boyfriend and you!...  Chuck🐈

[bin_tenn 1252]

My fiance has had Crohn's since she was 17 or 18, and she just turned 30 in July. Yes, it can be mild, but a lot of it really depends on how well the person responds to treatment and, most importantly, how well they take care of themselves. With that being said, people with Crohn's do have good days and bad days. Some days may be very painful, but, at least in my fiance's case, the majority of days are virtually without symptoms.

She can eat just about whatever she wants (aside from obvious no-no's like spicy foods and citrus), so long as she practices moderation. She works full time cleaning residential homes, and that includes driving from home to home. We also have three kids in the home, and one who visits every other weekend. Still, she usually has no issues.

Finding a medication that really works took a lot of trial and error. But she visits her GI doc and follows his instructions as closely as she can. She tries to take good care of herself. It's not as awful as research (looking at you, Google!) may lead you to believe, but it's also not a joke.

Sorry to hear of the diagnosis, but he'll be fine. Just be there to support him, help him. I know it may be difficult to change eating habits and such if he enjoys trigger foods. But it's worth making that change.

[KG421 18]

@MobileChucko and @bin_tenn,

Thank you so much for your replies! He goes in for a consultation with a specialist on Monday so I guess we’ll find out more then. Good to hear that people can live pretty normal lives. My anxiety (and google) have me coming up with all kinds of what if’s and catastrophic thoughts.