Back in the Days

Things are going kind of well at the moment, so I am going to tell you about my Crohns experiences as a youth.

The Crohns has manifested itself in several ways from when I first experienced problems. When I was young I used to be a healthy chubby lad. Full of beans and boundless energy. When I hit my mid teens I found myself being constantly fatigued. My appetite dropped off over the years and I begin to loose weight. At the age of 15/16 I was very ill. Keeping food down was very hard and my weight plummeted.

All this was very frightening, as I had not been diagnosed with anything. One doctor blamed my condition on eating citrus fruit the night before?!? Contemplations of eating disorder even crossed my mind.

Eventually I was diagnosed with Crohns whilst I was in hospital just before my GCSEs. My weight had dropped to under 8 stone. Keeping food down was impossible, even digesting water was hard. The one freind who visited me whilst I was in hospital will never be forgotten.

Finally they had diagnosed me correctly! Steroids were prescribed, which suck, and I hate, but they did kick off a recovery. Eventually I was put on Azathioprine, which helps me a lot and I still take it today. Along the way I was also given some crazy Nestle protein style drink called, E(something), this tasted crap, but did provide some nutrition.

In my late teens I was learning to live with the illness. Keeping stuff down, especially beer was a struggle. My weight was still poor, and I was constantly knackered, eventually being given the short lived nick name of monging bur.

Growing up with Crohns isn't easy, but I never let that stop me fur fill my ambitions or from having fun.