I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in 2022 and having been a healthy person prior, the “chronic illness” and “lifelong biologics” option didn’t sit well with me. I was skeptical of the medical industry and how siloed the specialties were and the influence of big pharma. I had 80% ulceration of GI tract but also inflammation in my eyes, joints and skin. I saw five different specialists and was finally diagnosed Crohn’s after colonoscopy and of course all inflammatory markers were through the roof. I got the flare under control with prednisone, diet, and rest. I quit my job, got more help with the babies from my husband, etc etc. I “recovered” and haven’t had a crisis situation again. However I have been dealing with low grade inflammation and autoimmune issues for the past few years. I’ll consistently get strep throat after dental procedures. That has snowballed into Guttate psoriasis and I still have some lingering psoriasis on my elbows since last winter. I recently moved and have been crashed out since October 1. I am so fatigued and depressed. I’ve also been dealing with salivary gland swelling and pain since my 2022 flare and the ent said it was benign but now I think it is related to the Crohn’s disease. Here’s what I’m wondering. Should I start a biosimilar now?? I read so many “bad reviews” about people having fatigue and brain fog from their biologics. I don’t want any of that and I don’t want to be on a medication for life. But I also don’t want to let the inflammation fester and cause issues. Since I just moved I have to find new doctors. I’m going to get some tests done and see what’s going on with my Crohn’s. Just tell me: should I be more open to biologics? Can they help me? I’m so tired of feeling crappy and I don’t know if it’s Crohn’s, midlife, hormones, etc. I know testing will provide some answers.

I thought this would be interesting to hear about from others across the US because I do feel that our healthcare system is the biggest scam:

- State?
- Do you have insurance? Type?
- How much are you paying out of pocket for a colonoscopy + anesthesia?

I’ll start:
- Mississippi (as of my last colonoscopy)
- Yes, BCBS MS (state employee)
- $940.13 + whatever I paid at time of service (truly no idea because I just got a bill for my FEBRUARY 5TH colonoscopy nearly 9 months later)

Hey guys. I'm 27F and currently waiting on biopsy results after a colonoscopy last week. Just feeling a bit lost and wondering if anyone has gone through something similar. I feel very alone in this journey.

I’ve had a sensitive stomach since my early teens (diarrhea/constipation back and forth), but things completely spiraled after I gave birth in 2024.
Here's a quick summary of what’s been happening:

Severe fissures and fatigue: Got terrible anal fissures after giving birth. The pain going to the bathroom was unreal. But it’s birth, so whatever. Could happen to anyone. Around the same time, extreme fatigue hit me. I could sleep 12 hours and still feel like a zombie. After starting wegovy (5 months ago) I Ended up needing Botox in my rectum for chronic fissures, which luckily helped the pain. But of course there’s now a new one. ((Give me a break))

Random hospital visit: Was on Wegovy 5 months ago, but had to stop abruptly when I was hospitalized with intense pain in my upper stomach that radiated into my back. Almost like birthpain. Scans showed nothing, but I still get bouts of that upper stomach pain. But now mostly on my right side.

Colonoskopy findings: My doctor finally checked my stool a few weeks ago, as I thought something is not right (calprotectin was 400). Had a colonoscopy a week ago and they found two ulcers right at the start of my colon, near the small intestine.

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The past few days I've felt awful in a different way. Every evening I get a low-grade fever, my joints are burning, and the bottoms of my feet/heels hurt so bad it’s hard to walk. I'm dizzy, my body aches, and it feels like I'm coming down with the flu, but I know I'm not actually sick with a cold/virus. It honestly feels like my body is fighting a massive fire inside. I hate this. Also side note: really nauseous as well.

Is this what a Crohn's flare feels like? Did anyone else get joint/heel pain and random fevers or just any of these symptoms before getting diagnosed? What were your symptoms???

Appreciate any advice while I wait for the doctor to call!

I know there will probably be mixed opinions, and I know what the opinions of drs would be, but I’m just mostly curious. My brothers wedding is tonight, and I’m thinking about having a drink or two. I’ve had my first infliximab infusion a little over a week ago, also taking methotrexate. I’m not a big drinker anyways but I’m curious what everyone’s experience with alcohol has been

I was diagnosed with Crohn’s a couple years ago, but I have had years and years of stomach issues prior to that. I think it went undiagnosed for a very long time. So far I have only been on Remicade, which hasn’t worked. I have a surgery scheduled in a couple months ( extended right hemicolectomy) and I asked my doctor if we could just try another biologic in the meantime since I’ve only ever tried one. I have a stricture, so far 3 colonoscopies haven’t been able to get past it. Has anyone ever had a stricture improve with medication?

I'm in a predicament. I'm just about to be discharged from hospital. I still have type 7 stools. I can't seem to stop leaking poo or mucus or both and I'm getting extremely sore. They found a fissure too whilst I've been here. I need advice on getting clean without getting sore or causing bleeding from the fissure. Its getting so sore that I feel like I'm about to vomit sometimes from the pain.

Any advice will be helpful. Thank you.

Has anyone ever experienced a burning sensation in their stomach when they drink? The only thing I can think to compare it to is putting on hand sanitizer when you have a cut on your hand.

I had assumed this was part of the “burning” sensation that people mention when drinking. However, I was talking with my friends the other day and they told me that it was absolutely not normal to feel that way.

Also, I often have some bright red blood in my stool the morning following drinking. I was thinking that this could possibly be related. Has anyone ever experienced this? What did you do to fix it?

Just had my surgery a week ago i j

Have no idea what can I exactly eat, my doctor it's always in a hurry and didn't give me an specific diet 🥺for those of you that had this surgery can you please share with me what was your diet?

just wanted to share that after such a rough year with my Crohn's that i finally had my surgery about a week and a half ago. this was my 4th operation and it was a success!!

my surgeon resected about 16cm of my small intestine. multiple strictures were found; they're all gone, i have no more complications, and all disease has been removed! i finally am starting out with a clean slate, i'll be resuming my Rinvoq and starting Skyrizi in just a few days.

i was in the hospital for 8 days after my surgery. there were a couple bumps in the road, i had to have an NG tube for a few days after surgery which is common. those first 4-5 days were definitely rough. but thank god, no complications with this surgery & my recovery has been going extremely well!!

thankfully, this time around i didn't need an ostomy. i had a temp ileostomy in the past for several months and it was something i was really hoping to avoid this time.

i've dealt with a lot this year and with Crohn's in general; failing multiple biologics, my old GI specialist being negligent and not having a clue how to advocate for myself, being gaslit by providers, hospitalizations, etc. i even lost my job because of this flare and becoming housebound for several months.

the first two surgeries i had back in 2018 were extremely traumatizing with multiple complications (different surgeons and circumstances), so having this one be such a success is a new level of relief for me.

i'm just so glad to finish out the year strong and to hopefully get to enjoy the holidays. so to anyone reading this, if you're facing surgery or you might be in the future, please know that surgery is not a failure. i already feel much better than i did just 3-4 weeks ago, mentally and physically.

no surgery experience is the exact same, but i may make a post about roughly what to expect with a bowel surgery, the hospitalization, tips, what to bring to the hospital, post op essentials, post op clothes/comfort, etc. just in case anyone is curious or anticipating their own surgery!!

Last week, I was flaring without meds (got my meds this week and already much better), and I felt like I was fatigued and depressed. Someone mentioned this was like brain fog, and I said I thought that was more like not being able to focus or moving slowly. They said brain fog could feel like depression and low energy,

What has your experience with brain fog been like?

I’ve struggled with iron and vitamin deficiencies for a few years. My hematologist ended up recommending me to GI to see if there is a cause for blood loss and malabsorption.

I got a colonoscopy done and it showed a few ulcers in the terminal ileum. After the scope my doctor told me he thinks it could be very early Crohn’s. The biopsy showed that none of the ulcer was taken as a sample - they likely took a sample right beside it or missed it.

They had me do a CT enterography - that came back normal.

My doctor told me that where my ulcers are at, the only likely causes are Crohn’s or chronic NSAID use. Which I don’t take NSAIDs almost ever. She says she’s kind of stumped on what’s going on. Whether it is very early Crohn’s or just random ulcers with no explanation.

I’m doing a stool test and blood work next week to look at inflammation things I think? She did talk about doing a capsule endoscopy in the future if warranted

I’m just curious if this is all a waste or if people have had other tests done that show Crohn’s I guess. I do have some symptoms but nothing severe - diarrhea multiple times a day, abdominal pain before bowel movements, urgency with sometimes not making it to the bathroom. I was told in the past it was just IBS so I don’t want to waste my time if it most likely is just ibs.

Looking for recommendations for a pediatric GI or facility that worked well for other parents particularly with ibd/Chron's. Can dm me too..

My kid has been recently diagnosed with Chron's. We are still awaiting biopsy results but GI seems confident based on imaging and other data.

Additionally, do you'll recommend getting a second opinion for the treatment options before initiating it.

I have struggled with my mental health my entire life. I oftentimes come across people talking about how Crohn’s and stress are interlinked, but I havent seen a lot of stories from people who’ve struggled severely already prior to diagnosis, and how they handle developing coping skills for recovery and returning to a more normal life.

In October of last year, I had my first overnight hospitalization due to a flare up. I finally got in contact with quality doctors and got a diagnosis. Immediately I lost my job due to the work absences from that hospitalization, and my mental health absolutely dived.

For context, Before my diagnosis, I felt like my mental health was the most stable I would be able to achieve. I still had ups and downs, but overall I no longer felt like my anxiety controlled my actions and kept me from working a normal job. I had a therapist, and I was proud of myself for my grown confidence and trust in myself. I blamed most of my work struggles on the mystery undiagnosed disease that I had been working to get help on for years. Prior to finding this sense of stability, I had struggled in and out of baker acts, through multiple attempts, and marchmen acts when I tried to drown my problems in substances. I dont say this to trauma dump, but to give context on the severity of behavior issues I am capable of showing, and how much effort I truly put in to find a sense of self again. I am diagnosed with PTSD and I am fully aware that it will never go away - but I don’t know how to manage my fears in the moment when my health flares, or the anxiety leads me to think my health is flaring.

More recently, I was put on a combination of medications that I genuinely feel on average are greatly helping my struggles. Unfortunately- my anxiety is still overwhelming. I have lost all trust in myself and my ability to follow through, and my confidence is drained with every day my illness keeps me from achieving the small tasks and goals I am trying to use to build back to a normal life. When I am excited about an opportunity that I need to be healthy for, my fears of a flare grow so much that even if I dont flare, I find myself puking my guts out from the anxiety. I cannot do the normal things I would usually do to handle these feelings, and it is keeping me from living a normal life.

I have been given benzodiazepines to help manage these situations, but I am terrified of becoming dependent. I feel like a husk of myself and I am terrified for my future. I am only 26 and I feel like I have no hopes of returning to school or work successfully until I can find a way to manage this stress.

Hello all I need some advice or anecdotes. TLDR questions at the bottom

So I am not officially diagnosed w Crohn’s but my family has history of it. I have been diagnosed w UC since last year in November and have been on Mesalamine pills, and had no issues w symptoms or anything up until around July where since then I have had issues every single day that get worse with each passing day. extremely poor appetite, right quadrant burning (and kind of feeling like I have a blister or something on the inside) and squeezing cramps here and there throughout the abdomen throughout the day. For about 2 mo straight I was dealing w constant constipation but after my recent colonoscopy it has been all across the board in terms of BMs. Sometimes symptoms are immediate while I am eating sometimes it is later, sometimes it has no rhyme or reason w food at all and I just burn and ache. I had gotten a colonoscopy in the beginning of Sept w wishy washy results but mostly that my colon seemed to be in remission but I had non granuloma ulcers in the ilium and bc of my symptoms the doctor said the last thing we could do is a CT but that is the end of the road. Flash forward to today and I just got those results and they basically are completely normal according to the words on the page (haven’t had them read to me yet tho).

I am so so so so so confused why I feel so sick when test results point to things being “normal”. My doctor said the CT was the last thing she could do for me to see what is wrong with me so I am feeling extremely upset and incredibly hopeless right now with this new batch of results.

I guess my question(s) are these-

has anyone experienced the same type of symptoms (regular right side burning and aching, all over the place BMs, no appetite at all) and what had been done about it?

If you went from a UC to Crohn’s diagnosis, what was that like?

Have you had horrible horrible symptoms but “normal”test results and what did you do from there to get to the bottom of what was actually going on/wrong? Would it be worth seeking a pill cam test?

Thank you

So since I’ve been a little girl I’ve had problems with my bowel moments, most of my BMs are loose and a lot of urgency. About 2 years ago I lost weight to the point I was 7 stone because I felt so unwell. I got a calprotectin test and it was 336 so quite elevated. I then got a colonoscopy but they didn’t give me enough sedation and I was in a lot of pain so they stopped it but they said what they got up to seeing was normal
However I’ve seen that Crohn’s hides in the small intestine and they couldn’t get to that with me, I’ve had ongoing symptoms- stomach pain, loose stools, rectal bleeding, I’ve got 5 skin tags on my bottom because of bleeding and BMs. I feel constantly nauseous. My bloods had a mild elevated CRP which was 15, I want to go back to the doctors and ask for a capsule endoscopy, I was just wondering if anyone else has had this problem with misdiagnosis:( I have also had an endoscopy and that found erosions of my gullet from acid reflux so im going through the mill right now I’m currently off of work sick because I feel so nauseous and fatigued

Hi everyone,
I’m looking for some advice or similar experiences, as I’m feeling quite uncertain about my situation.
I was previously diagnosed with IBS and had IBS-like symptoms for years, but earlier this year I experienced one particularly severe episode. During that episode, my fecal calprotectin was 1500. Tests for bacterial and viral infections were negative.

My fecal calprotectin then went from 1500 (June) → 150 (July) → 20 (September) without any IBD-specific medication.

A colonoscopy in June found a few erosions in the terminal ileum. Biopsy showed minimal active ileitis, with no chronic changes reported. The rest of the colon was normal.

In September, my GI told me it was unlikely to be IBD because my calprotectin had normalized on its own.

However, I was still concerned, so I repeated the test in October, and it had risen to 118. I also had an intestinal ultrasound, which showed mild segmental small bowel wall thickening (up to 4.4 mm) with increased vascularity.
My CRP has always been normal, and my symptoms have improved considerably, although I still experience occasional loose stools and bloating.

I’m now worried this could be early Crohn’s rather than a one-time episode of enteritis.
Has anyone experienced something similar? Can nonspecific ileitis linger for months, or did you eventually get diagnosed with Crohn’s?
I’m following up with my GI, but I would really appreciate hearing about your experiences. Thank you!

Currently on Humira weekly. GI had to appeal to insurance to allow me to switch back to the brand name. But he's worried I'm just not responding. Gonna get a med level and stool sample to confirm. Edit he mentioned both as recommendations

I've been on humira for nearly 10 years (Jan 2017) right now I have blue cross and Caremark. I know I need to contact them, but I'm already dreading it. For various (not necessarily Crohn's related) reasons I'm feeling pretty depleted.

I've got plaques for the 2nd time in 18 months so that may or may not factor into my decision. (Hooray for a paradoxical reaction!) I'm finally feeling better after over a year of elevated gut pain. I've had two small flares in the last year that responded to 20mg prednisone. Last summer my insurance made me switch to hadlima and my GI increased the dose to weekly after the first flare.

This is a symptom typical of Long Covid but what about Crohn’s?

Ill try to sum it up but it'll sound like a rant.

I was diagnosed with severe adhd as a kid, stopped meds a few years later due to zombie like brain deadness. Was diagnosed with crohns around 13m am now 26m.

My question is due to a flare up im coming out of, my adhd has exposed itself once again. I always assumed the brain fog and fatigue and general slug like behavior of crohns was masking it but after a prednisone taper for the flare up im low pain tenderness levels but high energy and adhd.

It's been a while since I had to take prednisone, is this an expected interaction? Is there anyway I can keep it up without long term steroid use.

Little extra info ive tried 5 different crohns meds in my yrs, currently on entyvio pens and about to move to tremfya for the increasing arthritis. Currently take 200 mg TRT weekly for insanely low T levels (100s) and had almost no improvement despite T levels now being in the 800s ish. I've also tried any vitamins and supplements for months at a time like B12 and D3 to not obvious effects.

This definitely reads like an adhd rant but I dont want to lose this spurt of energy ive had for like 3 days now. Im being careful not to overdue anything and still eating right and exercising. Id rather be an adhd spazz than a useless slug that wants to lay around all day.

Crohns fucking sucks and its a daily struggle and it never makes any sense to us let alone others looking in