Nice to see you posting again, Sanji.
All the very best for a speedy recovery. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you!

Merry Christmas Sanji

I have not been in HT for quite a while (couldn't remember my password!), so hadn't been aware that Sanji had been so poorly and spent time in hospital.

I have had the privilege of meeting both Sanji and her lovely hubby and what a lovely couple they are.

Sanji has helped me SO many times on here, as she has many others, with her help and advice.

Get well soon love, you are a strong lady, a lovely lady and deserve lots of happiness.

I will be in touch and pop over to see you when you are feeling better

Much Love

Elaine and Blane xxx

Has anyone any news as to how Sanji is doing? I'm hoping that no news is good news and she is now on the road to full recovery.

If you're reading this Sanji, I wish you a very happy and healthy 2014 and we all look forward to seeing you back on here when you feel up to it.

hello sanji its was such a nice surprise to come home from 3 weeks holiday to see your back home and on the internet.
I hope now that you will have a speedy recovery and get back to normal.

I've spoken to Shirley today & she's doing well hopefully she'll pop in soon

That's great news Glynis. Thanks for updating us. I know we have all been thinking of Sanji and wishing her well.

Good news indeed, glad to hear you are doing well

Love Margaret(madmum)

Thanks Glynis
Thanks everyone for your lovely replies - they've made me very emotional reading them.
I've not booted up my computer for weeks - TBH, I've had no interest in it - I've been using my tablet downstairs (sat on the sofa) flitting through just about every forum to read posts made by those who suffer with crohn's.
One of the main symptoms of crohn's is tiredness - well, you can say that again, I'd have never believed just how tired this thing can make a person. Some days it feels like I'm walking through treacle and climbing the stairs is like climbing mount Everest. Trying to keep awake during the daytime is quite a task.

I still have a few 'problems' that need addressing - I'm hoping the consultant will shed some light on what to do, I see him on the 3rd February for my follow-up appointment - and whether or not he puts me on long term medication.
When I was in the second hospital, they did further blood tests, and the LFT's (liver function tests) came back with four abnormal readings.
I've got a dry flaky rash that's itching and driving me crazy - I'm not on any medication now, apart from taking Lactulose - Lactulose can give you a rash and crohn's disease can too - the disease migrates from the intestines to the skin.

Teaching my bowels how to behave properly, well, that's easier said than done - I've gone from having no control ( and a few embarrassing accidents) to now not being able to go. The conversation in my house is all about the toilet. lol. Chronic constipation is no fun - If you suffer with crohn's and have had surgery, you have the fear that you're getting another obstruction.

I'm slowly getting there - my wound is now healed, it's a nice straight red line, but I wouldn't want to be too heavy handed or scratching around the scar just yet.
Thank god for mashed potatoes - I've lived on mashed potatoes, veg and chicken, I've been able to mash the veg up in the potatoes to get them down. Getting your vitamins is important, but even more important with crohn's.

I've had two severe attacks of heartburn - Dave went into 'panic mode' fearing the worse - it was food related and so I'm having to cut out things by trial and error.( I didn't need food to have heartburn before the operation)
The offending food was having a small piece of Christmas cake for the first time, I really enjoyed it, but two hours later it felt like I was being stabbed between the shoulder blades and my intestines were not happy about it at all. Thank goodness I didn't have any Christmas pudding at Christmas.!

I'm not a big chocolate eater, however, I do like 'after eight mints', and I could easily polish off a small box in one evening. The kids knew I liked them, so, I had a few boxes bought for Christmas.
I only had about 5 or 6 wafer thin mints and a few hours later I was in agony ( apparently chocolate is a trigger for some sufferers of crohn's). I can live without Christmas cake, but 'after eight mints' are something that I occasionally treat myself to.....Boooooo!

Putting things into perspective, (in comparison to what some sufferers can and can't eat) - 'after eight mints' are a small sacrifice. There's no laid down diet for crohn's - each person is different to the next person, and what one person can eat and tolerate. It just makes you frightened of what to eat, just in case the heartburn and stabbing pains in the guts return.

Having read what symptoms some people are experiencing, I feel sorry for any young person diagnosed with this miserable disease, knowing it's incurable and can only be managed by medication. - Apparently I'd had it for a while and my small bowel had twisted and become contorted around adhesions from an hysterectomy performed 19/20years ago, ( the only operation I'd ever had) so that's why very little was passing this point and the start of the pain. The histology report confirmed it was crohn's that had caused it.

Onwards and upwards I hope, and after I've seen the consultant in February, I'm going to book a week in my favourite place in Spain as soon as possible - I don't care if it's cold or raining, I've had this urge to be next to the sea for months now- It's felt like being a caged animal.

Sanji x

Edit for typo error

Sanji lovely to see you back on here, I do hope you overcome some of the pain by and error it must be very hard for you at times, get yourselves off to Spain it will do the both of you the world of good.
Love Margaret(madmum)

Hi Sanji

Thank you for posting such a comprehensive update. It's made me hopeful that you are feeling more like your old self even if the forums you are flitting about are crohns' forums. So sorry that you have ended up with something so debilitating. I also have a condition that gives chronic fatigue so can empathise with the 'wading through treacle' comment. Hope you are coming to terms with it all and that you soon get your desired break near the sea. My friends son was diagnosed with Crohns in his late teens early twenties and now manages ok and holds down a full time job, but it was a huge learning cure for him and my dear friend.

Take Care, Doe

Glad to hear you are getting better , I'm sure it's very painful to cope with , I remember in my early twenties my immediate manager had Crohns and he was mid to late twenties , he always looked in pain and couldn't do anything but paperwork . My mum suffers from diverticulitis and has done for years , it's getting worse now and really gets her down , I suppose none of us really know what might strike us down at any time .
Enjoy your trip to Spain , it's fair to say you've earnt it

Oh Sanji, welcome back.
Quite a few of my patients suffer with Crohn's, so I've an idea what you are going through and hope you wont have too many flareups.
Hope you get to go on holiday soon.

Sanji. Sorry to hear you have been so ill. Glad to hear you are feeling a bit better. I haven't been on here in a long while so only just reading about it.
Hope you get away to your favourite place by the sea soon. Garry and myself were there last June.
Sending our love your way.
Love
Mary&Garry. Xx

Good to see you posting Sanji!

I daresay it will be a long healing process
and even longer to learn to live with it.

I'm glad you're at home and that you're feeling a bit better.

Sorry not to have posted before now; I never remember to log in and in consequence don't get through to the general chat.

Sanji, I'm relieved your home and on the road to recovery where you can manage the illness. Like others have said before, you've been a great help and source of information to us all (even if we haven't always taken it ), and I hope it won't be long before you're back on HT regularly.

I've also not been too good since June with stomach cramps, etc and the C word was used. Very very thankfully this proved not to be the case, and although we still don't have a diagnosis - see the Consultant again next month - it proves how much we all have to live each day as it comes because we don't know what's ahead of us.

Now all I need in order to live each day as I would like (holidays, holidays and more holidays) is to win the lottery

Anyway, keep well Sanji and we are all thinking of you

Rosalyn (Babs135)

Glad to see you posting but sorry that you have went through so much, hopefully you will be able to sort out your diet so that you can control the pain.

Linda

Babs135 wrote:

Sorry not to have posted before now; I never remember to log in and in consequence don't get through to the general chat.

Sanji, I'm relieved your home and on the road to recovery where you can manage the illness. Like others have said before, you've been a great help and source of information to us all (even if we haven't always taken it ), and I hope it won't be long before you're back on HT regularly.

I've also not been too good since June with stomach cramps, etc and the C word was used. Very very thankfully this proved not to be the case, and although we still don't have a diagnosis - see the Consultant again next month - it proves how much we all have to live each day as it comes because we don't know what's ahead of us.

Now all I need in order to live each day as I would like (holidays, holidays and more holidays) is to win the lottery

Anyway, keep well Sanji and we are all thinking of you

Rosalyn (Babs135)

I hope you find out the cause of your illness soon Rosalyn and get appropriate treatment. Wishing you well xxx

It is lovely to see you back posting Sanji as you have been sorely missed. It is obviously going to take time before you are feel anything like back to normal but at least it is moving the right way now and if you can get your diet sorted out that should be a big help. Getting back to Spain, whatever the weather, will also make you feel better I'm sure. One of my daughters-in-law has a sister with Crohns so I do know something about how debilitating it can be.

Now all I need in order to live each day as I would like (holidays, holidays and more holidays) is to win the lottery

You and me both Rosalyn. In the meantime I hope they can find out what is causing your problems and get it sorted out soon.