Crohn's symptoms

I think everbody knows someone with Crohn's disease or knows someone who knows someone. The stories about those people symptoms are different each time. That's because the symptoms are numerous and different for each person. The symptoms are also very similair to other bowel diseases, what makes it even more difficult to diagnose Crohn's disease.

 

People with Crohn's will have (some of) these symptoms:

• Diarrhea (sometimes with blood); 
• Abdominal pain (sometimes with stomic cramps); 
• Sometimes constipation; 
• Anemia; 
• Weight loss; 
• Feeling tired; 
• Fever; 
• Night sweats;
• Lagging growth in children / teens; 
• Rectal pain and/or rectal bleeding;
• Minor wounds, fistulas and abscesses, often around the anus; 
• Strictures in the intestine may be caused by the formation of scar tissue in areas where ulcers and fistula's were created. This narrowing can cause symptoms such as pain and problems with bowel movements such as constipation. Over time, even an intestinal obstruction (ileus) arise.

Other symptoms that are not directly related to the inflammation in the bowel and/ or small intestine: 

• Painful, inflamed eyes; 
• Painful, swollen joints (especially knees, elbows, ankles and wrists);
• Skin problems: painful, bluish-red spots on the skin (erythema nododsum), usually of the lower legs; 
• Arthritis;
• Small ulcers in the mouth; 
• Gallstones.

People with Crohn's have a slightly increased risk of getting cancer. That's why they also need regular check-up's.

 

The course of the disease is different with each patient. Some people have occasional symptoms, while others frequently have violent attacks. A Crohn's attack is also called a flare(-up), inflammation or an active period. My flare has been going on for a year now. Some will have a flare for a few months followed by years with minor symptoms, or just the other way around. With Crohn's it's very unpredictable.

 

Besides the symptoms of Crohn's, people with this disease can also have side effects from the medication they have to take. That's why sometimes it's difficult to find out if a symptom is caused by Crohn's or caused by use of medication. 

What is Crohn's disease?

There are lot's of discriptions of what Crohn's disease is, you have:
- The medical point of view
- The patients point of view
- And the point of view of people who may have heard of it.

Since this is my blog I'm just gonna write it from my point of view;)

But first my point of view about the Crohn's disease before I was diagnosed: I thought that it's probably something that has to do with your bowel, that it hurts, that you frequently have to go to the toilet, that you become very skinny and have to be on a diet. Oh and that it was Chronic eventhough I couldn't really understand what that would be like for someone.

Many people would first disribe Crohn's as a chronic disease in which (parts of) your colon and/ or small intestine is/are inflamed. Yes, that's partially true. That's also my short version.

The longer version is that Crohn's is something you were born with, it's already in your genetics. It's a autoimmune disease and sooner or later you will start having the symptoms of this disease. There's something going wrong with the defence mechanism of your cells. You have this army in your body who's only purpose is to protect you from intruders, for instance bacteria that make you sick. When you have Crohn's, your army is not the smartest one on the planet. They fight with each other and are making antibodies against your own tissue. With Crohn's this will cause an inflamation of the gastrointestinal tract. That means from mouth to where you poop. The symptoms are numerous but the most damaged part is usually the bowel.