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Anxiety With Crohn's?Hi does anyone else have anxiety with these serious diseases? Please get back at me if you can...Thanks!

 Reply posted for Harley6298.

Dear Harley6298, thanks for your entry.  I have a lot of anxiiety too, your comments shed some light on what's going on.  The docs I see address the physical aspects of my probs, but never the psycological part.

 Reply posted for clns.

I know that having a disease that you will always have for the rest of your life is hard to take, but the other thing that you have to realize is that stress isn't good for your problems either...Stress can make things worse...That is what I have read in a book that I received in the mail...Stress isn't good for anyone...Do you take any medication for this....It doesn't hurt to take meds for this...I take lexapro and without it, my family wouldn't want me around...They will testify to that...Good Luck and God Bless...jdpinkmom...

 Reply posted for rebecca.

I go through the same thing all the time.  I have had UC for 7years now, on and off severe colitis, the rest of the time, I have just weened off the prednisone and I thought that because the steroid had me buzzing all the time I just needed to let my body regulate it's hormones again.  But I have realized that because I have spells all the time, I am just not getting the nutrients that I need from the food I eat because it shoots right through me.  I try liquid vitamins instead of pills, I think it helps a little, but I still really have to force myself to get out there and do things.  99% of the time I just want to crawl into bed and sleep or veg in front of the TV.  I am not married, I'm single, just have a couple good freinds and my puppy dog.  But I am lucky to have the support that I have as well as good doctors.  If my doctor couldn't understand my fatigue, I would change doc's... Just how I am, I/we have to  go though enough without that.

 Reply posted for smf.

I know exactly what you mean about being to tired...my husband just doesn't understand...he says it's from all of the medication, and her doesn't think that i need all of them...it is great to know that others out there have the same symptoms as you and to know that your not the only one...God Bless...

 Reply posted for Sarah.

Anxiety has definitely played a role in my life from the flairs to the medication. I think my anxiety problems were at their worst when I was on the prednisone. I definitely think that can play a huge role with your mood.

 Reply posted for Harley6298.

I just wanted to thank all of you for your support! Reading this topic has made me feel so much better, I am in tears.

I have had crohns since 97, resection in 99, remicade, pentasa, entocorte, tons of steriods, et all. About 2 years ago, my energy just went kaput. I am still so tired, with intermittent flares, arthritus, and newly found low b12 and ferritin levels. All I can do is work (I am a teacher) and be a mother to my 14 year old. My doctor just chewed my butt for being lazy, I am so hurt. My son is very active in everything (music, sports, weight training) that it takes all I have just to work and run him around. He also cooks dinners, since I am wiped out, and does other daily chores. The iron pills make me sick, I am dizzy and sick already, and I feel so guilty about not being able to do more. Then my doc made me feel worse. I am supposed (last colonscopy and scan) be in non active state, yeah right, tell that to my guts.

You all have helped so much, thank you!

 Reply posted for therobiscool4.

I was diagnosed 17 years ago with UC and newly diagnosed with Crohn's. I had such severe panic attacks and anxiety for years. I was affraid to go places in case I had to run or not make it to a bathroom. I could not eat out at restraunts, go to weddings, anywhere confined. After a year of panic attacks, I finally went to the doctors and they gave me Prozak. It really helped a lot. I then got pregnant and stopped taking it 7 years ago and i actually have been doing really well without it. I think for me, having kids has helped my anxiety and panic attacks. I guess my main focus is on them and not worrying that I might have a panic attack.

 Reply posted for therobiscool4.

If I didn't take anxiety/anti-depressants I would be so unhappy and hard to be around that I would end up loosing everyone.  I think treating this aspect of it is critical, at least it is for me.  Maybe I'm fortunate that the meds work so well for me.

 Reply posted for therobiscool4.

I just figured anxiety and Crohn's go hand in hand.  I have been battling this illness since 1985 and experienced my first "panic attack" after they took me off the prednisone.  Since then anxiety as been with me like my skin.  I have tried anti anxiety meds but honestly I don't like the way they make me feel.  I have noticed that my anxiety level increases or decreases with the status of my illness.  Two years ago I went through 4 surgeries, a colostomy and reversal all in the year.  Since then my anxiety as been worse.  I am hoping that if the Humira I am taking eventually puts me back in remission for a lenght of time that the anxiety will decrease.  I once had a therapist tell me that the reason anxiety is so high among people with chronic illness is because we use all our coping skills coping with our illness and therefore have little resources left to deal with the day to day problems of life.  Kinda like a tank of gas.  If you are driving on a full tank of gas and get stuck in bumper to bumper traffic while your gas supply may diminish you won't run out but when you head out on just a 1/4 tank of gas which most of us function on from day to day and then you run into a problem you are on empty before you know it.  The good news is that the things which lead us to be susceptible to Crohn's and fatigue etc. are the things most people in life strive for.... I am told most of us tend to be highly intelligent, multi-taskers who are capable of doing twice as much as most, we are more sensitive than others and take charge kind of people.  What an impressive group don't you think so whats a little anxiety in the mix?

Lisa

Anxiety is very normal for Crohn's, given the symptoms we have to deal with.  I've used anti-anxiety meds, but they made my face look like rubber (according to my wife), and they can be very addictive.  For me, the better option was to learn bio-feedback.  You learn to recognize anxiety, and then relax yourself to stop the anxiety.  There's more to it than that, but it isn't hard to learn.  I was fortunate in that my health insurance covered the training.  I hope this can help you, too.

 Reply posted for therobiscool4.

 I have serious anxiety with Crohn's Disease. Its so bad that my heart rate is in the 120s at least half of most days. I think its just really from the fact of knowing that we have a chronic disease that unless GOD heals it its not going away. Its very hard to be so young and already be taking 35 pills a day roughly which varies a little bit depending on what I remember to take. With Crohn's Disease stress also affects it and causes stomach spasms which can be absolutely horrific if you are not careful. It really depends though on what works best for you because everyone living with Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis isnt on the same kind of medicine or treatment because the disease responds to different things in different people. It just totally depends on what is best for you.

 Reply posted for hickeylinda.

 Hi,

I was given steroids through an IV while I was in the hospital for colitis, then I was given them in pill form when I was released. I was on a lot of medication in the hospital, so it's hard to tell what side effects were from what. But, I was on 60mg/day and it was pretty quickly that I noticed the side effects. At first I was just very moody and angry, frustrated, didn't want to be bothered. I had a lot of anxiety and anxious energy, I couldn't sleep at night and went on the treadmil a lot and just kept busy. After a few weeks I started with the moon face which wasn't bad, but I've been on these steroids since Jan. 20th so right now my face is very stretched out. Then I broke out with acne, which has now started to subside.

It all depends on how much pred you are on. I'm on a very high dose and have been inflamed since Christmas night and still am experiencing symptoms, so the doctors are at a loss for me - trying different medications and all, hopefully the remicade will kick in and i can get off the steroids. Good luck!

 Reply posted for Kate82.

 If you've already had two Remicade treatments, you might try calling your doctor's office and telling him/her about the prednisone's side effects, and couldn't you taper off now? If the doc isn't willing, ask about taking Entocort instead. It's basically a type of prednisone that's enterically coated, so it doesn't release until it's in the gut (where it's needed).My doc told me you get less side effects since it doesn't go all through the system like prednisone, and she said it also gets cleaned out of the bloodstream quicker because the liver's near where it gets released. I've used it now and then with much fewer effects than prednisone.

The thing I've found about doctors is you have to keep giving them feedback on how the meds affect you, or they won't know. If they don't seem to like feedback, you might want to find another doctor. It's your body the meds are going into, after all.

 Reply posted for therobiscool4.

 I have colitis and I def. experience anxiety which makes my colitis worse. I've had this disease for seven years so I've learned that I have to chill out and not worry about things. I find that doing things like yoga helps me calm down and relieves my stress.

 Reply posted for therobiscool4.

 I have anxiety with Crohn's that is extremely bad. Like it makes my body shake and everything, my heart race, etc. Also I stress out about the fact of knowing that I have a chronic disease that unless GOD heals it its not going away. I even have flare ups that are caused by the anxiety and stress and basically my doc tells me I need to stop or just deal with the flares with pain meds. I was hospitalized before so I know your feeling.

 Reply posted for smf.

 I know what you mean about friends/family not always understanding. Once when I was having a bad flare-up someone asked me when I was going to get better.  Oh, yeah, like IBD has a schedule.  

A lot of my friends and family don't really get about my having to eat low-residue during flare-ups. My mom's always been a junk food junkie, so she doesn't always get why I should have to "deprive" myself of fatty foods, especially when I'm thin.  And I've got this friend who spent a lot of time on stuff like Atkins and the Zone diet, so she sometimes turns into a 'food nazi', even though I can't eat the stuff she thinks I should. I just try to ignore them and eat what I know works best for me.

 Reply posted for tahani.

Reply to Tahani:

Thanks for your comments about not running yourself into the ground. It's nice to have some validation about that. I have learned to create a schedule and lifestyle (out of necessity) that doesn't wear me down. A car ride or one social event can tire me out. It seems that friends/family don't always understand and even I feel guilty sometimes that I'm being "lazy." Acceptance of this comes and goes, along with anger and annoyance that I can't be active like "normal" people. One thing I struggle with is chronic fatigue-even when I'm not having a flare with my colitis, my energy is limited and sometimes I have one major symptom-extreme fatigue.

The upside is that I've taught my 8-year-old (thankfully healthy) daughter to pick and choose activities and enjoy downtime (she loves to read and paint, which she says calms her!). Thanks and take care.

 Reply posted for lora.

 I agree about keeping down the worry factor. Stress isn't good for anyone, and that includes us IBD folks.  And as for reading up on our disease, I do tend to stay away from the books that give you the 'worst case scenario" stuff. But books like "Eating Right" generally talk about things we can do for ourselves, in a more positive tone.  The more we can be in control, and can manage our IBD, the less scary it can be. 

I think part of managing your disease is just being aware of what aggrivates it, including stress, food, etc. I've learned that asacol makes me worse, broccoli doesn't agree with me either.  Neither does rushing around with little downtime. My friends are more "type A" while I'm a "type B", and when I tried to keep up with their pace I ended up sick and miserable. So now I take it slow, and feel a lot better. It's best just to know how your body reacts to things, and do what's best for you.

 Reply posted for therobiscool4.

 I too have periods of anxiety, especially duirng flares.  I am plagued by the "what ifs" and "what does this symptom mean?" and "will I have to go on more serious medications?" etc. 

I try to tell myself that I should only expend mental energy on those things I can control.  Ie. worrying about whether or not Ill have to go on another medication does not prevent this from happening.  I can only control how I react to things.  There is a great book called The Worry Cure, that really speaks to non-productive worry. 

I have also learned, as oppossed to the other person that responded, that looking up information only ADDs to my anxiety.  When I read about the complications of this disease, it festers in my mind until I'm convinced it will happen to me.  I try to stay away from looking things up on-line if at all possible. Again...non-productive worrying rears its ugly head.

With all that said...Im still not very good about controlling my worry.  It is a constant battle.

 Reply posted for therobiscool4.

 Yeah, that's pretty normal. I think it'd be weird not to have anxiety some of the time. I've had Crohn's for thirty years now, since I was about 21, and back then there wasn't the info out on Crohn's like there is today.

One of the best ways I've handled anxiety is learning as much as I could about it. There's some good books on the disease out now, like "Eating Right for a Bad Gut", and there's a new one called "The First Year--Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis"by Jill Sklar.  You might try your local library and see what they have before hitting Amazon. Some books read more doctor-ese, but some are pretty readable.

Mainly, too, try to make sure you get plenty of sleep, it'll keep your moods more normal and less stressed out.  Whenever I've had flare-ups, this has worked best for me, and staying away from stressful stuff if I can. Like maybe watching a comedy show instead of something scary, or even limiting how much time you might spend with someone who tends to be a pain, if possilbe.

Bottom line, stay rested, stay informed, stay nourished. Sorry if this is long winded, but I hope some of it helps.  Good luck.