Soldier

by Gary Hughes
(Germany)

Had Crohns since 1996, been in the British Army since 1989. To my knowledge no-one in my family has it. I am based in Germany and after a flare up the doctors put me on Azeathyoprine which worked for a while, the only side effect was bright green wee!!!!!. I have stopped taking this now and feel much better.... for now. Still, I haven't had the need to have surgery as of yet, but am worried I may have to in the near future.

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Soldier NEW
by: Annette Young

Hello there,

Sorry to hear that you have Crohn's and have had problems but congratulations on managing to hold down such a difficult and responsible job down.

It must be hard at times to cope with this disease and have to work long and erratic hours. Food can be a real trigger and although you are okay at the time of writing, it's a good idea to start monitoring what you are eating (assuming you are not already). I know you've had Crohn's for a long time but your system does change and foods that you may have been able to eat then might cause problems for you now. Alcohol and cigarettes are something that you should be avoiding because these can certainly give you adverse side-effects.

The other big trigger is stress and so I am wondering whether your job may play a part in any sudden flare-ups? If you have had any especially erratic hours or overseas tours with potentially threatening situations, that could certainly be seen as a trigger. Having said that, it doesn't need to be a dangerous situation avoid to aggravate the Crohn's.

I would suggest looking at your food in the first instance, and cut out things like dairy products if you can and keep a food Journal just see how things go by making regular notes, you'll be surprised at how much information can be gleaned.

If you are not currently on any medication, do keep an eye on any bouts of pain or discomfort, because most people have to stay on some sort of medication and coming off can cause flare-ups.

I hope that this is useful.

Best wishes,

Annette

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