6 Strange Crohn's Symptoms Only Crohnies Understand
If you have Crohn's disease, you know that there are some weird symptoms that only we as Crohn’s patients understand. It's the little isms that only a fellow Crohnie can relate to and it’s always nice to share them so you know you aren't alone. Let's see if you can relate to the following:
My weird Crohn's symptoms
Swollen knees
I don't know about you, but it seems like my knees are always swollen. I sometimes feel like they are full of water. Running, jumping and just being light on my feet is hard with swollen knees. Then to complicate matters, falling asleep on my side is impossible without a pillow between my legs. I literally cannot have my knees lay on one another because it hurts and it is so uncomfortable. I can't fall asleep without a cushion between my swollen knees. Gone are the days where I can just lay on my side without needing the help of a pillow.
Swollen feet
In addition to dealing with swollen knees, my feet love to swell up if I am standing or walking for too long. Heck, even if I am sitting for too long they swell. The best is when I put on a pair of heels for a nice dinner, walking in them for as little as one hour means swollen feet! The moment I take those heels off, get ready to see the implant of a strap. This even happens in sneakers. Overall, just being on your feet causes swelling and it's never fun to experience.
Not being able to sleep
Overall, just not being able to get a full night's rest is always something we Crohnies deal with. If I wake up feeling refreshed, it's miraculous. Whether you are on steroids or not, having Crohn's really messes with sleep. Waking up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night is pretty routine and trying to find a comfortable position while dealing with abdominal pain is always hard. So no, you aren't the only one if you struggle to get rest.
Loss of appetite
This is a big one. For many factors, it is so common to lose your appetite. A major factor is just always feeling sick and nauseous. When you deal with constant abdominal pain the thought of eating is just not at the top of the list. All you want to do is crawl up into the fetal position and try to sleep it off. But even if you aren't dealing with pain, just being on certain meds can take away your appetite. Also, the fear of eating something that will trigger symptoms makes you not want to eat.
Always cold
Hello, anemia. Many patients with Crohn's deal with anemia which means we are forever cold. Cold feet. Cold hands. Needing sweaters when others are in short sleeves. Always wanting to be snuggled under a warm blanket at home. Just never feeling warm is something we tend to struggle with.
Night sweats
This is so common. Night sweats. Prednisone takes the cake with this one. Whenever I am on prednisone, night sweats are routine. However, even when I am off of it, just being in a flare will bring on night sweats in the middle of the night. Nothing worse than waking up, drenched in sweat, and needing to change pajamas and even bed sheets.
What are your strange Crohn's symptoms?
What do you think of these 6 symptoms? Can you relate to them? Do you struggle with these as well? Comment below, we love to hear from you.
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