I'd never even heard of it till I came here, got to know Becky and then bang, she transfers it to me psychically I reckon!

I was diagnosed just over a year ago, but other than being quite naughty I think I'm now pretty much in remission (touch wood). There is life after prednisone I promise you. My acne has actually gone, my weight dropped back down to a perfectly normal level. My sensitive skin is reacting to it not being around though, because the joy of steroids is that they controlled my eczema. I'm still dealing with the fall-out from that, but my wonderful GI prescribed me some topical steroid cream and life got better!

I started on Asacol, but the Crohn's was actually in part of my small intestine too, and Asacol doesn't dissolve quick enough (on purpose) so I switched to Pentasa. Much the same, but without the coating, so it tends to dissolve in my mouth if I'm not careful - ick!

Can't help you with the other stuff I'm afraid, but having just pulled out of the other side of my first experience with Crohn's I'm here to tell you that life really can go back to nearly normal. The horrible thing about the steroids is that every time you think you've gotten a handle on the side-effects another one pops up. I've never known a drug with so many side-effects. It's not fun to deal with, but it really did help me, and the side-effects do almost entirely disappear. The main long-term side-effect you have to watch out for is the fact that it easts away your calcium, so you should have had a bone scan or two, and you should be taking a calcium supplement I expect.

I'm amazed at the difference Remicade has made to Becky though. At one point she could barely even walk and now she keeps telling us about her weight training!!

Good luck with your journey, because it isn't easy. In spite of everything though, I think I've changed quite a bit as a result of Crohn's. It has forced me to slow down, which in turn forced me to think about some things differently.

Kerri.