It's "Crohn's Disease." I don't have it but my aunt, age 86 does.

http://www.crohns-disease-info.com/

An excerpt:

Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disease, IBD for short, that causes
persistent or recurring inflammation of one or more parts of the intestine.
Crohn's disease can affect any part of the gastrointestinal system, from the
mouth to the anus. The disease was named after Dr. Burrill Crohn, who was
one of the first to describe the disease in medical literature.

There is no known cure for Crohn's disease. Even though this disease is
common, it has not been talked about until recently. The causes are unknown
and is not due to stress as was once thought.

Inflammatory bowel disease can occur at any age, but usually begins in the
late teens or early adulthood. It is sometimes associated with medical
problems outside of the intestine, including arthritis, cancer, gallstones,
kidney stones, and skin conditions.

Other associated names are ileitis and enteritis.

What is Inflamed by Crohn's Disease?

Inflamed Crohn's disease affects the bowel wall from the inner to the outer
lining, including muscle layers inbetween. Not only does the bowel wall
become inflamed, but the disease also causes swelling of the mesentery, a
fan-shaped piece of tissue connecting the small intestine to the back wall
of the abdomen (the mesentery contains the main intestinal blood vessels and
lymph glands).

Where does Crohn's Disease Occur?

Crohn's disease can affect any area from the mouth to the anus. About 45
percent of people diagnosed have Crohn's disease affecting the end of the il
eum and the beginning of the colon. About 35 percent have it occur just in
the end of the ileum. About 20 percent have the disease just in the colon.
In a few patients, the disease affects the jejunum, duodenum, stomach, or
esophagus. When Crohn's affects the mouth, there is almost always an
associated occurrence elsewhere in the gastrointestinal tract.

I don't have Crohn's disease, but I though this website was useful in
explaining it to me:

http://www.angelfire.com/ga/crohns/

The good news, I guess, is that its not something directly life threatening,
although it still sounds mighty scary in its own right. You might find
support groups for other Crohn's disease patients helpful, like
alt.support.crohns-colitis (I don't know how good or bad that one is, its
just an example).

Please look after yourself and know that there is always an extra purr or
two handy if you need some.

*Hugs*

Yowie

I know very little about Crohn's Disease except there are groups that
raise money for research in this area.
Purrs continuing your way. At least you get a diagnosis.

Winnie

At least you know what it is now.   Here's a site with some useful info on
it - even though it's a UK site diseases are the same the world over.
I know it's not much consolation at the moment, but at least it wasn't
"you-know-what."  Thank goodness for that.

http://www.crohns.org.uk/

Tweed

I should have thought of that, because I have an acquaintance who has
Crohn's. She had a tough time for a while, but it's been in remission
(I think they use that phrase) for quite a few years now, and she seems
to be doing well. It can be a difficult condition, but it is certainly
treatable and manageable.

Did your doctor recommend steroids? Or if not, what treatments are
you considering?

I'm glad it's not life-threatening.

Purrs,
Joyce

First, many purrs.  I know of one person who has been afflicted his
entire life with this. And my niece (17) has some sort of IBD but I
haven't heard them label her's Crohn's yet.  I know it is an
autoimmune disease, and my Shamrock had a form of IBD that the vets
often compared to Crohn's. I think the long-term effects are the
inability to absorb nutrients, so you feel run-down, and the
inability to absorb nutrients also has long-term effects on your
organs. The worst case I've seen again, was with someone who has
had Crohn's since childhood, so it's not surprising that now in his
late 30s, it's affected many organs. Take care of yourself, and I
hope your doctors educate you on what this means.  And if they
don't, please do some reading, but don't get all down and let it
make you depressed.  I hope you feel better Monique.

Oooh, I'm so sad that you have this, because we've lost at least one
beloved poster here to it, and definitely don't want to see any more.
JEM (Janice Munday) passed away almost four years ago, on July 8th,
2002:

http://obit.byles.com/obit_display.cgi?id=7165&clientid=byles&listing=Found

She seemed to have a particularly severe form of it, and IIRC, she's
had to undergo operations for it since she was a child.

I'm sorry to hear this, Monique.  Crohn's sucks, but at least you know
what you're dealing with and it's nothing worse.  I don't have any info
on it, except that I know one guy who I went to aviation college with
got diagnosed with Crohn's a few years after graduation and it ended his
flying career because he couldn't pass his medical anymore.  But this
was almost 15 years ago and I heard they have much better treatments
now.
Hugs and purrs,

Monique, maybe you should talk to a nutritionist who is familiar with this
disease before going on medication.  I've heard some people have had good
results with diet alone.

Oh, and I forgot to add lots of purrs!!

Well, at least you know what it is now. Can't help in any way since I
don't know anyone with this disease, but we are sending purrs that you
can figure this out.

Lots and lots of purrs and best wishes,
Polonca and Soncek

Ouch!  Sorry to hear that but at least you have a definitive diagnosis.
  Seems that you've gotten lots of good advice from the group.  Purrs
for you to feel better soon.

Howdy there Monique :)

I have crohn's disease...going on about 20 years now!  It is indeed a
serious disease, and please don't take it as anything less, but don't
freak out!  From reading one of your previous posts I know that one very,
very important fact has already been made clear to you - stress'll kill
ya! There are alot of treatments, and more are becoming available all of
the time.  Unfortunately it's not known exactly what causes crohn's.
While it is known that it has an adverse effect on the immune system, the
new thought on the matter is that it may actually be related to your
immune system having been damaged beforehand.  You listed alot of ailments
that you've had over the years ...me too, so that seems to make sense.

I'd really like for you to contact me at powersd@gmail.com (I don't get
mail at this addy.)  I may be able to help to explain what some of your
medications are, as well as alternate treatments you might seek.

I'm posting this as "on topic" because by beloved h0p, who many here are
familiar with, also had inflammatory bowel disease and took many of the
same medications that I do!  Again, please mail me...we'll chat crohn's
*grin*  For now...do things that make you feel happy and laugh as often as
you can.

Dee