Oh Katie, I'm sorry to hear both of these things.

Amanda has diverticulitis and that's hard enough. I worked with a woman who had Crohn's and she really had some tough times but seems to have it all under control now. Or did when I retired, I haven't seen her since.

Yes, your husband could be President of ODD, LOL. Nah, don't kill him. It's a lot more fun to just make him wish he were dead. (grin)

Annie

Yikes! Katie, I hope your DH's surgery goes well and that he regains full use of his hand.

Also, sending good wishes to your future SIL that he has found the right help for his crohn's disease.

~Ann

Wow, what a tough few days, and days to come. I'm glad your husband has a sense of humor. I hope your future son in law can get the help he needs.

Sally

ODD -- that's hilarious, which is the only funny thing in your post. I'm so sorry about DD's BF's diagnosis. I had a young employee who had Crohn's. She would have to miss a day every once in a while to go for a colonscopy, but other than that seemed to manage it quite well. She's now married with an adorable child. I do believe once you find the magic combination of treatment, life can be pretty normal.

Can't believe your husband drove himself to hospital with his finger in a bag of ice. I hope he manages well.

There are some very interesting treatments for Crohn's being tested now. With luck, the treatment options will be better in a couple of years.

Oh Geez, Katie! So sorry to hear of the boyfriend's Crohn's. I agree with Dedtired that once they get a treatment plan in place that works, life can go on.

Your husband cracks me up! ODD....how cool that he has a sense of humor about all of this! Hopefully he'll get thru it and have full use of his hand again so he can get back to work on your place! LOL

Linda

I love the book Breaking the Vicious Cycle by Elaine Gottschall. Yeah, it's tough but if a diet has already being started it isn't so shocking. My youngest son had a lot of intestinal problems and the book explained so much.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.amazon.com/Breaking-Vicious-Cycle-Intestinal-Through/dp/0969276818/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377740798&sr=8-1&keywords=breaking+the+vicious+cycle

A giant OUCH coming from here! Having struggled with stomach issues for years, my heart goes out to your DSIL (almost). Crohn's is nasty, but I most people do seem to find ways to get it under control. He has to calm it down and then find the triggers. Arabella Miller (now a registered dietician) suggested an obscure diet that finally quieted my system. I no longer have to strictly stick to it, but it helped immensely. The book that Cookie recommends sounds like it might be worth trying.
Your ODD husband, yikes! This guy is tough! I hope the surgery went well today. Just when life seems calm, it throws you a curve ball!
Good wishes to all!

Wow, Katie. And you wrote that treatise on 'bumps in the road' with the same wry sense of humor that your husband possesses. But, of course, it's not really funny, altho it helps with bumpy bumps.

Your husband is one tough cookie. He kept his wits during the drive, and before, too.

I hope that things ease a lot for you and yours. Crohn's gets good attention from the research community and that's helpful.

I forgot about the link to the website.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info/

Forgot to mention that my son also cut part of his thumb off with a table saw. Fortunately it was the back part, at an angle so it looks fine from the front -- the nail is still there. It's kind of funny looking from the back but he has no problem with function. Power tools are scary.

Thanks, all. Like DH says, sometimes you either have to laugh or cry. And it's good to hear that Crohn's can be gotten under control.

Thanks for the links, Cookie8. Interesting. The Kid says that book started them on the diet he's trying now. He's lost a lot of weight, but last time I saw him he looked way better. He's learning the hard way to watch what he eats. He's making a bit of progress....he loves to cook and is starting to get creative within his limits...a good sign.

Ellen, I though of you right off.

Pam, nothing like a constant reminder to make them more careful down the road (at least until they retire...argh). Glad your son only nicked himself.

Crud! I know you have been eager for your DH to work on house projects. My BIL did the same thing to his finger when he retired; it hasn't stopped him one bit. He worked on a very small (relative to his other projects) for me. He added trim and a shelf to my very plain pony wall.

I'm sorry to hear your family has to deal with Crohn's. I know the "natural" treatments espoused on the internet are sooo confusing and scary.

Katie, so sorry to hear of all those issues. Crohn's is manageable, but sorry he has to go through that. Your hubby? Now that is another story. Drove himself? Laughed about his fingers? Waited to call you? Made jokes about it? I think he really does need to form an ODD chapter, and he should be president! At least he is not a whiner, I guess. LOL

Lol, Sherry...yeah...he is definitely odd.Every time I chide him for not calling he says, "But there was absolutely nothing you could have done and you were doing something you like to do. You hardly ever get to do things that you like." And what can I say to that?

He's doing well...physical therapist is amazed that he is using his hand so well and hasn't needed pain meds since two days after surgery. I think he is realizing how lucky he was. He was a split second away from losing much more. More worried about the SIL. It's easier to deal with your own trials and tribulations than your kids'..... sighhhh....

I agree, Katie, it's much easier to deal with my own issues than my kids or grandkids.

Good for your hubs, I'm glad he's doing well. Not that I doubted it, with that attitude, LOL.

It'll be a long road for your SIL, but it can be managed. I'm also wondering why we have so many digestive issues now. I know people with Crohn's, diverticulitis, celiac, you name it. Is it more common (as it seems to be) or just more commonly diagnosed, I wonder?

Of course, we don't eat well as a nation, so that might be a factor. Ahem. Good luck to him, it's going to be a learning experience I know.

Annie

Ugh, sorry to hear about the string of bad luck.

Were they able to reattach anything? A bit of knowledge in case this happens to anyone else. My father cut off his fingertip on a table saw; I threw it in a bag of ice and took him to the ER. They told me you should always wrap "parts" up before putting it on ice. Apparently direct contact with ice can kill cells.

No advice on Crohns - I had to look that one up. Good luck to the both of them!

Is it more common (as it seems to be) or just more commonly diagnosed, I wonder?

Annie I wonder the same thing. I was raised on white flour/wonderbread, my kid was raised on whole grain/homemade and she's sensitive to gluten. DH says, "It was different wheat back then."

Thanks, FOAS. We'll file that info for next time (argh). In this case, he got the knuckles. They could have done a bone graft from his hip and reconstructed one of them, but he wouldn't have been able to bend it and the surgeon did not hesitate to tell him it would drive him crazy. He has more to work with than we thought....is using everything and is four weeks ahead than most according to the physical therapist. Maybe he'll get some work done on this place yet, hehe.