It's weird to think how long I've been dealing with Crohn's way before I was diagnosed.
I remember having all these intense pains starting in 2014 when I was 15. I kept thinking, maybe all the junk food I've been eating has finally caught up with me. I started to get used to the pain & held in my urge to go to the bathroom all the time.
I was dealing with the pain everyday after every meal to the point where it drove me crazy. I started thinking that maybe something was wrong, so I googled my symptoms. I started to think maybe I did have a type of IBD. I told my father, who seemed very concerned, but couldn't do anything due to his busy schedule at work. I told my mother, but she told me to "not self-diagnose myself" and to not believe everything I looked up on google.
I went to two different doctors and they misdiagnosed my condition as constipation or some really bad acid reflex thing. I went to a third one, an OBGYN doctor, and he was a miracle. He managed to spot certain symptoms that the other doctors failed to notice. I was then recommended to my current doctor who diagnosed me with Crohn's disease.
Few CT scans, a barium test, & an MRI later, I was finally diagnosed in January 2015, just weeks after my 16th birthday. I wanted to cry at the news because I was right all along, and I had suffered to the point where I had to be hospitalized for 10 days. I had an ulcer & was internally bleeding since the inflammation was that bad. I also had anemia.
At the hospital, they tried to hook up an IV. But it hurt so much so I had to take these little steroid pills everyday. I couldn't eat anything but soup, liquefied rice, and jello. It was miserable.
One day, I had to take 4 shots of Humira. Another day, I had to do a colonoscopy. I was given a shot to knock me out, so I don't remember anything but being loopy when I woke up.
3 days before my release, I was able to eat semi-regular food. It was the happiest sensation I've ever had in the world, and the food just tasted like heaven to me.
I was super happy to be released in February. The feeling was so indescribable. I had to take lots of medication, and I still get Humira shots every other week.
Thank you for taking the time to read the story of a 16 year old living in Japan!
I remember having all these intense pains starting in 2014 when I was 15. I kept thinking, maybe all the junk food I've been eating has finally caught up with me. I started to get used to the pain & held in my urge to go to the bathroom all the time.
I was dealing with the pain everyday after every meal to the point where it drove me crazy. I started thinking that maybe something was wrong, so I googled my symptoms. I started to think maybe I did have a type of IBD. I told my father, who seemed very concerned, but couldn't do anything due to his busy schedule at work. I told my mother, but she told me to "not self-diagnose myself" and to not believe everything I looked up on google.
I went to two different doctors and they misdiagnosed my condition as constipation or some really bad acid reflex thing. I went to a third one, an OBGYN doctor, and he was a miracle. He managed to spot certain symptoms that the other doctors failed to notice. I was then recommended to my current doctor who diagnosed me with Crohn's disease.
Few CT scans, a barium test, & an MRI later, I was finally diagnosed in January 2015, just weeks after my 16th birthday. I wanted to cry at the news because I was right all along, and I had suffered to the point where I had to be hospitalized for 10 days. I had an ulcer & was internally bleeding since the inflammation was that bad. I also had anemia.
At the hospital, they tried to hook up an IV. But it hurt so much so I had to take these little steroid pills everyday. I couldn't eat anything but soup, liquefied rice, and jello. It was miserable.
One day, I had to take 4 shots of Humira. Another day, I had to do a colonoscopy. I was given a shot to knock me out, so I don't remember anything but being loopy when I woke up.
3 days before my release, I was able to eat semi-regular food. It was the happiest sensation I've ever had in the world, and the food just tasted like heaven to me.
I was super happy to be released in February. The feeling was so indescribable. I had to take lots of medication, and I still get Humira shots every other week.
Thank you for taking the time to read the story of a 16 year old living in Japan!
