Hi friends! I need some support. I'm freaking out. Quickly, here's my disease history...
Diagnosed with CD at age 19. Had several blockages and finally a bowel resection at age 32. Removed 1 foot of small bowel, including ileocecal valve. Everything that could go wrong pretty much did. The anastomosis leaked and they gave me an ostomy. Developed abscesses and had 3 drains. Lost 35 pounds. They fed me via TPN.
Six months later, an ostomy takedown... but the anastomosis leaked again and they gave me another ostomy. Six months later, another take down. Finally it worked.
Flash forward ten years... I'm a runner. I'm fit. I take Humira. But I keep getting bowel obstructions. So doc recommended a resection and I said yes. That was December 19. Turns out, I had a mass of bowel that was stuck together via fistula and stuck to my abdominal wall. The surgery went well, they say. I went home after four days.
My pain wouldn't reduce and I was taking 10 oxy per day plus 8 tylenol. After a week, I knew I should be feeling better. It was the holidays so the on call docs were hesitant to say anything more than, "If you have a fever that doesn't go away with tylenol or pain that doesn't go away with oxy, then go to the ER." So I held on for a few more days and then just went to the ER.
A CT scan showed one large and one small abscess. They put a drain in one of them and decided to see if the other would drain from the same because they are kind of connected. So they sent me home. Fortunately the abscess wasn't infection. Instead, it was leftover blood or something.
So here I am at home again with a big drain stuck up through my left butt cheek. Nothing is draining anymore, so I don't think the second abscess is being affected. I go back in a week for another ct scan, which by the way freaks me out because i've had 13 in the past ten years. Chernobyl, anyone?
I guess I'm just looking for someone to remind me that I'll survive this and the complications will eventually end, and I'll be running again sometime this year.
To top it off, I have a three year old daughter, and I can't pick her up or cuddle her to sleep and this is hard on her and that's killing me. Life is really a big suck fest right now. But i put on a brave face for my family and friends.
AM I GOING TO BE OK? I'M SO SCARED!!!!
regards,
hero
Diagnosed with CD at age 19. Had several blockages and finally a bowel resection at age 32. Removed 1 foot of small bowel, including ileocecal valve. Everything that could go wrong pretty much did. The anastomosis leaked and they gave me an ostomy. Developed abscesses and had 3 drains. Lost 35 pounds. They fed me via TPN.
Six months later, an ostomy takedown... but the anastomosis leaked again and they gave me another ostomy. Six months later, another take down. Finally it worked.
Flash forward ten years... I'm a runner. I'm fit. I take Humira. But I keep getting bowel obstructions. So doc recommended a resection and I said yes. That was December 19. Turns out, I had a mass of bowel that was stuck together via fistula and stuck to my abdominal wall. The surgery went well, they say. I went home after four days.
My pain wouldn't reduce and I was taking 10 oxy per day plus 8 tylenol. After a week, I knew I should be feeling better. It was the holidays so the on call docs were hesitant to say anything more than, "If you have a fever that doesn't go away with tylenol or pain that doesn't go away with oxy, then go to the ER." So I held on for a few more days and then just went to the ER.
A CT scan showed one large and one small abscess. They put a drain in one of them and decided to see if the other would drain from the same because they are kind of connected. So they sent me home. Fortunately the abscess wasn't infection. Instead, it was leftover blood or something.
So here I am at home again with a big drain stuck up through my left butt cheek. Nothing is draining anymore, so I don't think the second abscess is being affected. I go back in a week for another ct scan, which by the way freaks me out because i've had 13 in the past ten years. Chernobyl, anyone?
I guess I'm just looking for someone to remind me that I'll survive this and the complications will eventually end, and I'll be running again sometime this year.
To top it off, I have a three year old daughter, and I can't pick her up or cuddle her to sleep and this is hard on her and that's killing me. Life is really a big suck fest right now. But i put on a brave face for my family and friends.
AM I GOING TO BE OK? I'M SO SCARED!!!!
regards,
hero
