My journey with crohn's disease started when I was 13 years old, however my Doc believes before that when i was younger I had it to and, my pediatrician at the time assumed it was "growing pains."
My road to actually being diagnosed with it was very long. I remember It first started when i was 12 that summer, I helped my dad with the paper route. I would sit on top of the newspapers in the backseat, then suddenly get a sharp cramp in my stomach that would ball me up into the fetal position with tears in my eyes. For 3-4 months it went like that few times a day until. I actually went looking for answers, my first stop was my physician who assumed it was just an ulcer proscribed me medication and a high fiber diet. Being none of that helped me and in fact made it worse. I went to the ER same thing. so my parents at the time made an appointment in Shand's Gastro clinic in Gainsville Florida. That is where I met my GI Dr. Novak upon giving me a once over with his hands and tapping my stomach after the 6th shot in my right side. I turned and told him do it again and i'll hit you in the forehead the same way. He told me and my parents I'm 100% he has crohn's disease he has all the classic symptoms diarrhea,vomiting and pain in the right side.
That Halloween I had my first of many colonscopey's and it came back definitively as crohn's disease.
Now I am 22 years old almost and back in remission for the 3rd time and medicine free. I still have "cookie crumbs" BM's for the most part if not liquid but i've grown to accept it. Looking for the restrooms in every establishment has become habit for me now. When i was 16 I had my first surgery to remove 2 inches from my large intestine ( I had an abscess that almost popped .) Only reason I made it there in time was at the time my 18 yr old girlfriend drove me to Shand's after seeing me vomit constantly for a week and spiking fevers of 103-106 lowest temp for that week was 102 for me. After that surgery in a time of less than 6 months i went from my usual 69 lbs to 180.
I was due for another surgery however the combo of 6-mp and pentasa put it back in remission (and my body.) Periodically my doctor has taken intestinal tissue samples. Oddly enough my inflammation tends to heal its self eventually without medication. Which boggles his and my mind as well. He believes its partially due to my diet though. No fast food (with the exception of sonic slushes and bistro sandwiches.) and a lot of berries blue/black/straw/raspberry. I have tons and tons of bushes of berries by my home in the summer/spring. So many that I have 2 freezers full of berries that i pick every year.
In a nutshell that is my journey with crohn's disease from adolescent to adulthood.
My road to actually being diagnosed with it was very long. I remember It first started when i was 12 that summer, I helped my dad with the paper route. I would sit on top of the newspapers in the backseat, then suddenly get a sharp cramp in my stomach that would ball me up into the fetal position with tears in my eyes. For 3-4 months it went like that few times a day until. I actually went looking for answers, my first stop was my physician who assumed it was just an ulcer proscribed me medication and a high fiber diet. Being none of that helped me and in fact made it worse. I went to the ER same thing. so my parents at the time made an appointment in Shand's Gastro clinic in Gainsville Florida. That is where I met my GI Dr. Novak upon giving me a once over with his hands and tapping my stomach after the 6th shot in my right side. I turned and told him do it again and i'll hit you in the forehead the same way. He told me and my parents I'm 100% he has crohn's disease he has all the classic symptoms diarrhea,vomiting and pain in the right side.
That Halloween I had my first of many colonscopey's and it came back definitively as crohn's disease.
Now I am 22 years old almost and back in remission for the 3rd time and medicine free. I still have "cookie crumbs" BM's for the most part if not liquid but i've grown to accept it. Looking for the restrooms in every establishment has become habit for me now. When i was 16 I had my first surgery to remove 2 inches from my large intestine ( I had an abscess that almost popped .) Only reason I made it there in time was at the time my 18 yr old girlfriend drove me to Shand's after seeing me vomit constantly for a week and spiking fevers of 103-106 lowest temp for that week was 102 for me. After that surgery in a time of less than 6 months i went from my usual 69 lbs to 180.
I was due for another surgery however the combo of 6-mp and pentasa put it back in remission (and my body.) Periodically my doctor has taken intestinal tissue samples. Oddly enough my inflammation tends to heal its self eventually without medication. Which boggles his and my mind as well. He believes its partially due to my diet though. No fast food (with the exception of sonic slushes and bistro sandwiches.) and a lot of berries blue/black/straw/raspberry. I have tons and tons of bushes of berries by my home in the summer/spring. So many that I have 2 freezers full of berries that i pick every year.
In a nutshell that is my journey with crohn's disease from adolescent to adulthood.
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