cookey
Mama Crohnie
So, here we go with my life living with Crohns/Colitis. I was 17 yrs old with a great job working for Met Life Insurance. A word of warning, some very graphic details...but all reality. I came down with a very bad case of Diarrhea in 1978..didn't think another thing of it, told my parents...and a couple of days later they took me to a doctor. The doctor said that there was nothing wrong with me, I just had a bad case of Diarrhea. Hmmm, something to this day I'll never understand, because she never even took the time to do tests. "Go home and stay on a bland diet, we'll see you back here in a couple of days" she said. You have to remember now, this is back in 1978...and yes we did have xray machines back in those days...lol. They never took the time to look into anything any further, because Crohn's was not even heard of. However, Colitis was.So, about 1 week later...I got up in the middle of the night, with terrible pain..went to do my thing blood everywhere. I was hemmoraging, but I didn't realize that, I was a kid...I just knew something was not right. I screamed for my mother, she saw this and called the hospital right away. She spoke with some idiot doctor, who told my mother not to worry, to get me dressed and ready to come into the hospital by morning. My mother said to them "are you crazy"?, she is hemmoraging fresh blood?" Doctors response "OK maam, get her dressed and bring her into emergency" Is it just me, or does it sound like this doctor should have been practicing?
Anyways, While in hospital...They were doing tests, all the lovely stuff us Cronies love, (ya right!!). One night...i got up again in the hospital to go to the bathroom, same thing happened, all i remember is going and seeing all the blood...then I immediately passed out. When I came too...I was on a stretcher in ICU. They told me they had to call my parents, I had tubes everywhere..you name it, they were there. I had taken a turn for the worst, and I was begging them not to tell my parents anything other then to come to the hospital. Yep, I was dying...but luckily with 12 bags of blood transfusion I survived. Remember they still don't know what I have...but they sure worked quick after that incident.
Finally I turned 18, and I got the news that I was diagnosed with Crohn's/Colitis. The first year was pretty bad for me, as they were trying to stable my condition, I was put on Flagyl...a drug that never did help me in anyway. Then came along this little tiny white pill, (prednisone) that helped to control my flare-ups. Little did I know at that time that this drug was a steroid, and that I would blubber out to look like a bloody elephant. Unfortunately, it didn't help with all the fistula's I was getting on my vagina, and other areas. Very painful to say the least, but it was helping in controlling my disease. I couldn't eat much for the first couple of years, anything I ate...I would flare up. The hospital was literally my first home, because I was in and out for months at a time, living on Jello products and juices. I never want to see Jello again in my life...lol.
I'll try to condense this...so I'm not boring you all. In 1987 I weighed 62 pounds, I have a picture somewhere and would love to post for all to see...how deathly ill I was, and compare to what I look like today, all because of the greatest decision I have ever had to make to get my life back.
In 1987 my doctor told me if I didn't make up my mind to have an Ileostomy performed that I would die, and that was a given. I was so thin I couldn't walk. I gave it serious thought of course, and had my life changing surgery done on March 12 / 1988...and have been off all meds, since then. I now weigh, 135 pds. I'm healthy, active, can eat anything...and enjoying every moment of living as a bag lady. I too say, if anyone would like to chat, or email me...I am here for you no second thoughts...night or day. I now work for CCFC here in my hometown, and attend monthly CFIC meetings...where on occasion I am a guest speaker. I do volunteer work for the hospitals also, where I go around speaking to all the teenage kids about Crohns, and try to address their fears, or any concerns they may have for living with this very painful affliction.
Way to go Mike, I tip my hat to you sweetie...I know I have told you this before, but I admire your ambition to put this site together. On that note, health and happiness to each and every one of you. Always remember, there are way more serious illnesses out there, and that you are definitly not alone.
Thank you to everyone for taking the time to read my story, and I do apologize for the length.
Note: I do have this posted in Ree's section of her story when I first joined I was still finding my way around, and happened to post this after Ree's story...so I didn't feel it was fair to her, to have mine there. Love ya gal...come back soon.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------[/B]
