L
lizzablizza
Guest
Hello, all. This is where I'm starting in the forum. My story - it's embarrassing to even type the details of it, but I guess you've mostly all been in my shoes, so here we go . . .
For a few years, I had experienced excruciating bowel pain at times accompanied by rectal bleeding. It was completely random, and could be as rare as once a year. My doctor diagnosed hemorrhoids, told to used Preparation H (which did help), and that was it. It was bad enough a couple of times that I had to leave work, and I'm one of those people who never take sick leave.
During my second trimester of my first (and to date, only) pregnancy, I started having severe bleeding and the mucous-like stool, but no pain. The gastroenterologist I went to see recommended a new blood testing procedure as they didn't want to do a colonoscopy during pregnancy. The blood test (not paid for by insurance) came back positive, and my symptoms kept worsening. I was having up to 15 bowel movements/day, all just blood and mucous. I was in excruciating pain, and I couldn't take anything for it. At eight months of pregnancy, my only sleep was for about four intermittent hours/night in the bathtub because the heat seemed to ease the pain. When the water would cool off, I would wake up and fill it back up with hot water, then go back to sleep. In fact, that's where I was when I went into labor. For you guys out there who have Crohn's, don't let anyone tell you that you don't understand labor (or at least the contractions). I was in the bathtub because I thought the contractions were my usual nightly Crohn's pains. I sat in the tub for two hours before it dawned on me to start timing the pains because I was so used to hurting in my abdominal area.
One month before my due date, my boss said that if my doctor wasn't putting me on medical leave, she was. She was kind enough to send me home a month before my due date and not count it against my maternity leave. My mother came to my house and got me feeling a bit better with bedrest and a complete diet change. Around the same time, my gastro said (direct quote), "Well, if it's that bad, just have your obstetrician induce labor. I don't think you're that bad, I can tell when a patient needs to go to the hospital." My obstetrician wanted to induce based on the gastro's recommendation, but I wouldn't consent. THANK GOD!!! My child was born at full term weighing only 5 lb. 14 oz. and would have been in intensive care if born a month earlier.
After childbirth, my symptoms resolved entirely. I went ahead and had a colonoscopy, and my NEW gastro (I said goodbye and good riddance to the first one) formally diagnosed Crohn's Disease. As I was in remission, there was nothing else for her to do at that point, so we just waited.
It's now 18 months later, and Crohn's is rearing it's ugly head again. I'm wanting to get pregnant, but I'm scared to death to try after how bad my last pregnancy was with Crohn's. I'm not a full-fledged organic nut, but I do lean that direction. I don't like taking medicines, so I'm having a hard time with this disease. I'm just on muscle relaxers for the pain now until my gastro gets back from maternity leave. I just had a CT scan, and I'm waiting to hear what the gasto thinks, although I've been told it's basically normal. I can't find any doctors in the Austin area who will even consider nutrition/diet as part of a viable treatment plan. They just want to hand out pills and do surgery. I'm scared of a lifetime of feeling like this, but I'm scared of resorting to what I consider toxic drugs. I have tons of questions and a doctor who is on leave. When she is there, she's on HMO time (in and out in 15 minutes or less) and I get flustered and don't manage to even ask all of the things I write down. I joined this group to try and find some answers that I can't seem to get from my doctor. I'll try to find the answers by reading former posts, but for now, can anyone tell me:
If there's any gastro you know of around Austin, TX who will consider a holistic approach?
If you don't take the immunosuppressants and steroids that are the usual course of treatment, does that mean that the scarring and damage caused by Crohn's just runs rampant while you're busy trying alternative therapies instead of doing what mainstream doctors tell you to do?
Thanks to all of you in this group who share your stories and experiences.
For a few years, I had experienced excruciating bowel pain at times accompanied by rectal bleeding. It was completely random, and could be as rare as once a year. My doctor diagnosed hemorrhoids, told to used Preparation H (which did help), and that was it. It was bad enough a couple of times that I had to leave work, and I'm one of those people who never take sick leave.
During my second trimester of my first (and to date, only) pregnancy, I started having severe bleeding and the mucous-like stool, but no pain. The gastroenterologist I went to see recommended a new blood testing procedure as they didn't want to do a colonoscopy during pregnancy. The blood test (not paid for by insurance) came back positive, and my symptoms kept worsening. I was having up to 15 bowel movements/day, all just blood and mucous. I was in excruciating pain, and I couldn't take anything for it. At eight months of pregnancy, my only sleep was for about four intermittent hours/night in the bathtub because the heat seemed to ease the pain. When the water would cool off, I would wake up and fill it back up with hot water, then go back to sleep. In fact, that's where I was when I went into labor. For you guys out there who have Crohn's, don't let anyone tell you that you don't understand labor (or at least the contractions). I was in the bathtub because I thought the contractions were my usual nightly Crohn's pains. I sat in the tub for two hours before it dawned on me to start timing the pains because I was so used to hurting in my abdominal area.
One month before my due date, my boss said that if my doctor wasn't putting me on medical leave, she was. She was kind enough to send me home a month before my due date and not count it against my maternity leave. My mother came to my house and got me feeling a bit better with bedrest and a complete diet change. Around the same time, my gastro said (direct quote), "Well, if it's that bad, just have your obstetrician induce labor. I don't think you're that bad, I can tell when a patient needs to go to the hospital." My obstetrician wanted to induce based on the gastro's recommendation, but I wouldn't consent. THANK GOD!!! My child was born at full term weighing only 5 lb. 14 oz. and would have been in intensive care if born a month earlier.
After childbirth, my symptoms resolved entirely. I went ahead and had a colonoscopy, and my NEW gastro (I said goodbye and good riddance to the first one) formally diagnosed Crohn's Disease. As I was in remission, there was nothing else for her to do at that point, so we just waited.
It's now 18 months later, and Crohn's is rearing it's ugly head again. I'm wanting to get pregnant, but I'm scared to death to try after how bad my last pregnancy was with Crohn's. I'm not a full-fledged organic nut, but I do lean that direction. I don't like taking medicines, so I'm having a hard time with this disease. I'm just on muscle relaxers for the pain now until my gastro gets back from maternity leave. I just had a CT scan, and I'm waiting to hear what the gasto thinks, although I've been told it's basically normal. I can't find any doctors in the Austin area who will even consider nutrition/diet as part of a viable treatment plan. They just want to hand out pills and do surgery. I'm scared of a lifetime of feeling like this, but I'm scared of resorting to what I consider toxic drugs. I have tons of questions and a doctor who is on leave. When she is there, she's on HMO time (in and out in 15 minutes or less) and I get flustered and don't manage to even ask all of the things I write down. I joined this group to try and find some answers that I can't seem to get from my doctor. I'll try to find the answers by reading former posts, but for now, can anyone tell me:
If there's any gastro you know of around Austin, TX who will consider a holistic approach?
If you don't take the immunosuppressants and steroids that are the usual course of treatment, does that mean that the scarring and damage caused by Crohn's just runs rampant while you're busy trying alternative therapies instead of doing what mainstream doctors tell you to do?
Thanks to all of you in this group who share your stories and experiences.
