- Joined
- May 6, 2006
- Messages
- 24
My very first symptom (at 25 years old) was a growling belly that I couldn't explain to anyone "was just different than usual" and extremely loud - a sign that I take as warning these days.
Second symptom was (in an airport lounge before a long haul flight) passing a half a cup of blood while shopping - the most frightening experience of my life!
Got checked out by an American doctor who found nothing but told me to eat more fibre anyway.
Back in the UK it took a couple of months but I started feeling crampy when I ate. I went to a GP who said it was IBS and gave me drugs to treat it but I didn't believe it and just knew it was more serious but she didn't believe me because what do patients know, hey?
I got desperate and went to a nutritionist who believed I had candida albicans (who doesn't?). She reckoned my intestinal flora was overgrown with yeast and put me on a super strict diet - no wheat, no dairy, no sugar, no fungus (mushrooms), no yeast diet for six months. This helped immensly and I was 85% better until the bleeding diarhhoea started and the stabbing pains and I was eating one meal a day to avoid the pain nevermind the headaches and the fact that I had lost 2 stone in a few months putting me quite underweight and pallid looking. I did see the GP again but she still thought nothing of it all because the blood tests didn't tell her anything.
Back to the GP in December I begged to referred to a specialist (after a year of suffering, mind you) and finally was after much hesitation. Two months, I had to wait to get in. In the meantime, I was bleeding regularly without solids stools to speak of and my parents (in the States) had me on a flight to see them within a week.
Got in to see a specialist straight away for a colonoscopy and after three hours they were able to tell me they suspected Crohn's but it was colitis. (3 hours vs. 1 year.) I was elated to learn exactly what it was! I didn't even care that I had chronic digestive disease. I could finally focus on living and college again.
Second symptom was (in an airport lounge before a long haul flight) passing a half a cup of blood while shopping - the most frightening experience of my life!
Got checked out by an American doctor who found nothing but told me to eat more fibre anyway.
Back in the UK it took a couple of months but I started feeling crampy when I ate. I went to a GP who said it was IBS and gave me drugs to treat it but I didn't believe it and just knew it was more serious but she didn't believe me because what do patients know, hey?
I got desperate and went to a nutritionist who believed I had candida albicans (who doesn't?). She reckoned my intestinal flora was overgrown with yeast and put me on a super strict diet - no wheat, no dairy, no sugar, no fungus (mushrooms), no yeast diet for six months. This helped immensly and I was 85% better until the bleeding diarhhoea started and the stabbing pains and I was eating one meal a day to avoid the pain nevermind the headaches and the fact that I had lost 2 stone in a few months putting me quite underweight and pallid looking. I did see the GP again but she still thought nothing of it all because the blood tests didn't tell her anything.
Back to the GP in December I begged to referred to a specialist (after a year of suffering, mind you) and finally was after much hesitation. Two months, I had to wait to get in. In the meantime, I was bleeding regularly without solids stools to speak of and my parents (in the States) had me on a flight to see them within a week.
Got in to see a specialist straight away for a colonoscopy and after three hours they were able to tell me they suspected Crohn's but it was colitis. (3 hours vs. 1 year.) I was elated to learn exactly what it was! I didn't even care that I had chronic digestive disease. I could finally focus on living and college again.
