- Joined
- Aug 30, 2010
- Messages
- 9
Hi Everyone
My parents have stormed my doctor's office today in frustration so I'll be heading to emergency soon but I thought I'd introduce myself first. I've been reading this forum for a good long time now and wanted to get out of lurker status. I have much to say but I'll keep it short-ish as I'm peeing blood! (In lots of pain and kinda weird feeling so please excuse the craziness )
I'm pretty desperate at this point as I'm sure a lot of people are who come here looking for clues, support, answers, what have you. I've lurked on other forums but I keep coming back to this one. I feel like it's where I would belong but I'll share my story in as condensed a manner as I can in case I may be going down the wrong path. If anyone has any ideas or any thoughts it would be greatly appreciated.
1982 - Pyloric Stenosis at 9 weeks. I have a 3 inch scar from that surgery. 3 weeks prior to that my inexperienced dad fattened me up with Pablum while my mom had her gallbladder removed. He had the same surgery when he was 5 weeks old though and it is hereditary so I'm not sure if that is related at all. I have been told by docs on a few occasions throughout my life that my stomach pains could be from adhesions but no treatment has ever been recommended.
My childhood was painful. Lots of bone pain all over, especially my legs. (Was told it was growing pains. I'm still growing at 28 years old I guess.) Lots of stomach aches, couldn't eat fried eggs, sausages, ice cream, etc. most times or I'd be hurtin'. Lots of dizziness, headaches, abdominal pain, fainting spells, low blood sugar, low blood pressure, swollen lymph nodes, itchy/sensitive skin, muscle spasms/twitches, weird random allergic reactions to things (like raw mushrooms one time sent me to hospital with a horrible rash all over), and so on.
1997 - Diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse and valval regurgitation. Was on beta-blockers for a year or so. Around the same time I started getting a new kind of stomach ache. This one burned and I always felt like it was something eating me from the inside. It only goes away if I lay down or it will just keep getting worse. Sometimes it goes away for months, other times I get it just about every day.
2000-2001 - Started getting D bad. I was about 19 when it started I think. Maybe still 18. Had my own bathroom though in my own house so that was nice. Played a lot of Diablo, Sims, etc. and did a lot of pooping. It petered out eventually and I forgot it was even a problem for a long time.
~2005 - I had Erythema Nodosum on my shins so I was referred to a GI. A colonoscopy wasn't done because I was pregnant at the time so I never got a proper diagnoses even though by the time my GI appointment actually rolled around my daughter was already born. They just said I had IBD but they didn't know "which one" after giving them a very lengthy medical and family history. I didn't know what IBD was at the time. I had heard of IBS and ended up confusing them to make a very long story short. The docs were less than stellar about giving out helpful info.
2006 - Had an incomplete miscarriage 5 months after my son was born. Lost a lot of blood, almost died. When bleeding stopped, my blood count continued going down but they never did anything to figure out why. My white blood count has been both high and low on different occasions. Never know why. It's currently on the low side which I was surprised about. I was expecting it to be high.
Anyhoo, can't remember when but a few years later during one of many ER trips a nurse corrected me when I said IBD and said no, I had IBS, so I've been treating myself for IBS and steadily losing weight. Right now, I'm having bladder issues now too. My mom must have let the doc have it this morning because I should be getting a colonoscopy in a day or two. I'm fairly certain I'm full of inflammation at the moment yet my CRP was negative a few weeks ago. Any other way to check for inflammation for people who normally NEVER show abnormal results?
My tests were neg while I had a gallstone stuck in my bile duct one time. My whole life has been like that. Negative test after negative test yet the pain and symptoms continue getting worse.
Hopefully I'll get some more answers in the coming days though. Not sure how long they'll keep me in there. I don't trust doctors, many nurses or most hospitals at this point. I've been burned too many times already and I'm not 30 yet. I'll be back though and will provide an update. Maybe I'll get a real diagnoses!
Oh yeah, I'm tapering off Pred right now. Doc finally gave me some after he said "are you sure it's not IBD instead of IBS?". It worked awesome right away but made me severely constipated so the pain from that was worse than any pain the pred took away. Skin tag came back along with a lovely case of Hemmies. Worst case yet. It hurt so bad, like I was being ripped apart. Now the other pain is back with a vengeance too. My right shoulder has also been throbbing and keeping me awake for years and it just stopped for about a week. It's starting to get sore again now though. Most of my pain starts on the right side, especially right groin and my bottom ribs. Even the arch of my foot hurts. When the pain is really bad it throbs and I limp. Bending over hurts. Eating hurts. Everything hurts!
Despite the pain, the main issue is that I can't stop losing weight. I was 89.5lbs this morning. I'm 5'3". I want to have another baby. My periods are so weird from being underweight. I need to be a mom again and get my life back. It hurts so bad to see my kids look at me the way they do, wishing they could do something to make their mommy's tummy feel better. I can't have my family seeing me like this. It's killing me. I tried Ensure but that just makes the pain worse right now. I've done the low residue diet, cut out sugar and starch, red meat, all that stuff. Nothing is helping. I can stomach fresh farm eggs and apple sauce usually. The nausea doesn't help but I smoke a bit of weed in the vaporizer to stimulate my appetite and control it. Doesn't help with pain much but it helps relax my body so I can control the pain with my mind. I discovered it helped my stomach aches and insomnia a couple years ago and started vaporizing awhile after the nausea started getting really bad.
I do a lot of meditating. Meds I've tried so far just don't work very well for it, except sometimes Buscopan. I've tried progressive muscle relaxation, deep breathing exercises, yoga, belly dancing, music therapy, OTC stuff, herbs, supplements, hot baths, heating pads, you name it. Chamomile tea is my favorite though. That calms my tummy right down and I can stop D with it and peppermint tea too. That gives me heartburn sometimes though. But anyway, I have to stop typing!
I still left tons of stuff out but I have to go pack a stupid hospital bag now and this is already tremendously long. In the meantime, my heart goes out to each and every member here and everyone's family. I don't know if I really have Crohn's or what it is, but it takes a very special and strong person to overcome things like this and I think everyone here has a bit of angel in them. Gentle hugs to everyone and I hope I make it back here soon!
:ghug:
My parents have stormed my doctor's office today in frustration so I'll be heading to emergency soon but I thought I'd introduce myself first. I've been reading this forum for a good long time now and wanted to get out of lurker status. I have much to say but I'll keep it short-ish as I'm peeing blood! (In lots of pain and kinda weird feeling so please excuse the craziness )
I'm pretty desperate at this point as I'm sure a lot of people are who come here looking for clues, support, answers, what have you. I've lurked on other forums but I keep coming back to this one. I feel like it's where I would belong but I'll share my story in as condensed a manner as I can in case I may be going down the wrong path. If anyone has any ideas or any thoughts it would be greatly appreciated.
1982 - Pyloric Stenosis at 9 weeks. I have a 3 inch scar from that surgery. 3 weeks prior to that my inexperienced dad fattened me up with Pablum while my mom had her gallbladder removed. He had the same surgery when he was 5 weeks old though and it is hereditary so I'm not sure if that is related at all. I have been told by docs on a few occasions throughout my life that my stomach pains could be from adhesions but no treatment has ever been recommended.
My childhood was painful. Lots of bone pain all over, especially my legs. (Was told it was growing pains. I'm still growing at 28 years old I guess.) Lots of stomach aches, couldn't eat fried eggs, sausages, ice cream, etc. most times or I'd be hurtin'. Lots of dizziness, headaches, abdominal pain, fainting spells, low blood sugar, low blood pressure, swollen lymph nodes, itchy/sensitive skin, muscle spasms/twitches, weird random allergic reactions to things (like raw mushrooms one time sent me to hospital with a horrible rash all over), and so on.
1997 - Diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse and valval regurgitation. Was on beta-blockers for a year or so. Around the same time I started getting a new kind of stomach ache. This one burned and I always felt like it was something eating me from the inside. It only goes away if I lay down or it will just keep getting worse. Sometimes it goes away for months, other times I get it just about every day.
2000-2001 - Started getting D bad. I was about 19 when it started I think. Maybe still 18. Had my own bathroom though in my own house so that was nice. Played a lot of Diablo, Sims, etc. and did a lot of pooping. It petered out eventually and I forgot it was even a problem for a long time.
~2005 - I had Erythema Nodosum on my shins so I was referred to a GI. A colonoscopy wasn't done because I was pregnant at the time so I never got a proper diagnoses even though by the time my GI appointment actually rolled around my daughter was already born. They just said I had IBD but they didn't know "which one" after giving them a very lengthy medical and family history. I didn't know what IBD was at the time. I had heard of IBS and ended up confusing them to make a very long story short. The docs were less than stellar about giving out helpful info.
2006 - Had an incomplete miscarriage 5 months after my son was born. Lost a lot of blood, almost died. When bleeding stopped, my blood count continued going down but they never did anything to figure out why. My white blood count has been both high and low on different occasions. Never know why. It's currently on the low side which I was surprised about. I was expecting it to be high.
Anyhoo, can't remember when but a few years later during one of many ER trips a nurse corrected me when I said IBD and said no, I had IBS, so I've been treating myself for IBS and steadily losing weight. Right now, I'm having bladder issues now too. My mom must have let the doc have it this morning because I should be getting a colonoscopy in a day or two. I'm fairly certain I'm full of inflammation at the moment yet my CRP was negative a few weeks ago. Any other way to check for inflammation for people who normally NEVER show abnormal results?
My tests were neg while I had a gallstone stuck in my bile duct one time. My whole life has been like that. Negative test after negative test yet the pain and symptoms continue getting worse.
Hopefully I'll get some more answers in the coming days though. Not sure how long they'll keep me in there. I don't trust doctors, many nurses or most hospitals at this point. I've been burned too many times already and I'm not 30 yet. I'll be back though and will provide an update. Maybe I'll get a real diagnoses!
Oh yeah, I'm tapering off Pred right now. Doc finally gave me some after he said "are you sure it's not IBD instead of IBS?". It worked awesome right away but made me severely constipated so the pain from that was worse than any pain the pred took away. Skin tag came back along with a lovely case of Hemmies. Worst case yet. It hurt so bad, like I was being ripped apart. Now the other pain is back with a vengeance too. My right shoulder has also been throbbing and keeping me awake for years and it just stopped for about a week. It's starting to get sore again now though. Most of my pain starts on the right side, especially right groin and my bottom ribs. Even the arch of my foot hurts. When the pain is really bad it throbs and I limp. Bending over hurts. Eating hurts. Everything hurts!
Despite the pain, the main issue is that I can't stop losing weight. I was 89.5lbs this morning. I'm 5'3". I want to have another baby. My periods are so weird from being underweight. I need to be a mom again and get my life back. It hurts so bad to see my kids look at me the way they do, wishing they could do something to make their mommy's tummy feel better. I can't have my family seeing me like this. It's killing me. I tried Ensure but that just makes the pain worse right now. I've done the low residue diet, cut out sugar and starch, red meat, all that stuff. Nothing is helping. I can stomach fresh farm eggs and apple sauce usually. The nausea doesn't help but I smoke a bit of weed in the vaporizer to stimulate my appetite and control it. Doesn't help with pain much but it helps relax my body so I can control the pain with my mind. I discovered it helped my stomach aches and insomnia a couple years ago and started vaporizing awhile after the nausea started getting really bad.
I do a lot of meditating. Meds I've tried so far just don't work very well for it, except sometimes Buscopan. I've tried progressive muscle relaxation, deep breathing exercises, yoga, belly dancing, music therapy, OTC stuff, herbs, supplements, hot baths, heating pads, you name it. Chamomile tea is my favorite though. That calms my tummy right down and I can stop D with it and peppermint tea too. That gives me heartburn sometimes though. But anyway, I have to stop typing!
I still left tons of stuff out but I have to go pack a stupid hospital bag now and this is already tremendously long. In the meantime, my heart goes out to each and every member here and everyone's family. I don't know if I really have Crohn's or what it is, but it takes a very special and strong person to overcome things like this and I think everyone here has a bit of angel in them. Gentle hugs to everyone and I hope I make it back here soon!
:ghug: