- Joined
- May 8, 2016
- Messages
- 16
I'm fat, female, and fifty; I don't fit my image of a Crohn's sufferer at all!
But here I am. My most dramatic and recent flare developed on an Educational Tour of Europe. I assumed I had "eaten something bad." I figured my system would purge the offending food, and I would return to my normal. That never happened.
I spent my 50th birthday in a bar in a tourist village in Italy, doubled over in pain, sipping ginger ale so that I'd have access to the bathroom. Fortunately, there were other leaders on the tour and the teens were allowed to travel in groups of 3 or more during down/nonstructured time.
I am still traumatized by the plane ride home from Italy to Texas with unrelenting cramping, explosive you-know-what, and what had progressed to dehydration.
Still, I thought I'd go home, sleep in my own bed, and be better. But I got home, put my bags down, went to the bathroom deposit a bowl of blood. Went to the ER, got a CT scan which revealed an ENTIRE colon of inflammation. A few days later, a colonoscopy with 3 biopsies revealed IBD: Crohns. I was in the hospital for a week. My dehydration was severe, my veins disappeared. IV and blood draws were painful and bruising.
I believe my first flare was actually 22 years ago, when I was pregnant with my oldest. I think because I was female, 1st pregnancy, and my report of symptoms were dismissed and disregarded.
Now that I know, so much makes sense. I "knew" for years I had IBS. Recently developed a very "noisy" belly. Got diagnosed and treated for GERD in the last year. Migraines for the first time in the last 5 years. My daughter (19) had an autoimmune - juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (diagnosed when she was 10.)
I have an upper endoscopy scheduled for Wednesday. My GI is concerned that "my" Crohns is pervasive throughout my digestive track. It was in all 3 biopsies and since my hospital discharge, I have developed external symptoms in my nether region.
But here I am. My most dramatic and recent flare developed on an Educational Tour of Europe. I assumed I had "eaten something bad." I figured my system would purge the offending food, and I would return to my normal. That never happened.
I spent my 50th birthday in a bar in a tourist village in Italy, doubled over in pain, sipping ginger ale so that I'd have access to the bathroom. Fortunately, there were other leaders on the tour and the teens were allowed to travel in groups of 3 or more during down/nonstructured time.
I am still traumatized by the plane ride home from Italy to Texas with unrelenting cramping, explosive you-know-what, and what had progressed to dehydration.
Still, I thought I'd go home, sleep in my own bed, and be better. But I got home, put my bags down, went to the bathroom deposit a bowl of blood. Went to the ER, got a CT scan which revealed an ENTIRE colon of inflammation. A few days later, a colonoscopy with 3 biopsies revealed IBD: Crohns. I was in the hospital for a week. My dehydration was severe, my veins disappeared. IV and blood draws were painful and bruising.
I believe my first flare was actually 22 years ago, when I was pregnant with my oldest. I think because I was female, 1st pregnancy, and my report of symptoms were dismissed and disregarded.
Now that I know, so much makes sense. I "knew" for years I had IBS. Recently developed a very "noisy" belly. Got diagnosed and treated for GERD in the last year. Migraines for the first time in the last 5 years. My daughter (19) had an autoimmune - juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (diagnosed when she was 10.)
I have an upper endoscopy scheduled for Wednesday. My GI is concerned that "my" Crohns is pervasive throughout my digestive track. It was in all 3 biopsies and since my hospital discharge, I have developed external symptoms in my nether region.
