Z
zalemale
Guest
here we go...
hey, my name is Ben. Sad to join the 'club', but glad there at least is a club.
I have a feeling this is gonna be a long one, but I'll try to keep it as 'to the point' as possible.
Anyway, back in summer of 2002 I was 20 years old and a lifeguard at a waterpark. The days would get sometimes boring, and I found my overactive mind starting to ruminate about just horribly stupid things. My father has symptoms of OCD, so I suppose a few of these got passed down...but I'd ruminate about these disturbing thoughts daily and would get stressed out about them, even though knowing very well that none were true. When I had these thoughts, my guts would worry as well. I'd start feeling sensations, burning sensations through my abdomen, that came in waves. This eventually got me bleeding the runs when I'd hit the toilet.
I dismissed it as some sort of food poisoning or infection, hoping it'd clear up asap. I was in Chicago at the time, preparing for a 4 month study abroad program in Japan that was a couple weeks away. After being present for a full week and worrying it wouldn't clear up before my study abroad I went to the local dr. to get a check up. He checked for hives, asked all sorts of questions, prescribed me with some anti-diarrheal if I recall correctly, and said things should clear up and to see him again in a couple days.
Well...needless to say, things didn't clear up, I return to the dr. and he gets concerned. He recommends I get a colonoscopy done and not go overseas (as I was scheduled to leave in a matter of days at that point, and he believed there was no chance to schedule one before I left). Turns out, a well known gastroenterologist who had helped my now deceased grandmother found out about the situation and scheduled me a sigmoidoscopy at 8:00 am on his day off - one day before I left to Japan.
The scope gave me a first hand look at my terribly inflammed bowel, but the diagnosis was left at indeterminate colitis...All I remembered were the words "chronic" and "possible surgery". He prescribed me with plenty of asacol to take with me on my journeys to Japan in hopes that it would calm things down.
Thank God it did. While in Japan I kicked into remissions pretty quickly. There was no blood, no diarrhea, nothing. The only problem I had was trying to understand the doctor in Japan, who my dr. in Chicago insisted on me seeing (that's another story in itself!).
So the Japan thing comes to a close, I loved the experience so much that upon graduating university that I find myself immediately searching for ways to get back out there. I wind up getting a job teaching esl at a private school. So I get myself together again, set out, and do that gig for 2 years. I come home a few times during breaks, have a colonoscopy, a barium xray, blood tests, all that fun stuff. Everything comes up clear which leaves the diagnosis still as indeterminate colitis.
By now, it's as if I have a second home. I have a host family in Japan, a nice pad, a girlfriend out there, tons of interesting friends, no symtpoms, no drugs, life is grand.
My contract in Japan expires, I move back home to Chicago with the parents at age 24. I have no job, no girlfriend to go out with, no apartment, no direction...reverse culture shock at it's finest...life sucks. I begin to stress. I travel to Europe for a couple weeks with a buddy and I start noticing symptoms. In fact at one point things get so bad I nearly pass out inside the Vatican!
I come home from Europe, slight symptoms stick around like bleeding here and there and gas. My girlfriend from Japan visits me for a month during the holidays. We go to Disney World for Christmas and have an amazing time. Throughout her month stay, gas seems to be getting worse. I try my best to deal with it.
She goes back to Japan, I'm stuck without her for a while again, without a job, without a direction again. I stress...and I flare.
The flare's the worst since I first noticed symptoms as a lifeguard. Lots of bleeding, blood, bloating, slight pain, and weight loss (5'9" and only 115!). My mind's a mess. Then, adding even more fuel to the fire, the girlfriend breaks up with me. My flare gets even worse...
The dr. prescribes 18 pills of asacol for me daily, which initially helps, but the I regress back into a flare. I'm moving around 5 loose, bloody stools daily. I try probiotics, gasx...stressing over the sympoms only seem to make things worse though.
The dr. then puts me on Cipro. After a good two weeks, the diarrhea subsides. The smell subsides. Bleeding now is down to only an occasional red 'spot' here and there - something I can't always even be sure I can recognize as 'blood'. The dr. becomes 90% sure it's crohns / crohns colitis now.
I travel to Colorado and Florida to try and "de-stress" and "find" myself. Can't say it works, but I was able to relax somewhat. The good news starts pouring in afterwards though. I get accepted into a graduate school in Tokyo, my girlfriend calls me up and wants me back, and I also find out I get accepted in another graduate school in Hawaii a few weeks later. Things are looking up, aside from the one persistent symptom I can't seem to shake...
...which brings me to today. Back in Chicago with flatulance, and tons of it. Everyday for the last 6 months. I gotta be thankful if doesn't stink, but boy is it ever annoying. The squealing noise it makes, the volcanic rumbling that goes on...everything I throw at it has no effect...gasx, probiotics, beano, tums, charcoal tabs, peppermint / chamomile tea...it's always there. Sometimes it goes away for a few hours, but always comes back singing the morning / night away with it's ear piercing squeals and impressing me with it's volcanic eruption impressions. Is it indigestion? Could it be a parasite? Perhaps my next attack should be with the SCD? So many questions...
I'm out visiting Japan in less than two weeks to check out the campus and meet up with all my friends / my girlfriend /my previous host family for the rest of June. Can't help but worry about my rumbling guts. And no job / student status = no insurance = no colonoscopy / tests for now...
I count my blessing everyday though. In the four years I've been suffering, I have never had to go to the emergency room, never had any severe pain, no more than 5-6 movements a day at worst, no fistulas nor abscesses...If it is indeed crohns that I have, I'm blessed with what seems mild in comparison to everyone else. If anyone has any advice on the stubbourn gas though, I'd be all ears in a heartbeat.
At any rate, I'm looking forward to contributing a bit to the already great support group that's present here in this forum. IBD will never take me away from my travels and fulfilling my personal goals. Nor should any of you let it take you away from yours.
hey, my name is Ben. Sad to join the 'club', but glad there at least is a club.
I have a feeling this is gonna be a long one, but I'll try to keep it as 'to the point' as possible.
Anyway, back in summer of 2002 I was 20 years old and a lifeguard at a waterpark. The days would get sometimes boring, and I found my overactive mind starting to ruminate about just horribly stupid things. My father has symptoms of OCD, so I suppose a few of these got passed down...but I'd ruminate about these disturbing thoughts daily and would get stressed out about them, even though knowing very well that none were true. When I had these thoughts, my guts would worry as well. I'd start feeling sensations, burning sensations through my abdomen, that came in waves. This eventually got me bleeding the runs when I'd hit the toilet.
I dismissed it as some sort of food poisoning or infection, hoping it'd clear up asap. I was in Chicago at the time, preparing for a 4 month study abroad program in Japan that was a couple weeks away. After being present for a full week and worrying it wouldn't clear up before my study abroad I went to the local dr. to get a check up. He checked for hives, asked all sorts of questions, prescribed me with some anti-diarrheal if I recall correctly, and said things should clear up and to see him again in a couple days.
Well...needless to say, things didn't clear up, I return to the dr. and he gets concerned. He recommends I get a colonoscopy done and not go overseas (as I was scheduled to leave in a matter of days at that point, and he believed there was no chance to schedule one before I left). Turns out, a well known gastroenterologist who had helped my now deceased grandmother found out about the situation and scheduled me a sigmoidoscopy at 8:00 am on his day off - one day before I left to Japan.
The scope gave me a first hand look at my terribly inflammed bowel, but the diagnosis was left at indeterminate colitis...All I remembered were the words "chronic" and "possible surgery". He prescribed me with plenty of asacol to take with me on my journeys to Japan in hopes that it would calm things down.
Thank God it did. While in Japan I kicked into remissions pretty quickly. There was no blood, no diarrhea, nothing. The only problem I had was trying to understand the doctor in Japan, who my dr. in Chicago insisted on me seeing (that's another story in itself!).
So the Japan thing comes to a close, I loved the experience so much that upon graduating university that I find myself immediately searching for ways to get back out there. I wind up getting a job teaching esl at a private school. So I get myself together again, set out, and do that gig for 2 years. I come home a few times during breaks, have a colonoscopy, a barium xray, blood tests, all that fun stuff. Everything comes up clear which leaves the diagnosis still as indeterminate colitis.
By now, it's as if I have a second home. I have a host family in Japan, a nice pad, a girlfriend out there, tons of interesting friends, no symtpoms, no drugs, life is grand.
My contract in Japan expires, I move back home to Chicago with the parents at age 24. I have no job, no girlfriend to go out with, no apartment, no direction...reverse culture shock at it's finest...life sucks. I begin to stress. I travel to Europe for a couple weeks with a buddy and I start noticing symptoms. In fact at one point things get so bad I nearly pass out inside the Vatican!
I come home from Europe, slight symptoms stick around like bleeding here and there and gas. My girlfriend from Japan visits me for a month during the holidays. We go to Disney World for Christmas and have an amazing time. Throughout her month stay, gas seems to be getting worse. I try my best to deal with it.
She goes back to Japan, I'm stuck without her for a while again, without a job, without a direction again. I stress...and I flare.
The flare's the worst since I first noticed symptoms as a lifeguard. Lots of bleeding, blood, bloating, slight pain, and weight loss (5'9" and only 115!). My mind's a mess. Then, adding even more fuel to the fire, the girlfriend breaks up with me. My flare gets even worse...
The dr. prescribes 18 pills of asacol for me daily, which initially helps, but the I regress back into a flare. I'm moving around 5 loose, bloody stools daily. I try probiotics, gasx...stressing over the sympoms only seem to make things worse though.
The dr. then puts me on Cipro. After a good two weeks, the diarrhea subsides. The smell subsides. Bleeding now is down to only an occasional red 'spot' here and there - something I can't always even be sure I can recognize as 'blood'. The dr. becomes 90% sure it's crohns / crohns colitis now.
I travel to Colorado and Florida to try and "de-stress" and "find" myself. Can't say it works, but I was able to relax somewhat. The good news starts pouring in afterwards though. I get accepted into a graduate school in Tokyo, my girlfriend calls me up and wants me back, and I also find out I get accepted in another graduate school in Hawaii a few weeks later. Things are looking up, aside from the one persistent symptom I can't seem to shake...
...which brings me to today. Back in Chicago with flatulance, and tons of it. Everyday for the last 6 months. I gotta be thankful if doesn't stink, but boy is it ever annoying. The squealing noise it makes, the volcanic rumbling that goes on...everything I throw at it has no effect...gasx, probiotics, beano, tums, charcoal tabs, peppermint / chamomile tea...it's always there. Sometimes it goes away for a few hours, but always comes back singing the morning / night away with it's ear piercing squeals and impressing me with it's volcanic eruption impressions. Is it indigestion? Could it be a parasite? Perhaps my next attack should be with the SCD? So many questions...
I'm out visiting Japan in less than two weeks to check out the campus and meet up with all my friends / my girlfriend /my previous host family for the rest of June. Can't help but worry about my rumbling guts. And no job / student status = no insurance = no colonoscopy / tests for now...
I count my blessing everyday though. In the four years I've been suffering, I have never had to go to the emergency room, never had any severe pain, no more than 5-6 movements a day at worst, no fistulas nor abscesses...If it is indeed crohns that I have, I'm blessed with what seems mild in comparison to everyone else. If anyone has any advice on the stubbourn gas though, I'd be all ears in a heartbeat.
At any rate, I'm looking forward to contributing a bit to the already great support group that's present here in this forum. IBD will never take me away from my travels and fulfilling my personal goals. Nor should any of you let it take you away from yours.
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I am Kalyn .... Hope you enjoy yourself here!!