It was 2009 and I was 22 or 23 and living in Lake Tahoe being a bun after graduating college and unsure of what to so with my life. I was having an amazing time bartending and managing a busy bar in Tahoe and making stupid money (more than I make now in my career job-sadly)
I was drinking like a fish, and not eating the best, and remember my stomach began to hurt after I ate. I dull pain, unlike a normal stomachache-something deeper inside. I went to Rhode Island to meet my (now ex) Bf's parents.
My stomach started to hurt so bad, and I had no idea what was happening. By the end of the trip I was doubled over in pain and his parents wanted me to go to the er, but I wanted to get home.
I took a few extra days off work and tried to get through it-I remember the last thing I are before going I to the we was seafood dip and triscuits-yikes! I still can't eat seafood dip or triscuits! My (ex) bf got home from work at 2 am and I was doubled over in pain crying and knew I needed to go to the er. After arguing with him to drive the 30 minutes to the hospital-we were on our way, and I kept thinking "I hope it's not appendicitis-I don't want to have surgery" ha-if only it had been! I remember waiting a few hours to call my mom( a retired nurse) as I didn't want to worry her. I remember her saying "oh I hope it's not crohns". Crohns?
What's that? I had never heard of it, as it hadn't quite become the 'trendy' disease it is now. I brushed her off thinking well as long as it's not appendicitis and I don't need surgery. Then the dr walked in while I was on the phone with my mom and said "well we think it's crohns," and my mother started crying. I was under the influence of heavy painkillers at the time and was like "what's that?" Damn I wish it had been appendicitis!
Went on. Remicade and was doing great and felt back to normal right away! Was sent home with instruction to eat a low residue diet and that was it.
I evert jake started eating normal again as I didn't get stomach aches after eating salads (butter lettuce ftw!) and eventually decided I could go off my
Remicade since I was worried about what I was putting into my body,
I still didn't understand crohns too much and my dr didn't push me too hard when I decided to stop taking it-which still bugs me to this day. As it was clear I didn't understand the remicade was what was making me feeling better!
A year or so later, I had terrible pains and wound up back in the er , and then the hospital. I was lectured about going off my remicade and by that time understood how dumb it was as it had been working great. They kept me until the inflammation went down and said I'd try the remicade again-I had the first dose in the hospital with no problems and was happy that I didnt have issues restarting it! 4 weeks layer went in and before the nurse left the room I felt funny, by throat was closing up and I knew something was wrong. I was already convulsing and couldn't teach the call button, so I
Kicked my computer to the floor to get her attention and she turned around and started freaking out. Broke my computer by the way! I remember her calling for a dr and suddenly 10 people in my room. I was trying to puke and was convulsing and freakingout out because I couldn't move or breathe and Ill never forget the dr when he asked where the epi pen was and the nurse saying she didn't have it in the room like she was supposed to. I'll never forget the look on one of the Drama fave when he screamed for someone to get it immediately let and looking down at me with a worried look before composing himself and telling me it would be ok. I then passed out and it's blurry from there. I just remember being surrounded by people and thinking I would die.
I woke up and was being transported to a recovery room and was shaking so violently hard because they injected adrenaline straight into my Iv. I remember thinking the shaking would never end and was freezing cold despite a mound of heated blankets on me. Everyone was being very gentle around me. Thinking back it's probably because they were worried about a lawsuit. As legally they were to have an epi pen ready when you restart remicade. I still regret not lookin into it, or at least fighting to have my bill covered, as I was still charged for the dose of remicade, and the adrenaline /recovery room I was admitted into. If you've ever been in anaphylaxis shock, I feel for you pepper with common allergies-it's terrifying. Especially when you have such an instant reaction that I had-I wouldn't have been able to inject myself if id been alone!
The dr tolde afterwards 15 more seconds and I would have possibly died as I was suffocating after I passed out and wasn't getting oxygen to my brain. I don't remember any of this even though I was apparently alert and trying very hard
To breathe. It's nice to know that's body was still fighting but my mind let me forget it-it makes me think that dying won't be as scary as we think-so theres that..
Skip forward a few months and I'm still in Tahoe, still at the same bar loving the b
LIfe (with a new bf) when I started to feel sick again. I was losing a ton of weight and living off of ensure and missing work. The day after my birthday, I started feeling Terrible pains again and called the new bf to driver to the we again((shout out to Tahoe truckee hospital) where I had an obstruction and was admitted once again-this time with a pain pump-(I still get made fun of by my friends that is pump that thing over and over even though of already gotten my dose-oops) this time they said things were looking worse and that I had scarring by this point I was on disability and barely able to work as I was so sick and so
I got a referral to ucsf medical center when my dr pulled some strings. A week later I was being x rayed and told I should have a colonoscopy as soon as possible. So there I was in a City where I didn't know anyone being told to find a place to drink the peach flavored bowel drains. Luckily my Bf's aunt offered her sisters house, and so I sat in this strangers house and did
My thing and was told I should schedule surgery right away. It was 2011 and a a couple weeks before Xmas. Well I knew I wanted it before the new year since I had ht my deductible for the 3rd year straight and somehow got in for dec
22nd. So I spent Xmas in the hospital and couldn't even have ice child to eat. I celebrated by pumping myself full of dialidud( boy what a great drug!) it's funny because my Bf's mom had surgery a few years before and said I wouldn't remember my stay at all, and I thought I was coherent while I was in there until I hear the stories my friends and family tell me. Apparently I'm a riot when
Under the influence of heavy painkillers-and even more sarcastic then normal, which is quite the feat. I remember waking up and being transported to my bed and the nurse bumped me a bit, and proclaimed that he was trying to hurts in purpose so he could steal my stuff! Yeah hell of a drug. So I got out in time for New Years and a bunch of friends came to stay over
And celebrate to a healthy New Years!
I've been on humira since and have gone into the er once for a
Hiccup. Not an obstruction, who knows what it was? I've been doing great since the surgery and eat a strict keto diet which seems to agree with my body. I have a much better grasp on my illness now and know how to read my body and what to do to avoid the hospital room. I had a dr who lege in on the little secret of prednisone and how I should take it at the first signs of pain. Which of course is hard to differentiate between a regular tummy ache and a flare!
Well that's my long ass story-I just typed it out so I could have a record of it(and I'm bored and awake)
Tldr-diagnosed in 09. Started remicade and went off because I didn't understand how the disease worked. Got sick again, had anaphylactic reaction to remicade and felt dumb I went off of t to begin with. Took prednisone and humira and felt ok for a year then lost a ton of weight and wound up back in hospital-this time with scarring. Had surgery Xmas of 2011-and have only been back to er once since, for reasons unknown!
I was drinking like a fish, and not eating the best, and remember my stomach began to hurt after I ate. I dull pain, unlike a normal stomachache-something deeper inside. I went to Rhode Island to meet my (now ex) Bf's parents.
My stomach started to hurt so bad, and I had no idea what was happening. By the end of the trip I was doubled over in pain and his parents wanted me to go to the er, but I wanted to get home.
I took a few extra days off work and tried to get through it-I remember the last thing I are before going I to the we was seafood dip and triscuits-yikes! I still can't eat seafood dip or triscuits! My (ex) bf got home from work at 2 am and I was doubled over in pain crying and knew I needed to go to the er. After arguing with him to drive the 30 minutes to the hospital-we were on our way, and I kept thinking "I hope it's not appendicitis-I don't want to have surgery" ha-if only it had been! I remember waiting a few hours to call my mom( a retired nurse) as I didn't want to worry her. I remember her saying "oh I hope it's not crohns". Crohns?
What's that? I had never heard of it, as it hadn't quite become the 'trendy' disease it is now. I brushed her off thinking well as long as it's not appendicitis and I don't need surgery. Then the dr walked in while I was on the phone with my mom and said "well we think it's crohns," and my mother started crying. I was under the influence of heavy painkillers at the time and was like "what's that?" Damn I wish it had been appendicitis!
Went on. Remicade and was doing great and felt back to normal right away! Was sent home with instruction to eat a low residue diet and that was it.
I evert jake started eating normal again as I didn't get stomach aches after eating salads (butter lettuce ftw!) and eventually decided I could go off my
Remicade since I was worried about what I was putting into my body,
I still didn't understand crohns too much and my dr didn't push me too hard when I decided to stop taking it-which still bugs me to this day. As it was clear I didn't understand the remicade was what was making me feeling better!
A year or so later, I had terrible pains and wound up back in the er , and then the hospital. I was lectured about going off my remicade and by that time understood how dumb it was as it had been working great. They kept me until the inflammation went down and said I'd try the remicade again-I had the first dose in the hospital with no problems and was happy that I didnt have issues restarting it! 4 weeks layer went in and before the nurse left the room I felt funny, by throat was closing up and I knew something was wrong. I was already convulsing and couldn't teach the call button, so I
Kicked my computer to the floor to get her attention and she turned around and started freaking out. Broke my computer by the way! I remember her calling for a dr and suddenly 10 people in my room. I was trying to puke and was convulsing and freakingout out because I couldn't move or breathe and Ill never forget the dr when he asked where the epi pen was and the nurse saying she didn't have it in the room like she was supposed to. I'll never forget the look on one of the Drama fave when he screamed for someone to get it immediately let and looking down at me with a worried look before composing himself and telling me it would be ok. I then passed out and it's blurry from there. I just remember being surrounded by people and thinking I would die.
I woke up and was being transported to a recovery room and was shaking so violently hard because they injected adrenaline straight into my Iv. I remember thinking the shaking would never end and was freezing cold despite a mound of heated blankets on me. Everyone was being very gentle around me. Thinking back it's probably because they were worried about a lawsuit. As legally they were to have an epi pen ready when you restart remicade. I still regret not lookin into it, or at least fighting to have my bill covered, as I was still charged for the dose of remicade, and the adrenaline /recovery room I was admitted into. If you've ever been in anaphylaxis shock, I feel for you pepper with common allergies-it's terrifying. Especially when you have such an instant reaction that I had-I wouldn't have been able to inject myself if id been alone!
The dr tolde afterwards 15 more seconds and I would have possibly died as I was suffocating after I passed out and wasn't getting oxygen to my brain. I don't remember any of this even though I was apparently alert and trying very hard
To breathe. It's nice to know that's body was still fighting but my mind let me forget it-it makes me think that dying won't be as scary as we think-so theres that..
Skip forward a few months and I'm still in Tahoe, still at the same bar loving the b
LIfe (with a new bf) when I started to feel sick again. I was losing a ton of weight and living off of ensure and missing work. The day after my birthday, I started feeling Terrible pains again and called the new bf to driver to the we again((shout out to Tahoe truckee hospital) where I had an obstruction and was admitted once again-this time with a pain pump-(I still get made fun of by my friends that is pump that thing over and over even though of already gotten my dose-oops) this time they said things were looking worse and that I had scarring by this point I was on disability and barely able to work as I was so sick and so
I got a referral to ucsf medical center when my dr pulled some strings. A week later I was being x rayed and told I should have a colonoscopy as soon as possible. So there I was in a City where I didn't know anyone being told to find a place to drink the peach flavored bowel drains. Luckily my Bf's aunt offered her sisters house, and so I sat in this strangers house and did
My thing and was told I should schedule surgery right away. It was 2011 and a a couple weeks before Xmas. Well I knew I wanted it before the new year since I had ht my deductible for the 3rd year straight and somehow got in for dec
22nd. So I spent Xmas in the hospital and couldn't even have ice child to eat. I celebrated by pumping myself full of dialidud( boy what a great drug!) it's funny because my Bf's mom had surgery a few years before and said I wouldn't remember my stay at all, and I thought I was coherent while I was in there until I hear the stories my friends and family tell me. Apparently I'm a riot when
Under the influence of heavy painkillers-and even more sarcastic then normal, which is quite the feat. I remember waking up and being transported to my bed and the nurse bumped me a bit, and proclaimed that he was trying to hurts in purpose so he could steal my stuff! Yeah hell of a drug. So I got out in time for New Years and a bunch of friends came to stay over
And celebrate to a healthy New Years!
I've been on humira since and have gone into the er once for a
Hiccup. Not an obstruction, who knows what it was? I've been doing great since the surgery and eat a strict keto diet which seems to agree with my body. I have a much better grasp on my illness now and know how to read my body and what to do to avoid the hospital room. I had a dr who lege in on the little secret of prednisone and how I should take it at the first signs of pain. Which of course is hard to differentiate between a regular tummy ache and a flare!
Well that's my long ass story-I just typed it out so I could have a record of it(and I'm bored and awake)
Tldr-diagnosed in 09. Started remicade and went off because I didn't understand how the disease worked. Got sick again, had anaphylactic reaction to remicade and felt dumb I went off of t to begin with. Took prednisone and humira and felt ok for a year then lost a ton of weight and wound up back in hospital-this time with scarring. Had surgery Xmas of 2011-and have only been back to er once since, for reasons unknown!
