Hi Everyone,
I'm currently in the stages of trying to get my intestinal condition diagnosed. I tried that about 8 years ago, but to no avail. It settled down and then flared up, settled, flared and you get the picture.
When I said I was starting a collection in my title, I meant of disorders/diseases. I have Epilepsy and have had it since I was 8, but diagnosed at 9-years-old. I'm now 36.
I had Ovarian Cancer at 27 and spent my 28th birthday still recovering from surgery, but it was a total success and didn't require radiation etc. However, I did wonder if taking the omentum off my bowel stirred up what I've been dealing with for several years as a week later after my surgery, I was back in the hospital as I was experiencing terrible stomach contractions - like someone was squeezing the stomach organ every minute or so. I determined I had become sensitive to carrots. Odd, as that may seem.
In 2008, I saw a specialist and had a scope up each end and they couldn't find the cause to my gnawing, raw and shooting pains in my stomach and intestines that would cause me to ditch food for liquid meal replacements and shy away from eating much at all during work hours. I was scared it was cancer, but if it was, I probably wouldn't be here today.
Anyway, I moved countries (originally from New Zealand) and now reside in the US and these past several months, I've noticed an increase in frequency in my pain. It's happening ever 2-3 weeks and lasts between 3-4 days, during which time I shy away from food and liquid. Finally, I got to the point I couldn't do this anymore. My job is quite demanding physically and if I can't eat for fear of pain, I will at some point pass out on the street, so I got a CT which indicated inflammation in my small intestine, thickening about midway down my abdomen (intestine) and intussusception (I hate that word and often misspell it). Anyway, they're going to give me a pill cam, but due to the thickening in the mid portion of my small intestine, they're going to give me another capsule first to ensure that passes and they can actually perform the real test.
I asked the specialist what he initially thought, without being able to 'see' what's going on and he suspects Crohn's, which I do too. I'm not scared of the diagnosis. To me, a diagnosis that isn't just 'syndrome' (which I treat as an umbrella term for "we know there's something wrong, but we don't know what it is, or what causes it), is the beginning of a journey to helping oneself. If diagnosed with Crohn's, I want to try and manage it as naturally as possible. I am already medicated for epilepsy and that is fully controlled with meds, but I wouldn't take them if I still had seizures. I'm a bit stubborn like that.
In the meantime, I've started on a regime of digestive enzymes to see if that helps and will probably try Swedish Bitters in a few days for the first time. I think I have poor digestion and I've had a slow bowel since I was born. I'm not sure if anyone else uses either of these things, but if you do, feel free to chime in on if you think it helps. What works for one person, doesn't necessarily work for someone else.
I'm currently in the stages of trying to get my intestinal condition diagnosed. I tried that about 8 years ago, but to no avail. It settled down and then flared up, settled, flared and you get the picture.
When I said I was starting a collection in my title, I meant of disorders/diseases. I have Epilepsy and have had it since I was 8, but diagnosed at 9-years-old. I'm now 36.
I had Ovarian Cancer at 27 and spent my 28th birthday still recovering from surgery, but it was a total success and didn't require radiation etc. However, I did wonder if taking the omentum off my bowel stirred up what I've been dealing with for several years as a week later after my surgery, I was back in the hospital as I was experiencing terrible stomach contractions - like someone was squeezing the stomach organ every minute or so. I determined I had become sensitive to carrots. Odd, as that may seem.
In 2008, I saw a specialist and had a scope up each end and they couldn't find the cause to my gnawing, raw and shooting pains in my stomach and intestines that would cause me to ditch food for liquid meal replacements and shy away from eating much at all during work hours. I was scared it was cancer, but if it was, I probably wouldn't be here today.
Anyway, I moved countries (originally from New Zealand) and now reside in the US and these past several months, I've noticed an increase in frequency in my pain. It's happening ever 2-3 weeks and lasts between 3-4 days, during which time I shy away from food and liquid. Finally, I got to the point I couldn't do this anymore. My job is quite demanding physically and if I can't eat for fear of pain, I will at some point pass out on the street, so I got a CT which indicated inflammation in my small intestine, thickening about midway down my abdomen (intestine) and intussusception (I hate that word and often misspell it). Anyway, they're going to give me a pill cam, but due to the thickening in the mid portion of my small intestine, they're going to give me another capsule first to ensure that passes and they can actually perform the real test.
I asked the specialist what he initially thought, without being able to 'see' what's going on and he suspects Crohn's, which I do too. I'm not scared of the diagnosis. To me, a diagnosis that isn't just 'syndrome' (which I treat as an umbrella term for "we know there's something wrong, but we don't know what it is, or what causes it), is the beginning of a journey to helping oneself. If diagnosed with Crohn's, I want to try and manage it as naturally as possible. I am already medicated for epilepsy and that is fully controlled with meds, but I wouldn't take them if I still had seizures. I'm a bit stubborn like that.
In the meantime, I've started on a regime of digestive enzymes to see if that helps and will probably try Swedish Bitters in a few days for the first time. I think I have poor digestion and I've had a slow bowel since I was born. I'm not sure if anyone else uses either of these things, but if you do, feel free to chime in on if you think it helps. What works for one person, doesn't necessarily work for someone else.