- Joined
- Jun 2, 2011
- Messages
- 68
Hey everyone,
Most of you have seen me around, though I just recently joined this forum. I am so excited about this new section for success stories! If I traveled back to when I was first diagnosed, it would have been amazing to read about people that had figured out a way to beat this disease!
I was diagnosed when I was eleven and dealt with the typical severe Crohn's scenario for years- meds, hospital stays, bathroom visits, missing school, etc. I had surgery on November 6th 2009. Since then, I have been in a blissful remission, and I'm loving it.
My whole life was filled with Crohn's. I don't really remember what my life was like before getting sick. Before surgery, I missed classes all of the time. I'm used to copying notes and studying on the couch, but it is amazing to be able to say that I did not miss a single class last semester. I took a fitness class right before my surgery, and ten reps on one machine would throw me into a flare-up. Now, I work out twice a day as often as I can. I run, elliptical, and do zumba. I worked at a grocery store before surgery, and barely ever got scheduled because I was always calling out. Now, I work thirty-five hours a week during the summer at the Elms library. I work here and tutor during the school year. I'm the Looks on Campus editor on the fashion website for college students, College Fashion. I'm teaching a writing workshop for high school kids at the library this summer. It is amazing what you can do when half of your time isn't spent being sick or worrying about being sick.
I'm not cured, nor do I claim to be. Just last night, there were hidden seeds on the bottom of my hamburger bun at Chili's that I did not discover until halfway through eating it, and stomach pains attacked for four hours afterward. I have to watch what I eat, constantly. I work out as much as I can because I want to be as healthy as I possibly can be, just in case I come out of remission or need another surgery. Anyways, I hope all of you that are undiagnosed, in the middle of a flare, or a parent of a kid with Crohn's, see that it can, and it will get better. I wouldn't have believed you if you told me this years ago. But it does. It gets better! Ten years with this disease, and honestly, I can't imagine my life without it. It's a part of me.
I've been writing a story/poem about Crohn's this summer (I'm actually not sure what it really is yet), but I thought I would leave you guys with part of it...
"After brushing my teeth twice and finding my glasses on the bathroom tile, I slink back to my couch and inspect Mom’s Flare Care Package perched on the TV tray next to me. She’s assembled a giant glass of water, a glass of apple juice (never, ever drink orange juice- too much acid), my pill box, a sleeve of saltines, my copy of Harry Potter six, all three TV remotes, my cell phone charger, and her disappointment that Crohn’s has striked again.
It’s strange when sickness becomes a routine. You get to the point where you can’t recall when the switch happened- from a normal life to one filled with medications. Being sick is all you can remember.
I know the drill. I can recite the steps of a flare-up in my sleep. During the attack, I hover between hell and dreamland- a heavy-eyed place where I can hear the splintering needles inside me. And then I wake up in post-flare, hazy and bruised. I can predict how long it will take for me to eat real food, what meds will make the recovery day easier. Yet I can’t foretell when or why Crohn’s will visit next.
I need to invest in a “Visitors not welcome” sign."
Thanks for listening!
-Karissa
Most of you have seen me around, though I just recently joined this forum. I am so excited about this new section for success stories! If I traveled back to when I was first diagnosed, it would have been amazing to read about people that had figured out a way to beat this disease!
I was diagnosed when I was eleven and dealt with the typical severe Crohn's scenario for years- meds, hospital stays, bathroom visits, missing school, etc. I had surgery on November 6th 2009. Since then, I have been in a blissful remission, and I'm loving it.
My whole life was filled with Crohn's. I don't really remember what my life was like before getting sick. Before surgery, I missed classes all of the time. I'm used to copying notes and studying on the couch, but it is amazing to be able to say that I did not miss a single class last semester. I took a fitness class right before my surgery, and ten reps on one machine would throw me into a flare-up. Now, I work out twice a day as often as I can. I run, elliptical, and do zumba. I worked at a grocery store before surgery, and barely ever got scheduled because I was always calling out. Now, I work thirty-five hours a week during the summer at the Elms library. I work here and tutor during the school year. I'm the Looks on Campus editor on the fashion website for college students, College Fashion. I'm teaching a writing workshop for high school kids at the library this summer. It is amazing what you can do when half of your time isn't spent being sick or worrying about being sick.
I'm not cured, nor do I claim to be. Just last night, there were hidden seeds on the bottom of my hamburger bun at Chili's that I did not discover until halfway through eating it, and stomach pains attacked for four hours afterward. I have to watch what I eat, constantly. I work out as much as I can because I want to be as healthy as I possibly can be, just in case I come out of remission or need another surgery. Anyways, I hope all of you that are undiagnosed, in the middle of a flare, or a parent of a kid with Crohn's, see that it can, and it will get better. I wouldn't have believed you if you told me this years ago. But it does. It gets better! Ten years with this disease, and honestly, I can't imagine my life without it. It's a part of me.
I've been writing a story/poem about Crohn's this summer (I'm actually not sure what it really is yet), but I thought I would leave you guys with part of it...
"After brushing my teeth twice and finding my glasses on the bathroom tile, I slink back to my couch and inspect Mom’s Flare Care Package perched on the TV tray next to me. She’s assembled a giant glass of water, a glass of apple juice (never, ever drink orange juice- too much acid), my pill box, a sleeve of saltines, my copy of Harry Potter six, all three TV remotes, my cell phone charger, and her disappointment that Crohn’s has striked again.
It’s strange when sickness becomes a routine. You get to the point where you can’t recall when the switch happened- from a normal life to one filled with medications. Being sick is all you can remember.
I know the drill. I can recite the steps of a flare-up in my sleep. During the attack, I hover between hell and dreamland- a heavy-eyed place where I can hear the splintering needles inside me. And then I wake up in post-flare, hazy and bruised. I can predict how long it will take for me to eat real food, what meds will make the recovery day easier. Yet I can’t foretell when or why Crohn’s will visit next.
I need to invest in a “Visitors not welcome” sign."
Thanks for listening!
-Karissa
