- Joined
- Dec 6, 2011
- Messages
- 5
Hello all,
I am so happy to have found a forum where I can share and hopefully learn about this disease. Just wanted to introduce myself and tell I guess "my story"? You can call me Spring, I am 22 years old and I just recently graduated college in May! What was supposed to be a year off where I would travel and do the necessary things to gear up for grad school next year has turned into a disaster.
I should start off by saying I've always been not the most healthy person. I've had kidney stones twice (surgery both times), chronic bronchitis due to debilitating pneumonia when I was little, and I tore my Achilles tendon due to tendinitis. So it is hard to say when I started feeling sick because I've dealt with sickness my whole life. But if I had to pinpoint the first trip to the doctors that I can contribute to crohns it would have to be three months ago.
I got really bad canker sores in my mouth and on my tongue that made it impossible for me to eat and drink. one month later to the day I got the sores again and made a second trip. Got diagnosed with herpes on this trip. Even though my body was tired, my back hurt, and I lost partial movement in my hands and feet as well. Was given an anti viral and told to go home. Well two weeks later after completing the anti virals I was worse. Couldn't get out of bed somedays and my body felt like it was hit by a train. Third visit. got blood work to rule out mono. My doctor told me that I had low white blood cells and signs of inflammation and infection which could account for my tiredness and swollen lymph nodes. By this time it has been about 2 months of feeling unwell.
Finally, after not feeling well for so long I started to have blood in my stool. It was then that I realized that since everything started my bowel movements had been messed up, ranging from D to C, and just different. I went back to the doctor and with this added information she scheduled me for more blood work (IBD tests) and to see a GI.
The tests came back positive for IBD and I went for a colonoscopy. My doctor told me I am confirmed with colitis with crohns. He also told me though that my appendix was abnormally shaped and inflamed. whatever that means?
I feel dumb I didn't think of crohns earlier since two cousins on my dad side have it, my grandmother had colitis, and my grandfather died of colon cancer.
Anyhow, right now I am on suppositories which are a really generic version of Canesa. The thing is I don't have prescription insurance and my overall insurance is subpar so I am struggling with this all financially (plus I am trying to go to grad school while paying off undergrad loans).
Current ailments I have are pain in the tummy (obviously), bloody stool, severe joint pain, rashes and psoriasis on my scalp, and canker sores.
Trying to figure this all out so that I can feel better and get stable money wise for my future grad school endevor. any advice is most welcome! thank you everyone for listening and hope to learn from you all.
S
I am so happy to have found a forum where I can share and hopefully learn about this disease. Just wanted to introduce myself and tell I guess "my story"? You can call me Spring, I am 22 years old and I just recently graduated college in May! What was supposed to be a year off where I would travel and do the necessary things to gear up for grad school next year has turned into a disaster.
I should start off by saying I've always been not the most healthy person. I've had kidney stones twice (surgery both times), chronic bronchitis due to debilitating pneumonia when I was little, and I tore my Achilles tendon due to tendinitis. So it is hard to say when I started feeling sick because I've dealt with sickness my whole life. But if I had to pinpoint the first trip to the doctors that I can contribute to crohns it would have to be three months ago.
I got really bad canker sores in my mouth and on my tongue that made it impossible for me to eat and drink. one month later to the day I got the sores again and made a second trip. Got diagnosed with herpes on this trip. Even though my body was tired, my back hurt, and I lost partial movement in my hands and feet as well. Was given an anti viral and told to go home. Well two weeks later after completing the anti virals I was worse. Couldn't get out of bed somedays and my body felt like it was hit by a train. Third visit. got blood work to rule out mono. My doctor told me that I had low white blood cells and signs of inflammation and infection which could account for my tiredness and swollen lymph nodes. By this time it has been about 2 months of feeling unwell.
Finally, after not feeling well for so long I started to have blood in my stool. It was then that I realized that since everything started my bowel movements had been messed up, ranging from D to C, and just different. I went back to the doctor and with this added information she scheduled me for more blood work (IBD tests) and to see a GI.
The tests came back positive for IBD and I went for a colonoscopy. My doctor told me I am confirmed with colitis with crohns. He also told me though that my appendix was abnormally shaped and inflamed. whatever that means?
I feel dumb I didn't think of crohns earlier since two cousins on my dad side have it, my grandmother had colitis, and my grandfather died of colon cancer.
Anyhow, right now I am on suppositories which are a really generic version of Canesa. The thing is I don't have prescription insurance and my overall insurance is subpar so I am struggling with this all financially (plus I am trying to go to grad school while paying off undergrad loans).
Current ailments I have are pain in the tummy (obviously), bloody stool, severe joint pain, rashes and psoriasis on my scalp, and canker sores.
Trying to figure this all out so that I can feel better and get stable money wise for my future grad school endevor. any advice is most welcome! thank you everyone for listening and hope to learn from you all.
S
