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Late to the game, but paying attention now

I'm new here.

I'm 58, Caucasian female. 5'2, about #130

I had never given "constipation" a second thought until:

About 30 years ago, I ended up having emergency surgery, after which I heard something like this: "...infarction. Had to remove (either 4-6 inches or 46 inches--my first impression is that it was the larger number, but, remember, I was recovering from emergency surgery--of her intestines.)

Was in hospital about a week, IV probably for 2 days, and then liquids, and then solids, and then they released me.

Had a follow up appointment with my surgeon about 2 weeks later, if I remember correctly. (I was young, I had two small kids, and a very involved full time job). I remember NOTHING else. The only meds given were estrogen (due to having two ectopic pregnancies earlier) which I didn't take anyway. I don't like to take medications.

From that time, I began to have very painful intestinal cramps: they felt like LABOR pain. Then I would finally have a bowel movement. (the relief of HAVING the BM was so great that I don't remember...umm...scrutinizing the results. Sorry if TMI.)

That, over the years, mostly dissipated, and I was left with occasional bad intestinal cramps, and, usually, the runs.

(I attributed it to scar tissue. Remember, I was young, relatively "healthy" (although very skinny) and very busy. I don't do doctors, so I simply ignored it. It has gotten worse.

NOW, I almost always have the runs, and from time to time, I have what I call, "dumping syndrome," where the liquid just runs out of me. Accidents have been known to happen. (starting about 20 years ago, just one, and then progressing to the point that I often don't eat when I go out, thinking, "if there's nothing in there, there's nothing to come out!") There is little or no warning when one of these situations occurs. Just urgency.

One thing that I have found that helps is "Lactaid." I don't just take it when I am ingesting dairy. I take it when I "think" something might set me off.

So embarrassing.

Well, I just had a colonoscopy (my second ever) and an endoscopy (some trouble swallowing, usually my problems are much LOWER in the tract...)
and the doctor gave me photos (hmmm) along with an appointment to see him in 2 months, and two new prescriptions: Omeprazole and Cholestyram. Did I mention that I don't like to take medication??

But I want to do whatever I can to restore what health I can to my body. Now I am older, now we have internet...so I went online and looked at these two meds.

Some of what I read was encouraging... and some of it scared the crap out of me (not needed...trust me here.)indicating that the very meds that are prescribed might trigger what had happened to me in the past. That terrifies me.

So then I started looking at the pictures, and I THINK I have it figured out (yes, I now have a new appointment, much earlier, with the current physician, to "consult with him" and learn more.)

Two of the photos have this caption: Anastamosis, side to side, surgical changes, colon- terminal ileum.

Okay, so what had happened to me? I start looking up that terminology. Now I want to know how much I lost, what the impact of that would be and how to more naturally deal with it.

Ah!... and that's why I am here.

Hope that helps you understand my journey.

I have some questions (I have a Poirot-type mind) that maybe some of you could answer. I'll post them on a second list, so that you don't have to wade through all this verbiage to get to my questions. I'd welcome any and all comments from those that have been there, done that.

I just didn't know that I was on the same road.

Thanks!:eek::eek:
 
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