Hi, my name is Ashley. I am a 16 year old girl and I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease on June 6th, 2014.
I went to see my doctor at least 2 days every week for the last 2 years. I had severe stomach pains, at basketball practice I would throw up every time I would run, and I was always tired. After going to see my doctor for a year and a half every day, she accused me of only being there to get out of school. Even though I was sitting there crying from the pain and from the fear of not knowing what was wrong. My mom was furious with her. Then my doctor accused me of having unprotected sex and demanding a pregnancy test. She yelled at me and my mom, she swore at us, and was just downright unprofessional.
So after me and mom filed a complaint against her, we saw a different doctor. That same day, he did a CT scan. We found out my intestines were inflamed. After he got these results, he put me in the hospital for 4 days. It was my first time being in the hospital. I was terrified.
My doctor called a specialist in Marshfield and he scheduled a colonoscopy and a endoscopy. After that nightmare was over he called my mom while I was at a friend's house. When she picked me up she looked upset. After looking at my friend and wondering what was going on she finally told me that I had Crohn's disease. I broke down in tears. I didn't know what to say/do. I thought I was so messed up, that my life was over, that I would never be normal ever again. I was terrified..
When we got home we got a call from the specialist. He explained to my mom that he wanted me to be put in the hospital in Marshfield Children's Hospital. He wanted to run more tests and try an IV treatment. I didn't want to go, but I had to.
When we got there and I was settled in my room and everything, the doctor came in and told me that Crohn's will never go away. All I could do was cry. That's when I knew my life was over. I would NEVER be normal again. I was now that kid with the weird disease. My specialist told me and my mom that my Crohn's was really bad and that the disease goes from my esophagus all the way down to my butt. He was glad that they caught it when they did. He was upset that it took 2 years to figure it out though. So was I. He told me and my mom that he wanted to start Remicade treatments. He explained to me that it was kind of like Kemo therapy. (Didn't help I was in the wing of the hospital with all the cancer patients.) I was there for a week. While I was there my grandfather died in the Marshfield hospital that was next to where I was.. My dad came to stay with me and take me home, while my mom went to the funeral. That day my doctor talked to me about the medications that I will be taking for the rest of my life. I felt awful. All I could think was, "I'm a 16 year old girl taking more medications than my grandma." And, "Everyone is gonna make fun of me. I have to take all these pills, I have a lifetime disease, and I have treatments." I felt horrible.
After that summer, my doctor scheduled my treatments every 8 weeks. He also wrote a permanent doctors note for my school. (Because I would get random, extremely painful flare-ups that would cause me to miss school.) Also from being in the hospital the first time, I missed all of my finals. So I have to repeat classes. I just thought how could things get worse, but they have. I have been to about 5 treatments of Remicade and now my vision is getting bad. My doctor told me that it was a slight side effect from the treatments. My vision used to be perfect. I never needed glasses, I could see everything clear, I could read the littlest print, but now everything is getting blurrier and blurrier. Also when I see lamps or headlights there are lines coming off of them. I went to my eye doctor and he told me that I have the ability to change the lenses in my eyes to see things and that the Remicade was causing my eyes to stick to one lens. Now I have to get glasses and get a new treatment medication.
I have missed many days of school because of treatments, check-ups, flare-ups, and tests. My Crohn's was/still is really bad because it was almost 2 and a half years that I had Crohn's and never knew it. In my eyes, it has ruined my life. My plan after high school was to go into the army, but I can't now because they don't accept people with Crohn's. This broke my heart. I can't do sports without throwing up. I have to take many pills, watch what I eat, and suffer through intense flare-ups. I used to be the healthiest kid. My brother was the one with the broken bones or was always in the hospital. I played basketball, I swam everyday of the summer, I used to go on runs, I used to be normal.
I will now be 17 in April and I have to get another colonoscopy and endoscopy done. The flare-ups aren't as frequent, but they are still there. I am still taking about 8 pills a day. I am busting my butt in school and I am finally caught up. I have finally decided to go to college to be a Gastroenterologist Physician. I want to help people with Crohn's and support them with it. I want to be there for them because I know how it is and how much it can break someone down.
Thank you for reading.
I went to see my doctor at least 2 days every week for the last 2 years. I had severe stomach pains, at basketball practice I would throw up every time I would run, and I was always tired. After going to see my doctor for a year and a half every day, she accused me of only being there to get out of school. Even though I was sitting there crying from the pain and from the fear of not knowing what was wrong. My mom was furious with her. Then my doctor accused me of having unprotected sex and demanding a pregnancy test. She yelled at me and my mom, she swore at us, and was just downright unprofessional.
So after me and mom filed a complaint against her, we saw a different doctor. That same day, he did a CT scan. We found out my intestines were inflamed. After he got these results, he put me in the hospital for 4 days. It was my first time being in the hospital. I was terrified.
My doctor called a specialist in Marshfield and he scheduled a colonoscopy and a endoscopy. After that nightmare was over he called my mom while I was at a friend's house. When she picked me up she looked upset. After looking at my friend and wondering what was going on she finally told me that I had Crohn's disease. I broke down in tears. I didn't know what to say/do. I thought I was so messed up, that my life was over, that I would never be normal ever again. I was terrified..
When we got home we got a call from the specialist. He explained to my mom that he wanted me to be put in the hospital in Marshfield Children's Hospital. He wanted to run more tests and try an IV treatment. I didn't want to go, but I had to.
When we got there and I was settled in my room and everything, the doctor came in and told me that Crohn's will never go away. All I could do was cry. That's when I knew my life was over. I would NEVER be normal again. I was now that kid with the weird disease. My specialist told me and my mom that my Crohn's was really bad and that the disease goes from my esophagus all the way down to my butt. He was glad that they caught it when they did. He was upset that it took 2 years to figure it out though. So was I. He told me and my mom that he wanted to start Remicade treatments. He explained to me that it was kind of like Kemo therapy. (Didn't help I was in the wing of the hospital with all the cancer patients.) I was there for a week. While I was there my grandfather died in the Marshfield hospital that was next to where I was.. My dad came to stay with me and take me home, while my mom went to the funeral. That day my doctor talked to me about the medications that I will be taking for the rest of my life. I felt awful. All I could think was, "I'm a 16 year old girl taking more medications than my grandma." And, "Everyone is gonna make fun of me. I have to take all these pills, I have a lifetime disease, and I have treatments." I felt horrible.
After that summer, my doctor scheduled my treatments every 8 weeks. He also wrote a permanent doctors note for my school. (Because I would get random, extremely painful flare-ups that would cause me to miss school.) Also from being in the hospital the first time, I missed all of my finals. So I have to repeat classes. I just thought how could things get worse, but they have. I have been to about 5 treatments of Remicade and now my vision is getting bad. My doctor told me that it was a slight side effect from the treatments. My vision used to be perfect. I never needed glasses, I could see everything clear, I could read the littlest print, but now everything is getting blurrier and blurrier. Also when I see lamps or headlights there are lines coming off of them. I went to my eye doctor and he told me that I have the ability to change the lenses in my eyes to see things and that the Remicade was causing my eyes to stick to one lens. Now I have to get glasses and get a new treatment medication.
I have missed many days of school because of treatments, check-ups, flare-ups, and tests. My Crohn's was/still is really bad because it was almost 2 and a half years that I had Crohn's and never knew it. In my eyes, it has ruined my life. My plan after high school was to go into the army, but I can't now because they don't accept people with Crohn's. This broke my heart. I can't do sports without throwing up. I have to take many pills, watch what I eat, and suffer through intense flare-ups. I used to be the healthiest kid. My brother was the one with the broken bones or was always in the hospital. I played basketball, I swam everyday of the summer, I used to go on runs, I used to be normal.
I will now be 17 in April and I have to get another colonoscopy and endoscopy done. The flare-ups aren't as frequent, but they are still there. I am still taking about 8 pills a day. I am busting my butt in school and I am finally caught up. I have finally decided to go to college to be a Gastroenterologist Physician. I want to help people with Crohn's and support them with it. I want to be there for them because I know how it is and how much it can break someone down.
Thank you for reading.
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