I first started to experience abdominal pain when I was thirteen years old (I am now 18). The pain was unexplainable and easily the worst feeling I have ever experienced. I started to develop anxiety at the same time and would suffer from panic attacks so when I went to the doctor's about the stomach pains she told me it was "just my anxiety" and it was all part of my panic attacks. I went years believing that whenever I was having an episode it was a panic attack.
This probably sounds very strange but I didn't have any of the more obvious symptoms of crohn's other than the pain; I had never experienced blood, mucus or fits of diarrhea, in fact during my flare ups I get constipated. Still I could tell that something wasn't quite right, my stomach would make astonishingly loud noises and would bloat to an unbelievable size. I saw a couple different doctors over the years none of which gave me any answers until last summer.
The pain was getting worse I would have episodes almost every night, I couldn't sleep from the pain and I could barely eat anything. I started to have an on and off fever and would vomit when the pain got really bad. Finally I decided to go to the ER. I was expecting them to wave it off like the other doctors but they did the exact opposite. I was immediately hooked up to an IV and had multiple X-rays, CT scans and blood tests. They told me I had an infection in my intestine and had to admitted. I spent a week on intravenous antibiotics but wasn't getting any better so the doctors decided to operate.
They went in not knowing what to expect they told my parents the surgery would be small and take around two hours - it ended up being close to six. When I woke up I was told right away that it was crohn's; they took out seven inches of my small intestine.
Now months after surgery I am supposed to be in remission but I am finding that the symptoms are coming back very quickly. My stomach is making loud noises again, I am experiencing low to moderate pain and the fatigue is awful. I am finding out tomorrow if my doctor thinks medication is right for me and I'm a little frightened by the idea:confused2:, anyway I am hoping that some of you may relate to my story and have advice advice for me since my crohn's is in a rare place.
This probably sounds very strange but I didn't have any of the more obvious symptoms of crohn's other than the pain; I had never experienced blood, mucus or fits of diarrhea, in fact during my flare ups I get constipated. Still I could tell that something wasn't quite right, my stomach would make astonishingly loud noises and would bloat to an unbelievable size. I saw a couple different doctors over the years none of which gave me any answers until last summer.
The pain was getting worse I would have episodes almost every night, I couldn't sleep from the pain and I could barely eat anything. I started to have an on and off fever and would vomit when the pain got really bad. Finally I decided to go to the ER. I was expecting them to wave it off like the other doctors but they did the exact opposite. I was immediately hooked up to an IV and had multiple X-rays, CT scans and blood tests. They told me I had an infection in my intestine and had to admitted. I spent a week on intravenous antibiotics but wasn't getting any better so the doctors decided to operate.
They went in not knowing what to expect they told my parents the surgery would be small and take around two hours - it ended up being close to six. When I woke up I was told right away that it was crohn's; they took out seven inches of my small intestine.
Now months after surgery I am supposed to be in remission but I am finding that the symptoms are coming back very quickly. My stomach is making loud noises again, I am experiencing low to moderate pain and the fatigue is awful. I am finding out tomorrow if my doctor thinks medication is right for me and I'm a little frightened by the idea:confused2:, anyway I am hoping that some of you may relate to my story and have advice advice for me since my crohn's is in a rare place.