Howdy all,
I'm not quite sure how to go about this so I suppose I'll just wing it. I have had IBD symptoms for about 4 years and just ignored them. I was in the military, going to school and had quite a few familial problems for several years and just kinda figured "hell everyone must feel this way if they're as busy as me". Finally an army doc noticed I always was using the bathroom and had arthritis in all of my load bearing joints. I figured it was just from the rigorous physical training and stress of life, turns out I was wrong. I received my discharge summer 2010 and got my referral to see a GI.
So far I've done 2 colonoscopies, 1 upper scope, 2 rounds with the pill camera (which is neat) and was given the diagnosis of Crohn's Disease of the small bowel. After all of that business I still am not on a functional treatment plan. I've been on prednisone, flagyl, pentasa (for 8 months at increasing doses), colestid and prilosec. I've done a liquid diet for 6 weeks to no avail and keep an active food journal. My insurance won't approve Entocort which from what I hear might actually help me out!
I have a 'double-balloon enteroscopy' on this coming monday. They're going to take several biopsies from around the ol' intestinal tract and hopefully do a little maintenance while they're in there. Those biopsies should allow them a clearer picture of what's going on and how to best attack it (more meds, surgery, etc). In the last 2 months that I've been waiting for this test, my condition has been getting worse. I was already skinny and have lost roughly 15 pounds I doubt I can spare. I work out 5 days a week for at least 1 hour and although I'm looking a lot better I feel like absolute death most of the time. The worst for me is the constant, horrible joint pain and the 6-15x daily painful bowel movements.
Honestly I'm just worried this will never go away. I've been hospitalized once so far with an obstruction which was the worst pain I have felt so far and really got me down in the dumps. I've been missing more and more work and that's something I also can't afford, but how can I work if I have to use the bathroom every 20 minutes for 20 minutes? Doesn't seem very efficient for whoever I work for. I've always been an optimist and I know that God, Buddha or Allah put this in me for a reason, it's just REALLY hard to see that right now. Glad I have people out there like me because it's just impossible for my friends/family to really get what I'm going through. Sorry if this is a disjointed mess of a post, my college english prof would be appalled haha.
Thanks for reading this if you made it this far, and everyone who does keep your chin up and your pants down!
Jordan Mach
Sick and tired of being sick and tired
I'm not quite sure how to go about this so I suppose I'll just wing it. I have had IBD symptoms for about 4 years and just ignored them. I was in the military, going to school and had quite a few familial problems for several years and just kinda figured "hell everyone must feel this way if they're as busy as me". Finally an army doc noticed I always was using the bathroom and had arthritis in all of my load bearing joints. I figured it was just from the rigorous physical training and stress of life, turns out I was wrong. I received my discharge summer 2010 and got my referral to see a GI.
So far I've done 2 colonoscopies, 1 upper scope, 2 rounds with the pill camera (which is neat) and was given the diagnosis of Crohn's Disease of the small bowel. After all of that business I still am not on a functional treatment plan. I've been on prednisone, flagyl, pentasa (for 8 months at increasing doses), colestid and prilosec. I've done a liquid diet for 6 weeks to no avail and keep an active food journal. My insurance won't approve Entocort which from what I hear might actually help me out!
I have a 'double-balloon enteroscopy' on this coming monday. They're going to take several biopsies from around the ol' intestinal tract and hopefully do a little maintenance while they're in there. Those biopsies should allow them a clearer picture of what's going on and how to best attack it (more meds, surgery, etc). In the last 2 months that I've been waiting for this test, my condition has been getting worse. I was already skinny and have lost roughly 15 pounds I doubt I can spare. I work out 5 days a week for at least 1 hour and although I'm looking a lot better I feel like absolute death most of the time. The worst for me is the constant, horrible joint pain and the 6-15x daily painful bowel movements.
Honestly I'm just worried this will never go away. I've been hospitalized once so far with an obstruction which was the worst pain I have felt so far and really got me down in the dumps. I've been missing more and more work and that's something I also can't afford, but how can I work if I have to use the bathroom every 20 minutes for 20 minutes? Doesn't seem very efficient for whoever I work for. I've always been an optimist and I know that God, Buddha or Allah put this in me for a reason, it's just REALLY hard to see that right now. Glad I have people out there like me because it's just impossible for my friends/family to really get what I'm going through. Sorry if this is a disjointed mess of a post, my college english prof would be appalled haha.
Thanks for reading this if you made it this far, and everyone who does keep your chin up and your pants down!
Jordan Mach
Sick and tired of being sick and tired
