Like almost all of us, my journey is long and complicated. I began to have intestinal issues at the age of 15. I am now 66. I had just started dating my husband and began to have intense cramping that would just have me doubled over at times. At that age, and in my first relationship, I never disclosed to him the kind of pain I was having. I had no idea what was going on and it felt embarrassing and very personal for a young girl. All these years later he just laughs and tells me I was "cooking the books." No malice in that, just laughing at ourselves now. I never bothered to tell my parents about it because I had three siblings who were ill with other things that required constant attention and we were poor at the time. We were married several years later and my husband had joined the military. We were serving in Guam at the time, and I became pregnant with my first child. Oddly, I think the most calm my disease has ever been was while I was pregnant. After my child was born, the intestinal pain took on a new persona and became akin to an alien trying to pry its way out of my abdomen. The tap water, when settled in a container, always had sediment settled to the bottom, and we assumed that it was causing my pain. Formaldehyde was also used as a preservative in some food products we were using. In my mind, there was a myriad of causative factors going on, and although I was seeing specialists, I was getting nowhere. The pain worsened. All I could do at times, was to lie on the floor with my knees drawn to my chest, and cry. We returned to the states and civilian life and I continued to seek care, with some specialists telling the most outlandish things that they decided were my diagnoses. One told my I must hate sex and that was causing my problems. Uhhh...he was the one who needed to see a specialist. Apparently more than I! Another told me that I was taking too many laxatives. Epic idiot number two. I was trying to recover from non-stop diarrhea, not produce it! Another told me to come back to see him if my problems worsened. My husband and I went to an appointment with him. When he very rudely asked why we were there, my husband almost punched him!
The doctor after doctor saga continued for years and years. My husband and I worked at the same location and each morning's work commute was the same. Stop at every known business with a public bathroom before finally arriving, then running straight to the nearest bathroom. At the age of 60, I made an appointment with yet another specialist. I knew the minute I saw his photo on the internet, when I chose to see him, it would finally be different. He's just a young man, and he is brilliant. As soon as I told him my history and he looked at my past colonoscopies, he knew that I had Crohn's. He confirmed his diagnosis with a capsule endoscopy, and we started treatment with remicade immediately. I've only had small flares since, until currently. I'm in the largest flare I've had for years. It started with foot surgery. A new problem seems to have developed with it, and it's that I'm having quite a bit of pain just below my ribs, and much more intense pain in my terminal ileum. I do have an appointment though.
All this said just a way of introduction of myself. I'll be thankful to be speaking with you!
The doctor after doctor saga continued for years and years. My husband and I worked at the same location and each morning's work commute was the same. Stop at every known business with a public bathroom before finally arriving, then running straight to the nearest bathroom. At the age of 60, I made an appointment with yet another specialist. I knew the minute I saw his photo on the internet, when I chose to see him, it would finally be different. He's just a young man, and he is brilliant. As soon as I told him my history and he looked at my past colonoscopies, he knew that I had Crohn's. He confirmed his diagnosis with a capsule endoscopy, and we started treatment with remicade immediately. I've only had small flares since, until currently. I'm in the largest flare I've had for years. It started with foot surgery. A new problem seems to have developed with it, and it's that I'm having quite a bit of pain just below my ribs, and much more intense pain in my terminal ileum. I do have an appointment though.
All this said just a way of introduction of myself. I'll be thankful to be speaking with you!
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