I've never had a major ailment in my 33 years on this rock. I've just been one of those lucky ones where a minor cold was the most significant sickness I've had. Until about a year and a half ago. I noticed I started getting "odd" cramps below my stomach along my waist line. With these cramps my anxiety would increase. It was very odd. A few months went on and these cramps now started up in the morning after I woke up. That turned into going to the bathroom 3 or 4 times within 30 minutes. But after I did all of that, I was fine for the rest of the day. That went on for a month and then stopped. I was fine for a few weeks and then it would start again. Around Spring of 2017 my bowel movements became more loose. More cramping that would still come and go. These cramps made it feel like I had to have a bowel movement but sometimes I didn't have to.
Mid-summer 2017, not only was I going multiple times when I wake up, some days I was going multiple times all day. Then it would calm down for a few weeks. Come Fall 2017, I was having chronic diarrhea.I had cramping but it wasn't all that bad to me. I can tolerate things like that pretty good so to me it wasn't terrible. To somebody else it may have been pretty bad. At this point I finally said to myself that something was wrong. I'm hard headed and of course didn't want to go to a Doctor. Come Christmas 2017, oh boy. I was having cramps that was now even bothering me. Non-stop diarrhea. My backside was becoming so irritated with a possible hemorrhoid. But I also noticed odd little sores that seemed out of place around my anus. Yes I took pics to see what the heck was going on back there.
In January I started going down hill daily. Losing weight. Bowel movements was pure water with mucus. There was some blood once in a while but that may have been from the possible hemorrhoid and the little sores. I started developing multiple fevers a day. Night sweats like you wouldn't believe. I would wake up with my shirt dripping with sweat. But my cramping had actually calmed. My energy level was dropping until I had nothing left in me. The only thing I could do was lay on the couch and stare out to nothing. Finally got a Doctor's appt with my general practitioner to start the journey to see what the heck was wrong with me. Around the time of my appointment in early February, I actually felt a little better. Enough to go out and do something. Talked to my general practitioner and she believed the extreme long term antibiotics I was on may have stripped the good bacteria out of my gut. I have/had a viral acne problem that I've had since I was 13 or so. It also affected my eyes. I was on Accutane in 2003. Then after that, I was put on various antibiotics. Starting in 2010 I was put on Bactrim. They told me it was the safest for long term use. I was on that until my GP told me to stop at my first visit.
Did blood tests and the tests confirmed an inflammation. An appointment with the gastroenterologist was set but it was for a month away on March 2nd 2018. Wasn't too happy about that. Then I got the flu. Something I have never had. So with my already drained energy, I thought I was going to die. Thankfully I was prescribed tamiflu and I was getting better from the flu in about 4 days. In 10 days I was over it. But my cramping was back and the diarrhea was still terrible. I was in misery.
Finally my appointment day came with the GI doc. Very nice woman and wanted to hear everything. Embarrassing and all. Really made me feel good that I could open up to her. Her first thought was that maybe the antibiotics did give me some type of IBS. Did blood tests and again confirmed the inflammation. Also found I was extremely Vitamin D deficient. She put me on 50,000 unit once a week for 6 weeks, I have one more pill to take 4/12/18. And otc 2,000 unit. A colonoscopy was also scheduled and I had that on March 20th, 2018. Had that done and the Doctor that performed it came in and he said....Severe Crohn's Colitis. I was out of it for the most part still but he told my parents. He said he believed I could get it under control but it would take a while. For starters he put me on 40mg of Prednisone a day.
WOW! The days after taking the Prednisone was awesome. My energy was back. My 8-12 bowel movements a day was now like 3 a day. My BM started getting some form to it. I felt like I could conquer the world. But that lasted about 5 days. By the time of my one week check in via phone call, I was feeling a little crappy again. And they wanted to lower my Prednisone dose. So I did and I started going down hill again. And I didn't have another appointment until April 3rd. So I myself went back to 40mg but it did nothing. At my appointment we were talking about treatments. They are going to put me on Humira pen. She also told me to up my Prednisone to 60mg. But it is doing nothing anymore. Had more blood tests. Get a call the next day and they forgot to do 2 blood tests. My health was going down hill again. I couldn't make it the next day to do the blood work. My Doc is about 35 miles away. I have to use imodium if I go anywhere and sometimes that's iffy if it will work or not. I have fistulas "down there" and there is bowel movement coming out of them. So you can imagine the searing pain that it causes me. And my energy was just draining out of me.
For 2 days in a row I couldn't make the trip to have the blood work. I honestly thought my body was shutting down. Unbelievable hot flashes that feels like boiling water in me. The cramping in my stomach was severe. Never had what I call pain in my stomach. Unless my idea of pain is different from everyone. What I call it is various levels of cramping. As if there is a 20 pound watermelon trying to work its way through my guts. And at times it makes me want to cry. When the severe cramping hits I have uncontrollable gagging. Never throw up. Just gag my head off until I have a bowel movement and I feel fairly decent after considering. Over the weekend, 4/7/18, I started feeling a little better. Energy came back some. On 4/9/18 I made it to the Doc to do my blood tests but that was all. I was drained. So here I am. Waiting for my blood tests to be ok'd to start Humira.
Like I said, I have never had any major ailment in my life. And this is one heck of a thing to have for my first one. This is unbelievable. In about 4 months I have lost about 70 pounds. Sure I need it but not like this.
Mid-summer 2017, not only was I going multiple times when I wake up, some days I was going multiple times all day. Then it would calm down for a few weeks. Come Fall 2017, I was having chronic diarrhea.I had cramping but it wasn't all that bad to me. I can tolerate things like that pretty good so to me it wasn't terrible. To somebody else it may have been pretty bad. At this point I finally said to myself that something was wrong. I'm hard headed and of course didn't want to go to a Doctor. Come Christmas 2017, oh boy. I was having cramps that was now even bothering me. Non-stop diarrhea. My backside was becoming so irritated with a possible hemorrhoid. But I also noticed odd little sores that seemed out of place around my anus. Yes I took pics to see what the heck was going on back there.
In January I started going down hill daily. Losing weight. Bowel movements was pure water with mucus. There was some blood once in a while but that may have been from the possible hemorrhoid and the little sores. I started developing multiple fevers a day. Night sweats like you wouldn't believe. I would wake up with my shirt dripping with sweat. But my cramping had actually calmed. My energy level was dropping until I had nothing left in me. The only thing I could do was lay on the couch and stare out to nothing. Finally got a Doctor's appt with my general practitioner to start the journey to see what the heck was wrong with me. Around the time of my appointment in early February, I actually felt a little better. Enough to go out and do something. Talked to my general practitioner and she believed the extreme long term antibiotics I was on may have stripped the good bacteria out of my gut. I have/had a viral acne problem that I've had since I was 13 or so. It also affected my eyes. I was on Accutane in 2003. Then after that, I was put on various antibiotics. Starting in 2010 I was put on Bactrim. They told me it was the safest for long term use. I was on that until my GP told me to stop at my first visit.
Did blood tests and the tests confirmed an inflammation. An appointment with the gastroenterologist was set but it was for a month away on March 2nd 2018. Wasn't too happy about that. Then I got the flu. Something I have never had. So with my already drained energy, I thought I was going to die. Thankfully I was prescribed tamiflu and I was getting better from the flu in about 4 days. In 10 days I was over it. But my cramping was back and the diarrhea was still terrible. I was in misery.
Finally my appointment day came with the GI doc. Very nice woman and wanted to hear everything. Embarrassing and all. Really made me feel good that I could open up to her. Her first thought was that maybe the antibiotics did give me some type of IBS. Did blood tests and again confirmed the inflammation. Also found I was extremely Vitamin D deficient. She put me on 50,000 unit once a week for 6 weeks, I have one more pill to take 4/12/18. And otc 2,000 unit. A colonoscopy was also scheduled and I had that on March 20th, 2018. Had that done and the Doctor that performed it came in and he said....Severe Crohn's Colitis. I was out of it for the most part still but he told my parents. He said he believed I could get it under control but it would take a while. For starters he put me on 40mg of Prednisone a day.
WOW! The days after taking the Prednisone was awesome. My energy was back. My 8-12 bowel movements a day was now like 3 a day. My BM started getting some form to it. I felt like I could conquer the world. But that lasted about 5 days. By the time of my one week check in via phone call, I was feeling a little crappy again. And they wanted to lower my Prednisone dose. So I did and I started going down hill again. And I didn't have another appointment until April 3rd. So I myself went back to 40mg but it did nothing. At my appointment we were talking about treatments. They are going to put me on Humira pen. She also told me to up my Prednisone to 60mg. But it is doing nothing anymore. Had more blood tests. Get a call the next day and they forgot to do 2 blood tests. My health was going down hill again. I couldn't make it the next day to do the blood work. My Doc is about 35 miles away. I have to use imodium if I go anywhere and sometimes that's iffy if it will work or not. I have fistulas "down there" and there is bowel movement coming out of them. So you can imagine the searing pain that it causes me. And my energy was just draining out of me.
For 2 days in a row I couldn't make the trip to have the blood work. I honestly thought my body was shutting down. Unbelievable hot flashes that feels like boiling water in me. The cramping in my stomach was severe. Never had what I call pain in my stomach. Unless my idea of pain is different from everyone. What I call it is various levels of cramping. As if there is a 20 pound watermelon trying to work its way through my guts. And at times it makes me want to cry. When the severe cramping hits I have uncontrollable gagging. Never throw up. Just gag my head off until I have a bowel movement and I feel fairly decent after considering. Over the weekend, 4/7/18, I started feeling a little better. Energy came back some. On 4/9/18 I made it to the Doc to do my blood tests but that was all. I was drained. So here I am. Waiting for my blood tests to be ok'd to start Humira.
Like I said, I have never had any major ailment in my life. And this is one heck of a thing to have for my first one. This is unbelievable. In about 4 months I have lost about 70 pounds. Sure I need it but not like this.
