When I was first diagnosed with Crohn's, I remember feeling shocked and scared. I think being diagnosed with something that you know so little about can be quite scary! Considering I was only 26 and you feel that you still have your whole life ahead of you!
It first started when I went into hospital in October 2008 with supposed Appendicitis. At the time they told me that the infection had completely obliterated my Appendix and so they just had to remove the infection.
Just a little less than a year later, I participated in a charity 10k run. That evening after the run, I had a large lump sticking out of my lower right abdomen, roughly where I had been operated on the year before. I assumed that I had overdone it and that perhaps this was a hernia.
After going to A&E on the Wednesday, thinking I would be back at work on the following Monday, I woke up the day after my operation, high on morphine, not really sure what was going on but also not really caring as I had control (allbeit limited) of my own morphine intake.
When the doctors came round and lifted my hospital gown up, they revealed a bandage that appeared to my doped up mind to stretch all the way to my chest. They then pulled this off to reveal the 38 staple-like stiches creeping up my belly to just above my belly button. They then informed me that I had Crohn's disease and that they had had to remove two large infections from my lower bowel along with a large part of the bowel itself.
I was in hospital for a week and off work for roughly 6 weeks.
The care and attention I received was brilliant in that emergency situation and I still thank the clinician to this day for making the decision not to fit with me a colostomy bag for six months (which would have added an even more unpleasant dimension to my recovery phase). However, I received little information or warning about my eating habits and made the mistake after a week of eating two yoghurts to eat two meals in one day the day I left the hospital (I suddenely found my appetite again!). For other sufferers, I need not describe to you the panic in making it to the toilet!
Recovery was a lot harder than I thought it would be as I could eat very little without suffering from diarrhea. No bread, no eggs, no pasta, no milk to name but a few. I found that I could eat half a jacket potato and a few beans.
So nearly two years later and I have been coping quite well and it barely interferes with my daily life. I go to the gym, I drink and I eat what I like (just smaller amounts!). I have run two half marathons since. I also find that if I eat too much of the same thing I will be sitting on the toilet. I regularly buy lopepramide tablets (particularly if I am travelling or at an event for example) and I am usually able to manage it.
However, the reason I found this site (and before I provided my Crohn's life story!) I was googling about Crohn's as for about three days now I have had familiar uncomfortable feelings in my lower right abdomen. It is not an acute pain and I have pushed down in several places and it doesn't hurt. The best ways to describe it are that I am constantly aware of my right lower side, that there is an ache and that there is a bubble in my bowel.
So I went to A&E last night (as I always instantly panic!) and they advised that bloods, pulse and temperature were all normal, no infection detected, examined me and said it all felt fine. This isn't the first time since diagnosis that I have felt something was wrong and it turned out to be nothing (as my title suggests!). But for some reason, this time feels different to the other times and I had diarrhea today which is a rare occasion nowadays when I haven't been drinking the night before.
So I googled and found a post on this forum from someone who just described my symptoms and it turned out to be nothing (just grumbles). Which again makes me feel a little relieved. And so I felt inclined to write up my history so that other people could make use out of.
I do hope my grumbles are just that as it does stress me when it is like this. It is not painful, just uncomfortable and always makes me worry that I am ignoring something more serious.
Anyway, I hope my recent health history will help anyone else who has this condition (or hasn't been diagnosed yet).
I will keep you posted if this turns out to be anything more!
It first started when I went into hospital in October 2008 with supposed Appendicitis. At the time they told me that the infection had completely obliterated my Appendix and so they just had to remove the infection.
Just a little less than a year later, I participated in a charity 10k run. That evening after the run, I had a large lump sticking out of my lower right abdomen, roughly where I had been operated on the year before. I assumed that I had overdone it and that perhaps this was a hernia.
After going to A&E on the Wednesday, thinking I would be back at work on the following Monday, I woke up the day after my operation, high on morphine, not really sure what was going on but also not really caring as I had control (allbeit limited) of my own morphine intake.
When the doctors came round and lifted my hospital gown up, they revealed a bandage that appeared to my doped up mind to stretch all the way to my chest. They then pulled this off to reveal the 38 staple-like stiches creeping up my belly to just above my belly button. They then informed me that I had Crohn's disease and that they had had to remove two large infections from my lower bowel along with a large part of the bowel itself.
I was in hospital for a week and off work for roughly 6 weeks.
The care and attention I received was brilliant in that emergency situation and I still thank the clinician to this day for making the decision not to fit with me a colostomy bag for six months (which would have added an even more unpleasant dimension to my recovery phase). However, I received little information or warning about my eating habits and made the mistake after a week of eating two yoghurts to eat two meals in one day the day I left the hospital (I suddenely found my appetite again!). For other sufferers, I need not describe to you the panic in making it to the toilet!
Recovery was a lot harder than I thought it would be as I could eat very little without suffering from diarrhea. No bread, no eggs, no pasta, no milk to name but a few. I found that I could eat half a jacket potato and a few beans.
So nearly two years later and I have been coping quite well and it barely interferes with my daily life. I go to the gym, I drink and I eat what I like (just smaller amounts!). I have run two half marathons since. I also find that if I eat too much of the same thing I will be sitting on the toilet. I regularly buy lopepramide tablets (particularly if I am travelling or at an event for example) and I am usually able to manage it.
However, the reason I found this site (and before I provided my Crohn's life story!) I was googling about Crohn's as for about three days now I have had familiar uncomfortable feelings in my lower right abdomen. It is not an acute pain and I have pushed down in several places and it doesn't hurt. The best ways to describe it are that I am constantly aware of my right lower side, that there is an ache and that there is a bubble in my bowel.
So I went to A&E last night (as I always instantly panic!) and they advised that bloods, pulse and temperature were all normal, no infection detected, examined me and said it all felt fine. This isn't the first time since diagnosis that I have felt something was wrong and it turned out to be nothing (as my title suggests!). But for some reason, this time feels different to the other times and I had diarrhea today which is a rare occasion nowadays when I haven't been drinking the night before.
So I googled and found a post on this forum from someone who just described my symptoms and it turned out to be nothing (just grumbles). Which again makes me feel a little relieved. And so I felt inclined to write up my history so that other people could make use out of.
I do hope my grumbles are just that as it does stress me when it is like this. It is not painful, just uncomfortable and always makes me worry that I am ignoring something more serious.
Anyway, I hope my recent health history will help anyone else who has this condition (or hasn't been diagnosed yet).
I will keep you posted if this turns out to be anything more!
