My name's Briana & I got diagnosed with Crohn's Disease about a little over 6 months ago now. I first started getting sick back in April of 2011. I was going to the bathroom constantly & had blood in my stools. It was a lot of blood, too; like the whole toilet was full of it. I didn't know what was wrong with me.. I just thought it was normal. Finally, I told my mom one day. Then I showed her how much it was and she completely freaked out. I went to my doctor & at first, they thought it was a parasite in my tummy. But they sent me to a specialist in Montgomery, Alabama and gave me a colonoscophy. My specialist diagnosed me with severe ulcerative colitis. Then the biopsies tests came back in & I was then diagnosed with Crohn's on June 6th, 2011; my 14th birthday. I've been struggling with it ever since. When they put me on Prednisone, I gained about 30 pounds. None of my clothes fit me anymore and it just put me into this huge depression. I didn't feel like myself anymore.. I felt tired all the time. Everytime I'd do something, I'd have to go lay down for a minute. I have constant pain every single day. But some days are better than others. Sometimes, it hurts so horrible that I just break down in tears. To make things worse, my hair started falling out. I used to have really thick hair & now it's pretty thin. It just falls out all the time; washing it, brushing it, and just when I do nothing to it. Sometimes, I'm okay like emotionally. But I've been depressed for a long time.. I'm normally a really happy person. But I just feel terrible. I've lost 12 pounds the last time I checked when I got weighed at my doctor. Because I can finally work out a little & I've been trying to eat less. I know I hate this disease & definitely dealing with it at 14 years old. But I'm SO much better than I used to be. I haven't bled in a long time & I can do more than I used to. I just don't really know what foods I'm supposed to eat & what not to eat. That's the hardest part. I hurt every time I eat something. I've been trying to find out what hurts me & what doesn't but it's taking a while. I used to go to public school before I got sick. But I'm homeschooled now so I wouldn't have to deal with it at school. & so I wouldn't have an accident. I'm getting better. & I've started praying that God will help heal me. Maybe this was a good thing I got this.. So I could find God. 
But now, I have to ride about two hours to Montgomery every 8-9 weeks to get an infusion through an I.V. with Remicade. Ever since I started taking it, I've been so much better. So I'm hoping & praying that I will get better & actually go back to feeling like a normal kid again. Because of this, I wanna be a specialist for kids with Crohn's. So I can help younger kids cope and deal with it.
But now, I have to ride about two hours to Montgomery every 8-9 weeks to get an infusion through an I.V. with Remicade. Ever since I started taking it, I've been so much better. So I'm hoping & praying that I will get better & actually go back to feeling like a normal kid again. Because of this, I wanna be a specialist for kids with Crohn's. So I can help younger kids cope and deal with it.
