- Joined
- Jun 4, 2010
- Messages
- 38
Hello everyone,
I have been checking in this forum for the past few weeks but I am just now posting my story. I guess I'm still in denial and writing this all down makes it more real for me. But here goes....
In 2005 I was in a car accident when a driver ran a red light and hit my side of the car. I was not injured badly but my left hip had been hurting ever since then, I of course went to PT and Chiropractor and Dr. and basically delt with the pain for 4 years. It became the norm for me. Fast forward to July 2009. A normal summer day for my family, I and my daughter were going to a softball tourneyment and my husband was leaving for 2 week training for the military, we said our goodbyes and I love yous and did our things. About 4 hours later I get a phone call from my husband from the ambulance!( A friend of his was the EMT on duty so he let him call me) He was on his was to the ER room 2 hours away from our house. He continued to tell me they think he had a stroke and there is a possibility he wont make it to the ER?!! WHAT??? I made arrangements for my kids and left for the ER. After a few days in the ICU dr told us he had a pool of blood the size of a softball in his head and no one could figure out how he was still walking and talking. People in the ICU kept looking at him in amazement.There is a high death rate with this kind of stroke. Anyway this started of a huge amout of stress for me. I am 38 and my husband is only 35.
2 weeks later he was having surgery, I stayed in a motel room the night of his surgery with my daughters and I woke in the middle of the night barely able to walk, my hip was in severe pain but so was the rest of my body. Ev ery move I made hurt soo bad. Anyway When hubby got to come home after his brain surgery he ended up having to help me into the house. It was ridiculous.
I went to Dr. they told me I needed my hip replaced and it was totaly ruined, in the meantime he put me on Mobic for the pain and inflamation.
It helped with the pain but I then started having diarhea, I thought I had a bug and it would go away, after a week I went to the Dr. They did some tests and and did'nt see any bacterial reason and what not so they also said it would run its course and go away. It did'nt!!! I ended up in the emergency room for dehydration a few weeks later and the Dr there finally told me I need to see a GI specialist. I made an appt but couldnt gett in for another 6 weeks. I dont even remember what meds the reg Dr put me on but nothing really helped. I lost 40 pounds in 2 months going to the bathroom at lEAST 20 times a day...ugh:ymad: I ate crackers, drank water, and hobbled to the bathroom on a hip that was totally worn down. I ended up getting a wheelchair to use around the house. Along with the diarhea I was throwing up, or dry heaving constantly. My poor family was so scared and worried and probably tired of doing everthing for me as I couldnt do any house work, meals, mother and wifely duties. I also had to stop working. My husband had to come home from a major stroke and brain surgery to take care of me. I felt horrible.
I made it to the GI dr. Did the blood tests ect. Sceduled a colonoscopy and endonopscopy?(spelling). The prep for me was pure torture. I could
nt keep it down, for a few days before that my mouth had been very dry all the time, could'nt get enough to drink, figured I was dehydrated. Anyway drank as much as I could and decided I have to be cleaned out well enough with the amount of time I'd spent inthe bathroom inthe last 2 months.
On the 2 hour drive to do the test I had a cough drop to help with my dry mouth feeling, I know I wasnt supposed to but had to. Anyway got the procedures done and went back to recovery. I was of course still groggy when Dr came in. But I still remember the look on his face when he was showing me and my husband the pictures of my tests. He said " your colon looks like crumbled up raw hamburger and the reason your mouth is dry is because you have a yeast infection in your throat from the Pred." The pictures were nasty and scary. But then started my journy with meds from the GI.
I had to cancel my hip replacement surgery 2 times because I was not well enough and the GI just said he would not clear me for surgerry until I was healthy enough for it. Soooo for the next 6 months I was wheelchair and crutch bound, un able to go to my childrens events, which made me feel terribly guilty cuz I live to watch them in their lives. I had such horrible debilitating arthritis from the crohns that I had to have my oldest daughter and my husband stay home from work and school a few times to help me get up from my chair or bed to go to the bathroom. Other days I just would'nt eat or drink much until someone was home to help me. My wrists were sore, swollen and hot, I could hardly even wipe my own bottom, but I refused to ask my family to help with that TOO! And of course my hips hurt and my left hip was ridiculously in pain.
In Jan. 2010 GI started me on Cimzia. I did'nt even worry about any side effects..I knew I needed releif from this and I would try about anything. About 4 hours after my frist injections, my wrists started to feel better, My body did'nt hurt as much. And by the next day I was feeling soooo much better, It was like a miracle to me. My bathroom trips reduced to about 6 or 7 a day which I thought was amazing. I was also on Entocort, and Asacol and Flagyl.
I finally got to have my hip replaced on April 13th 2010. We scheduled the surgery for 2 weeks after my cimzia shots so my immune system wouldnt be at its lowest and everything worked out perfectly. I had surgery on a tuesday and was home on thursday. I never got an infection or any adverse side effects from being on the cimzia.
Now I take the cimzia once a month and Lialda 2 times a day, still have to take pain pills but that is because my other hip is also going bad. My Ortho Dr. says I have hip dysplasia but He thinks the crohns has sped up the degenerration of my hips. So I will eventually need my other hip replaced. There are many days that I am exhausted, have night sweats, get rumbly in my tummy and pain, but then I have to remember how bad it was a few months ago and be thankful.
My husband had another small stroke after his first and had to have another surgery in the middle of all of this also. But He is doing wonderful now. He is full time active duty military and has been cleared by his Neuro to return to full duty no restrictions.. Amazing huh? God has definately been with us to help pull us through all of this. As for me I am back to going to my daughters events and will be trying to return to work in August. I know my life will never be the same and I'm still having a hard time facing the Crohn's diagnosis but one day at a time I am getting on with my life.
Sorry this was so long but it actually felt good to write this all out.:thumleft:
I have been checking in this forum for the past few weeks but I am just now posting my story. I guess I'm still in denial and writing this all down makes it more real for me. But here goes....
In 2005 I was in a car accident when a driver ran a red light and hit my side of the car. I was not injured badly but my left hip had been hurting ever since then, I of course went to PT and Chiropractor and Dr. and basically delt with the pain for 4 years. It became the norm for me. Fast forward to July 2009. A normal summer day for my family, I and my daughter were going to a softball tourneyment and my husband was leaving for 2 week training for the military, we said our goodbyes and I love yous and did our things. About 4 hours later I get a phone call from my husband from the ambulance!( A friend of his was the EMT on duty so he let him call me) He was on his was to the ER room 2 hours away from our house. He continued to tell me they think he had a stroke and there is a possibility he wont make it to the ER?!! WHAT??? I made arrangements for my kids and left for the ER. After a few days in the ICU dr told us he had a pool of blood the size of a softball in his head and no one could figure out how he was still walking and talking. People in the ICU kept looking at him in amazement.There is a high death rate with this kind of stroke. Anyway this started of a huge amout of stress for me. I am 38 and my husband is only 35.
2 weeks later he was having surgery, I stayed in a motel room the night of his surgery with my daughters and I woke in the middle of the night barely able to walk, my hip was in severe pain but so was the rest of my body. Ev ery move I made hurt soo bad. Anyway When hubby got to come home after his brain surgery he ended up having to help me into the house. It was ridiculous.
I went to Dr. they told me I needed my hip replaced and it was totaly ruined, in the meantime he put me on Mobic for the pain and inflamation.
It helped with the pain but I then started having diarhea, I thought I had a bug and it would go away, after a week I went to the Dr. They did some tests and and did'nt see any bacterial reason and what not so they also said it would run its course and go away. It did'nt!!! I ended up in the emergency room for dehydration a few weeks later and the Dr there finally told me I need to see a GI specialist. I made an appt but couldnt gett in for another 6 weeks. I dont even remember what meds the reg Dr put me on but nothing really helped. I lost 40 pounds in 2 months going to the bathroom at lEAST 20 times a day...ugh:ymad: I ate crackers, drank water, and hobbled to the bathroom on a hip that was totally worn down. I ended up getting a wheelchair to use around the house. Along with the diarhea I was throwing up, or dry heaving constantly. My poor family was so scared and worried and probably tired of doing everthing for me as I couldnt do any house work, meals, mother and wifely duties. I also had to stop working. My husband had to come home from a major stroke and brain surgery to take care of me. I felt horrible.
I made it to the GI dr. Did the blood tests ect. Sceduled a colonoscopy and endonopscopy?(spelling). The prep for me was pure torture. I could
nt keep it down, for a few days before that my mouth had been very dry all the time, could'nt get enough to drink, figured I was dehydrated. Anyway drank as much as I could and decided I have to be cleaned out well enough with the amount of time I'd spent inthe bathroom inthe last 2 months.
On the 2 hour drive to do the test I had a cough drop to help with my dry mouth feeling, I know I wasnt supposed to but had to. Anyway got the procedures done and went back to recovery. I was of course still groggy when Dr came in. But I still remember the look on his face when he was showing me and my husband the pictures of my tests. He said " your colon looks like crumbled up raw hamburger and the reason your mouth is dry is because you have a yeast infection in your throat from the Pred." The pictures were nasty and scary. But then started my journy with meds from the GI.
I had to cancel my hip replacement surgery 2 times because I was not well enough and the GI just said he would not clear me for surgerry until I was healthy enough for it. Soooo for the next 6 months I was wheelchair and crutch bound, un able to go to my childrens events, which made me feel terribly guilty cuz I live to watch them in their lives. I had such horrible debilitating arthritis from the crohns that I had to have my oldest daughter and my husband stay home from work and school a few times to help me get up from my chair or bed to go to the bathroom. Other days I just would'nt eat or drink much until someone was home to help me. My wrists were sore, swollen and hot, I could hardly even wipe my own bottom, but I refused to ask my family to help with that TOO! And of course my hips hurt and my left hip was ridiculously in pain.
In Jan. 2010 GI started me on Cimzia. I did'nt even worry about any side effects..I knew I needed releif from this and I would try about anything. About 4 hours after my frist injections, my wrists started to feel better, My body did'nt hurt as much. And by the next day I was feeling soooo much better, It was like a miracle to me. My bathroom trips reduced to about 6 or 7 a day which I thought was amazing. I was also on Entocort, and Asacol and Flagyl.
I finally got to have my hip replaced on April 13th 2010. We scheduled the surgery for 2 weeks after my cimzia shots so my immune system wouldnt be at its lowest and everything worked out perfectly. I had surgery on a tuesday and was home on thursday. I never got an infection or any adverse side effects from being on the cimzia.
Now I take the cimzia once a month and Lialda 2 times a day, still have to take pain pills but that is because my other hip is also going bad. My Ortho Dr. says I have hip dysplasia but He thinks the crohns has sped up the degenerration of my hips. So I will eventually need my other hip replaced. There are many days that I am exhausted, have night sweats, get rumbly in my tummy and pain, but then I have to remember how bad it was a few months ago and be thankful.
My husband had another small stroke after his first and had to have another surgery in the middle of all of this also. But He is doing wonderful now. He is full time active duty military and has been cleared by his Neuro to return to full duty no restrictions.. Amazing huh? God has definately been with us to help pull us through all of this. As for me I am back to going to my daughters events and will be trying to return to work in August. I know my life will never be the same and I'm still having a hard time facing the Crohn's diagnosis but one day at a time I am getting on with my life.
Sorry this was so long but it actually felt good to write this all out.:thumleft:
