- Joined
- Jan 5, 2009
- Messages
- 94
I was prolly born with CD but who knows.
I had a mystery illness from the time I was a kid (10yo). My only symptoms were a low grade fever & a Sed Rate that was through the roof. I felt fine & did the things most healthy kids did, played little league, soccer, flag football, skateboarded, rode BMX, basketball, etc....
After seeing every kind of specialist under the sun & being scared out of my mind, we (my parents) figured if they can't find anything wrong & I felt fine then why go through any more tests & Dr.'s. I was Ok with that.
Fast forward to high school. I started having CD symptoms & missed lots school. I was a shrimp too. never weighing more than 90#, but I was short as well. Other kids thought I was on drugs cuz I was so skinny & sick all the time. Dealt with lots of ridicule, yada yada yada......High School sucks for everyone though, right?
After a small bowel follow through when I was 17 I was finally diagnosed with CD. YAYYYYY!!!!!
I was relieved to know what the hell was wrong with me as well as my family.
Got on Prednisone, imuran, & asacol. Responded pretty good until I was 20. I had a blockage & then a resection (more details later...it was a terrifying adventure..they didn't close me up good on the inside & I wke up in a pool of my own blood, but more on that later when i have time to post more).
Life goes on.
I felt fine & was in remission for a bout a year when I saw blood in my stool. I freaked out due to my hospital experience went to the doc (new one now as I moved back to TN from Oxford, MS) & had a colonoscopy.
Damn, I now have CD in my colon!
More steroids, got better but still had the occasional flare up. On & off the roids. I frikkin hate them!!!! They make me a psycho & make me feel like I am stroking out.
Got a great job in television dropped out of college (never was one for conventional school learning).
I fell in love in 2000, got married to the woman of my dreams (I don't know what I would do without her! <3 ) in 2004 had a great wedding outside Vegas at a super place to ride Mtn. bikes...yes we both love the outdoors & biking, skiing, hiking, camping, etc...all this after a big flare up & getting on Remicade. As much as I hate big pharma-corp. the drug helped me get it all under control & allowed me to enjoy the things I love soooooo much, so what can you do?
Got an even better job in Milwaukee last year & (still in TV) moved with the wife dog & cat. Life is good.
Now, here I am with a colon (descending) narrow as a ball point pen. I just found this out after switching docs cuz of the move & of course he ordered all the tests we hate so much, but it is good to know he is proactive.
10 years after the surgery the resection is still not showing signs of CD. PHEW!!!!
So here I am 31, happily married, in one of the coolest cities I have lived in, with a great job, 2 great dogs, & an OK cat .
I still have bouts of depression, anxiety & teh regular slew of CD issues but nothing too serious. I can still backpack, ride my mountain bike, I ski my ass off (alpine & nordic) & travel (I have an unrelenting wanderlust!).
I manage to cope with my disease using some unorthodox methods (maybe to some but maybe not to others) like yoga for instance.
Did you know that there are certain yoga poses that when combined with yogic breathing that force peristalsis of the colon? That helps me when my pen sized colon gets backed up.
Anyway, I finishing this up @ work so this is the abbreviated version. If you want to know more about me & my CD just ask!
I had a mystery illness from the time I was a kid (10yo). My only symptoms were a low grade fever & a Sed Rate that was through the roof. I felt fine & did the things most healthy kids did, played little league, soccer, flag football, skateboarded, rode BMX, basketball, etc....
After seeing every kind of specialist under the sun & being scared out of my mind, we (my parents) figured if they can't find anything wrong & I felt fine then why go through any more tests & Dr.'s. I was Ok with that.
Fast forward to high school. I started having CD symptoms & missed lots school. I was a shrimp too. never weighing more than 90#, but I was short as well. Other kids thought I was on drugs cuz I was so skinny & sick all the time. Dealt with lots of ridicule, yada yada yada......High School sucks for everyone though, right?
After a small bowel follow through when I was 17 I was finally diagnosed with CD. YAYYYYY!!!!!
I was relieved to know what the hell was wrong with me as well as my family.
Got on Prednisone, imuran, & asacol. Responded pretty good until I was 20. I had a blockage & then a resection (more details later...it was a terrifying adventure..they didn't close me up good on the inside & I wke up in a pool of my own blood, but more on that later when i have time to post more).
Life goes on.
I felt fine & was in remission for a bout a year when I saw blood in my stool. I freaked out due to my hospital experience went to the doc (new one now as I moved back to TN from Oxford, MS) & had a colonoscopy.
Damn, I now have CD in my colon!
More steroids, got better but still had the occasional flare up. On & off the roids. I frikkin hate them!!!! They make me a psycho & make me feel like I am stroking out.
Got a great job in television dropped out of college (never was one for conventional school learning).
I fell in love in 2000, got married to the woman of my dreams (I don't know what I would do without her! <3 ) in 2004 had a great wedding outside Vegas at a super place to ride Mtn. bikes...yes we both love the outdoors & biking, skiing, hiking, camping, etc...all this after a big flare up & getting on Remicade. As much as I hate big pharma-corp. the drug helped me get it all under control & allowed me to enjoy the things I love soooooo much, so what can you do?
Got an even better job in Milwaukee last year & (still in TV) moved with the wife dog & cat. Life is good.
Now, here I am with a colon (descending) narrow as a ball point pen. I just found this out after switching docs cuz of the move & of course he ordered all the tests we hate so much, but it is good to know he is proactive.
10 years after the surgery the resection is still not showing signs of CD. PHEW!!!!
So here I am 31, happily married, in one of the coolest cities I have lived in, with a great job, 2 great dogs, & an OK cat
.I still have bouts of depression, anxiety & teh regular slew of CD issues but nothing too serious. I can still backpack, ride my mountain bike, I ski my ass off (alpine & nordic) & travel (I have an unrelenting wanderlust!).
I manage to cope with my disease using some unorthodox methods (maybe to some but maybe not to others) like yoga for instance.
Did you know that there are certain yoga poses that when combined with yogic breathing that force peristalsis of the colon? That helps me when my pen sized colon gets backed up.
Anyway, I finishing this up @ work so this is the abbreviated version. If you want to know more about me & my CD just ask!
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