Even though I had symptoms long before my initial surgery and diagnosis, I’ve been officially living with Crohn’s Disease for 22 years, 2 months, and 15 days.
There have been good days and bad days since my first Crohn’s hospitalization, but I’ve been lucky compared to a lot of people with this disease.
Bad days for me mean a lot of cramps, bathroom visits, no energy, bloating, and feeling sick of having to deal with it all.
Good days are when I can go to the gym, eat a lot, and temporarily forget about my Crohn’s.
Really bad days are when the pain is so intense my only thought is “I need to see my doctor”.
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Since that night in 1988, I’ve only had 3 really bad days:
Once in 2004, my gut was killing me and my doctor order a fun Barium test. They determined that where my intestines were reattached from my surgery was most likely scarring up and causing my digestion process to “back up” like a clogged drain. The worst part about this flare-up was the principal for the school I was working at. After I went to see the doctor and told her I needed more time off for my test, I added that he said there was a slight chance I might need more surgery. Her reaction: “I’ve never heard of anyone needing surgery for Crohn’s Disease.” Thanks a lot, (Many words I’d like to call her, but my mom might be reading this).
In 2008 I experienced another day of intense pain, but this time I couldn’t stop throwing up (after first throwing up in my car as I was driving home). My awesome dad drove me to the ER, and I was in the hospital for over a week. No more surgery needed, but it was a wakeup call to what I could be doing to improve my battle with Crohn’s. I started exercising more and put a lot less caffeine into my body. Both of these helped immensely, and I learned that even when I woke up feeling like it was going to be a “bad, no energy” Crohn’s day, a quick 30 minutes on a stationary bike could help turn it around.
Yesterday was another really bad day for me. After a fun weekend snowmobiling in New Hampshire, my friends and I went out to breakfast before our trek back to Massachusetts. I wasn’t feeling hungry, and barely touched my eggs, hash browns, and toast. My stomach was hurting the whole drive back, but I tried sleeping it off as much as I could. As we pulled into a rest area, I could tell my scrambled eggs were going to make another appearance. I knew I wasn’t going to make it to the bathroom, so my only plan was to not puke in my friend’s car. I’m sure I gave everyone watching a “Oh my God, we were at the NH rest area” story to share when they got home, but I was just glad I didn’t feel as sick anymore. I knew I wouldn’t be eating any more for the rest of the day, but thought I’d be safe drinking Gatorade. I guess I drank it a little too quickly, because about 30 seconds after I walked into my apartment I was having what I call a “double explosion” in my bathroom. Luckily, I have experienced these before and was quick enough to make sure both spills were contained.
Today I stayed in bed, sipped Gatorade, and watched TV. I found out my Corhn’s Dr. is on vacation, but I think I’ll be able to make it past this episode without his help. Last night I kept telling myself that I’m a quick healer and wouldn’t you know it, my body is responding.
22 years, wow! Hope you continue to feel better and don't have another bad day for a year or two or eighty :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Cori! You too! :)
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