29 years and counting

I’ve been diagnosed with Crohn’s for 29 years. My sons were just 3 and 1 when I started this horrific journey with Crohn’s. Although, at that time I didn’t fit into the neat little cube that most Crohn’s patients did. I didn’t have the list of symptoms that they generally followed so it was argument after argument with the GI doc. You see my little brother had already been diagnosed years before and I also have an Uncle who has Crohn’s as well. I just wasn’t fitting all of the normal patterns so it was time for a colonoscopy now that I had lost 24 lbs in one months time and I was weak. My muscles had shrunk. I spent all day in the bathroom and could barely care for my beautiful boys.

So, inpatient in the hospital with IV’s and TPN and biopsied came back positive from Crohn’s and UC but that’s almost unheard of. Extremely rare. But biopsies confirm both have been detected so both will be treated. And here comes the prednisone,aka to us Crohnie’s, as the devils tic tacs. But, of course it’s IV pred for me and I blow up like the stay puff marshmallow man. Here is my beginning of a lifelong battle. A battle that does not just affect me but my children and my family and everyone around me. My children learn compassion most don’t ever learn, strength beyond any measure, and a mother's will to survive anything.