Crohn’s at 21

I started college in 2016 and at the time, I loaded up my plate. I started a new job, broke up with my boyfriend I had been with for 2 years, and I took on way too many hours than I could handle at that time. As I continued on through college, I noticed I was getting insanely sick many times a day. I was going to the bathroom anywhere between 1-20 times a day. As time went on, in 2017, I noticed my symptoms got worse. Eventually, I had reached my breaking point and had to be admitted to my local hospital.

I was there for a week. It took 9 tries to finally get an IV in me and 3 blow outs after because I was so dehydrated. I had a colonoscopy done and my results were very unclear. The doctor thought I had UC but he said he thought it could just be because I also had Giardia (I think from a recent cruise) at that time. He was going to load me up on steroids with no intentions of stopping.

We called my local pharmacy to pick up the meds and she told me she had UC and her doctor did the same for her but she took a lower dosage of the meds I was going to be on and lost all of her hair. With so much uncertainty, my mom decided that I needed a second opinion, so we went to a doctor in a bigger town near me.

My diagnosis

By the time we made this trip, all of my symptoms got better. I took no medications and I was healed. The new doctor told me I probably just had IBS and not to worry about it. Just take meds “as needed”. Last year, that doctor retired so I started going to a new doctor in the same office when I started having really bad flare ups. I had another colonoscopy. At the beginning of this year, 2020, I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. I have good days and I have bad days but just having answers and medications to help with my symptoms makes me feel so much better.

If I could give advice to anyone with stomach issues, it would be: don’t ignore your symptoms. If you see blood, go to the doctor immediately. Life is way too short to not have answers and not seek help when you need it.