How the times have changed
I was diagnosed in 1987 with Crohn's disease and later with Ulcerative colitis. This was after a few years of pain & weight loss, and after a Dr. told my mother there was nothing "medically" wrong with me. There have been too many hospital stays and ER trips to count. I've had 2 resections as well as a few other surgeries.
A new perspective on behavioral health
Recently, my GI doc asked if I'd like to speak with a member of the Behavioral Health team. At first, I was upset and insulted (it's not all in my head). I wish BH had been offered to me years ago. Now that I stopped being upset over the offer and tried it, WOW.. I wish I'd done that sooner. Having someone to talk to and work on stress relief with was very helpful.
The challenge of overlapping conditions
Yes, this disease does show up differently in everyone; some can eat what some can't, and so on. There are so many reasons that this disease is hard to diagnose and treat. One of my big worries is that while we're trying to figure out the CD it might be something else. In 2007, I started having some new pains that no one could figure out. The pains got worse. In 2019, I ended up having surgery for endometriosis. There were also a lot of strictures in the way that added to the pain. But that proved one of my biggest fears, I often worry that my IBD will get the blame for some other underlying condition that is being overlooked.
Reflecting on a life with IBD
Over the years, so much has changed with medications, testing, and science, I often wonder who I'd be without Crohn's. How would my life be different? I guess we'll never know. My advice to anyone who reads this is: Don't let any medical condition get you down; fight it and kick its ass.
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