My Mid Life Surprise...
I am now 52 years old and was diagnosed with Crohn's just 3 years ago. I am really blessed, though scared, really happy, though confused and have a great life, though I know I could go south again anytime. I loved my job, I was running long distance races to keep up with the love of my life and some of our talented 6 kids and really just enjoying the journey of life when just 6 months after my first (and really slow) marathon I got really sick, really fast and within six months of a frustrating struggle to get a diagnosis it was confirmed I had Crohn's.
By 11 months after getting sick, I was coming home from a 12 week run in 3 different hospitals, with a diverting ileostomy, two emergency exploratory surgeries after going septic twice from leaky bowels, a partial colectomy, and 2 abscesses. I was 50 pounds lighter than my marathon weight and unable to even stand up or walk without assistance. I got back to work and tried several biologicals over a course of a year, but simply was not bouncing back. My remaining colon was just not going to recover. So, in January of 2016 we headed back to Mayo Clinic to have full colectomy. I don't like having a permanent ileostomy, but I am living again and a year later, symptom free, exercising and really doing everything I did before, but with a little bit of a different perspective!
I greatly value knowing I am not alone and appreciate everyone sharing their stories. I know my journey is far from over, but I am trusting day by day and trying to enjoy every healthy moment the best I can. I struggle, a lot sometimes, with the "unfairness" of it all, but that has no value or good outcome. I hope like many of your stories have done for me, that my story will bless someone else and offer an ounce of encouragement.
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