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My Journey

My story begins in 1997 when I moved to Pennsylvania with my sister. I was walking down the street one day to go to work and I started feeling sick to my stomach, lightheaded, like I was gonna pass out. As I was walking, I saw a lady washing her windows. So, I crossed the street from where I was walking, knocked on the ladies door and asked her if I would be able to sit on her front porch with a glass of water. I really didn’t know what was going on at the time. So after I rested up I headed to work. But after work the next day I was having really bad anxiety and didn’t know where it was coming from. It was making my stomach knot up really bad so I told my sister I was moving back to New Jersey to find out what was going on with my stomach.

The doctors then took all kinds a test and couldn’t find anything. They kept saying it was IBS. When I felt it was something more than just IBS. I called a specialist and made an appointment. He took a CAT scan and told me that it was bad news. He said I had Crohn’s disease. I’ve never heard of that disease in my life. I asked him what can I take for it and how do I get rid of it. He told me the bad news is, there’s no cure for Crohn’s.

Not just a bathroom disease

Through my journey with this disease I've gotten rheumatoid arthritis joint disease in my back and my hips, Gerd but after a few doctors and lots of test, I had it under control. Then it came back worse than ever. I needed my first surgery that took two weeks to recover. I was still having a lot of bowel movements every day- anywhere between 10 and 15 bowel movements. Then I finally found a G.I. Doctor who had my Crohn’s under control. Then I had to get another surgery for an obstruction that I had. My doctor left the practice where I was going and I had a find a new doctor. This doctor has now taken me off of some of the medications that I have been on for years and put me on and Entyvio. I guess you can say that I am somewhat in remission from my Crohn’s with only about 2 to 4 bowel movements a day. But, if I skip a treatment, it’s anywhere between 8 to 10.

I get very fatigued so I have to make sure I take my medications. This disease has also taken some of my memory. It has also made me lose a lot of my hair and all of my teeth. It has also taken my freedom of being able to do things on my own as far as going places by myself because my anxiety is so high. I’m always afraid I’m going to get sick and I don’t want to be by myself. It also has taken Strength away for me to be able to play with my grandkids or even take a walk. It’s a struggle. I hope through this little story that I can help some people understand that it’s not just a pooping disease- it’s a life challenge.

This article represents the opinions, thoughts, and experiences of the author; none of this content has been paid for by any advertiser. The InflammatoryBowelDisease.net team does not recommend or endorse any products or treatments discussed herein. Learn more about how we maintain editorial integrity here.

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