Introduction

What happened to me

Of all the doctors I had seen up to that point, not one ever recommended a series of x-rays using a barium solution for contrast. Only one doctor, the one who tested me for lupus, in passing suggested a colonoscopy but said it would be done without anesthesia in his office, a prospect my mother thankfully decided against. No one referred me to a gastroenterologist.

In fact, after I was diagnosed, the surgeon who found the disease continued to treat me. He offered me no information on my disease but assured me that he knew what to do. I took him at his word and followed his discharge nurses advice to eat more bran because the Tylenol #3 with codeine I was taking for incision pain would slow my bowels.

This advice not only didn't work but it caused my narrowed ileum to become obstructed two weeks later. When the bran caused my second hospital visit in the month, my current gastroenterologist stepped in to consult on the case. He asked a lot of questions and was ready for mine in turn. He recommended a course of action including an abdominal CT scan that my surgeon summarily dismissed, sending me instead for an upper GI with a small bowel follow-through. I suffered badly from the test, spending the afternoon with yet another bowel obstruction, vomiting barium and writhing in pain. That day, my surgeon was history. After being released from the hospital, I struggled with taking medication for longer than I had ever taken medication. I hated the way the steroids made me feel, I hated missing not only mid-terms but also three weeks of school, I hated that I couldn't go for pizza and beer with my classmates when I did return to school, I hated the life the disease had handed to me, filled with pills and blood tests and doctor visits. I welled up with rage that turned to sadness. I felt intense loneliness, not able to talk about diarrhea, abdominal pain and medicine with anyone who had any idea what I was going through. A psychotherapist who also had Crohn's disease helped steer me in the right direction but my life was forever altered. While my Crohn's story may seem long, it can be typical of the diagnostic process for inflammatory bowel disease. Because the diseases have a variety of symptoms-from abdominal pain to fevers, from swollen joints to kidney stones, from eye inflammation to tender nodules on the skin-it can be hard to pinpoint a diagnosis. Click here to continue reading First Year: Crohn's Disease & Ulcerative Colitis. All information is copyrighted by Jill Sklar, 2002. All rights reserved.