Crohns Disease was diagnosed in 11th grade during
my hospitalization for constant vomiting and diarrhea, not to mention severe
abdominal pain. The doctor was surprised I had Crohns as I was not unhealthy
weight-wise. Evidently he was saying most teens with Crohns are anorexic like.
He said I would never have trouble with weight-gain (wrong!), and would have to
adhere to a strict diet for the rest of my life. he said alcohol would tear up
my stomach, along with peanuts and anything with roughage, such as lettuce. I
can’t eat lettuce or anything spicy, and sunflower seeds are out of the
question. Eating any of those leave me hunched over with severe stomach pain
and on the toilet for several hours. When I think I can’t get to a toilet, such
as road trips, I’ll get Crohns attacks and lose control of my bowels. This can
happen in heavy traffic as well. Attacks happen during anxious and emotional
events, making it an endless cycle, causing more anxiety and emotions (good or
bad). Crohns definitely impacts my life in a negative manner, and I could see
how people would become agoraphobic with the disease. Thank goodness, I haven’t
had to have surgery to have parts of my colon removed, which is common. Crohns
seems to accompany both my depression and anxiety episodes, which is like
facing a hurricane and tornado at the same time. As long as I am home with access
to my own personal bathroom, I can tolerate attacks. But when out in public,
man… Crohns attacks are the worst!
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