7 years ago (June - July of 2004) I had the most painful time of my life. I had a series of Crohn's attacks. This resulted to 6 trips to the emergency room in a 2 month period of time. When these attacks came I thought I was going to die. In fact, my wife tells me that I said to her that I would rather die than go through it again. I don't remember saying that, but I don't doubt I said it either.
Before my first ER trip I had gone to a clinic and was referred to a G.I. Doctor at McKay Dee Hospital in Ogden, UT. Before I could get in to see him I had 3 trips to the ER at Davis Hospital in Layton, UT. I did my ER trips at Davis because that hospital is closest to our home. They gave referrals to a G.I. Doc at Davis Hospital and I really wish I had followed up with that referral. The G.I. doctor at McKay Dee was a joke.
My G.I. doc performed a colonoscopy, but did not get the scope into the terminal illeum, which is the end of the small bowel, where the small bowel and the colon meet. This is the most common site in the entire digestive tract for Crohn's to show up, and he did NOT scope it. I was not aware of that until recently.
He diagnosed me with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and sent me back to my regular doctor for treatment. I went from 2004 until 2010 thinking I had IBS and being treated for it. By the way, the diet for IBS - more bulky fiber - is the exact opposite of the suggested diets for Crohn's disease.
In June 2010, the same painful attacks of 2004 were back. I went back to the ER and, for the first time, I was told that I have Crohn's disease. The ER doctor diagnosed it! He took X-Rays, and a CT scan of the abdomen. From that, he told me I have Crohn's. He referred me to a new G.I. doc and finally I was taken seriously.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Start of the Crohn's Journey
Of my two conditions, this one is the more dangerous one. Although I was only diagnosed last year, I can see this thing started many years ago. In my late teens and early 20's I had what I now know was my first Crohn's symptom. Bloody Stools. This was about 1981 - 1983. They would come and go. Usually by the time I could get into the doctor they had disappeared. Also, I did not have insurance as I was just getting into college, so I did not push getting to the doctor as much as I should have.
The doctors seemed to have the attitude that if the symptom was not happening at the time I saw them, then it must not be a very big deal. I was not diagnosed with any particular disease. All I knew was the blood in the stool was not normal. I remember being put off by the doctors time and time again. Nobody taking me seriously at the time. I also had occasional bouts of diarrhea, which the doctors also did not thing was a major concern, just told to not eat so much junk. My problems with the medical profession not taking this seriously would go on for years. I did not present like a typical Crohn's case because I did not have pain. That would come in a big way later on.
The doctors seemed to have the attitude that if the symptom was not happening at the time I saw them, then it must not be a very big deal. I was not diagnosed with any particular disease. All I knew was the blood in the stool was not normal. I remember being put off by the doctors time and time again. Nobody taking me seriously at the time. I also had occasional bouts of diarrhea, which the doctors also did not thing was a major concern, just told to not eat so much junk. My problems with the medical profession not taking this seriously would go on for years. I did not present like a typical Crohn's case because I did not have pain. That would come in a big way later on.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Essential Tremor and Chron's Disease, at the same time.
Hi everybody. This is my first ever blog posting, so please bear with me.
I am a 47 year old male from Utah. In the last 2 years I have been diagnosed with 2 potentially disabling diseases, which few people seem to have ever heard of, Essential Tremor and Crohn's Disease. This blog is for anybody that wants to hear my story. Today I am going to start with a explanation of what the two diseases are. Later I will blog about my trials with the 2 diseases. I hope to be able to help others with these conditions as well as find help from others.
Essential Tremor (ET) is a uncontrollable tremor that occurs in various parts of the body when the muscle is active. It is a neurological condition that is classified as a movement disorder. Even though ET is the most common of the movement disorders, it has a better known cousin that it is often confused with - Parkinson's Disease. My tremors started a couple of years ago. It started in my right hand. Whenever I hold my arms out straight in front of me I they shake. It makes writing, typing, picking up small items and sometimes drinking an adventure. Tremors can also appear in the head/neck, and legs. I have had the experience of all these tremors. ET has no cure, but there are therapies for controlling the tremors.
Crohn's Disease is an Inflammatory Bowel Disease. The immune system attacks the digestive system, causing inflamation. Crohn's can occur anywhere in the digestive system from the mouth to the anus. It most likely occurs in the small bowel and large bowel, especially where the two connect - ther terminal illeus. People with Crohn's have a lot of pain, trouble with losing too much weight, lots of gas and diarhreah. It is common for Crohn's to cause 10+ bathroom visits a day. This disease causes a lot of painful trips to the emergency room. I will tell you about my trips to the ER in future postings.
I am a 47 year old male from Utah. In the last 2 years I have been diagnosed with 2 potentially disabling diseases, which few people seem to have ever heard of, Essential Tremor and Crohn's Disease. This blog is for anybody that wants to hear my story. Today I am going to start with a explanation of what the two diseases are. Later I will blog about my trials with the 2 diseases. I hope to be able to help others with these conditions as well as find help from others.
Essential Tremor (ET) is a uncontrollable tremor that occurs in various parts of the body when the muscle is active. It is a neurological condition that is classified as a movement disorder. Even though ET is the most common of the movement disorders, it has a better known cousin that it is often confused with - Parkinson's Disease. My tremors started a couple of years ago. It started in my right hand. Whenever I hold my arms out straight in front of me I they shake. It makes writing, typing, picking up small items and sometimes drinking an adventure. Tremors can also appear in the head/neck, and legs. I have had the experience of all these tremors. ET has no cure, but there are therapies for controlling the tremors.
Crohn's Disease is an Inflammatory Bowel Disease. The immune system attacks the digestive system, causing inflamation. Crohn's can occur anywhere in the digestive system from the mouth to the anus. It most likely occurs in the small bowel and large bowel, especially where the two connect - ther terminal illeus. People with Crohn's have a lot of pain, trouble with losing too much weight, lots of gas and diarhreah. It is common for Crohn's to cause 10+ bathroom visits a day. This disease causes a lot of painful trips to the emergency room. I will tell you about my trips to the ER in future postings.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)