Okay. Here I sit, wondering what in the heck I am doing. Why have I decided to write a blog, what is my thought process here lol what do I want to accomplish with all of this?? Well, let me tell you. If I can open at least one person's eyes to Celiac Disease, then I will feel accomplished. If I can get one person to see that they don't have to suffer for years and think that is just how life is, then I will feel accomplished. If I can make one person have an a-ha! moment while reading this and thinking about their friend, then I will feel accomplished. Yeah Yeah, enough of the accomplished crap, I really would like to help someone see that what they are going through can come to an end - without being hit by a truck. Sound reasonable? I think so, so listen up!
This all began approximately when I graduated from college, I had a fabulous new job, an awesome new life to explore, and a severe bout of gut pain that was unrelenting. Two out of three ain't bad, right? Wrong, I had no idea what to do about this new found pain, except suck it up and live life anyway. I did my own research on the Internet and decided that perhaps I just had IBS, bad guts really in my terms. There was nothing I could do about it but grin and bear it, and perhaps change my diet some. So I spent the next few weeks trying to figure out just what was causing the pain, food wise. I kept a journal and was very thorough in keeping tabs on my hand to mouth actions. I did seem to find that eating things like pasta and bread seemed to cause some discomfort, but nonetheless I seemed to let it slide. My pain would come and go, and I in turn would come and go from my doctor. She had no idea as to what was causing my pain, and again suggested I keep a journal of my meals, she disregarded my earlier findings telling me that if those foods bother me then don't eat as much of them. She also said it sounded as though I had IBS, Irritable Bowel Syndrome for those that are unsure of the abbreviation. So I once again left the doctor's office, with no real answers and no testing either, being 21 I assumed she was right and went about my life as though nothing had happened.
I changed doctor's shortly after that, and as my life seemed to go I was continually told that I must have IBS. I did however have a doctor this time who would listen to me and seemed to care, but still didn't order any tests. My gut pain continued for years off and on, and it also began to progress. I now not only had gut pain, but nausea on a regular basis, and the fastest bowel transit of anyone I knew. At this point I had matured over the years, and somehow gotten used to having these issues, sad huh?
The year I turned 27 was a rough year for me, at the beginning of the year I had been in a car crash, which then sent my system into a frenzy. I spent that whole year recovering from a shoulder injury and worsening gut issues. Towards the end of the year I began having severe pain, pain that would double me over crying. Not only had the pain gotten worse, but the nausea had as well. I was waking up every morning with nausea, sometimes I would even wake in the middle of the night to vomit. I couldn't control it except for not eating, and even then the symptoms were still there. My friends used to tease me that I had morning sickness due to my severe nausea every morning, I never found it amusing although to look back I see it as a nervous laugh more than anything. The spring of that next year was the last straw for me, I couldn't take it anymore. At this point, I had nausea every morning, I felt like I couldn't eat. If I did manage to eat, I would be nauseous instantly, then the pain would start, followed by a rapid evacuation of unprocessed food. We're talking 15 minutes time from mouth to toilet and up to 18 times a day, I wish I were kidding. I'd had it, I went to my doc, who ordered me a few tests, an Upper GI/Small Bowel study, an Ultrasound of my gallbladder and a CT scan of my abdomen/pelvis. All were negative, except the Small Bowel study. I had to drink barium while the doctor took pictures ever 30 minutes until the contrast reached my terminal Ileum. (where the small bowel meets the large bowel) Well my study took about 10 minutes to go from mouth through large bowel, it was of course abnormal due to my fast transit, and a small area of abnormal bowel. I was sent to specialist, who then ran more test ranging from a colonoscopy - blood work. I am now 3 months into a gluten free diet which I have been told I will be eating the rest of my life. My specialist says we are facing Celiac Disease, and amazingly I feel awesome now that I eat gluten free. My pain is gone, no more nausea, and I still have a fast transit, but it's much slower than before. I'm 29 now, and learning how to be gluten free and fabulous, care to join me??
<3 Case
;)
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