Ok, so as most people that have known me for awhile know, I am a sickly kind of person. If it is going to happen, health wise, to a person, it will happen to me (or Strina!). So, I was diagnoised with Ulcertive Colitis when I was 6 years old. Struggled with that for years. In and out of the hospital all the time, constantly on medicine that had horrible side effects, and feeling bad all the time. We finally found a great doctor in Monroe and he was wonderful. He told us about this surgery where they would remove my colon therefore removing the disease. We found the best hospital and surgeon and proceeded on with the plan. We went to the Texas Children's Hospital in Houston and did the surgery. I was 13 at the time. I had some complications after the surgery and ended up spending almost 3 months there. After that, I had really no problems. I went back to school, church, friends and normal life. We had done it! We had beat the disease. I had many, many good years. No, I had many, many Great years. I went to college, got married, and made many good memories. A couple of years ago, we noticed that I was having these strange episodes of illness. I would end up in the hospital, they would pump me full of meds, I would get better and they would let me go. We would always chalk it up to a virus or something. After Bobby and I moved here to Tulsa I started having more episodes. Doctor's were diagnoising me with UTI's. I got so many of them that I was then refered to a Urologist and they started running tests to figure out why I was so sick. They found an abcess in my belly and I was put into the hospital to remove it. They kept doing more test to figure out what was wrong. After a week in the hospital they let me go with no real idea of what was going on. Just a week or so later, I was sick again. I was now seeing a surgeon and he recommended going in and just looking around to see what was going on inside. He would also be able to remove all the scar tissue that had formed from the surgery when I was younger. We scheduled the surgery and he did his thing. While he was doing the surgery, he was pretty sure that he found Crohn's disease. I went home after another week in the hospital. I was back within a couple of weeks. I had gotten sick again and then also formed what they call Fistula's. It is where my scar had opened up in 3 places and my intestines were forming through those openings. I was put back into the hospital for 2 weeks. Finally got better to only go back into the hospital about 2 weeks later. Sick again?! What is going on. During all this time, I had not be able to get into see a Gastrointerologist. After that episode, I finally found a great doctor. The surgeon I was seeing was great too, but he was not a gastro doctor. That time I was put back in, I finally had enough and told the doctor's that I was going home to enjoy Christmas. This whole time I was on a clear liquid diet. I sat and watched the family eat Thanksgiving dinner while I enjoyed my lovely Ensure. I had to drink at least 4 of those a day to get the nutrients I needed. I got down to 89 pounds. I didn't look good at all. When I went to finally see the gastro doctor, he suggested an oral medicine that would do me good, plus another med that I would have to get through an IV. We scheduled the first dose of the new IV meds, but before I could get it I was back in the hospital. If you have lost count, that is hospital stay number 5 in 3 months. I had some blood work done when I saw the gastro doctor and it was definetly Crohn's. While I was in the hospital I asked if I could get my first round of IV meds. The doctor's ordered it and said I could start feeling better within 3 days. It was almost exactly 3 days when I started noticing a difference. Also, I had 2 more fistula's form, so that is a total of 5 now. I was having to wear a bag over them that stuck to my stomach for them to drain into. After that first round of meds, not only was I feeling better, but Bobby and I went to change the bag one day and 3 fistula's had completely healed!!!! I stopped wearing the bag and was able to just put a bandage over them. Within a couple of days of doing that, I was even down to just 1! I went back for my 2 week follow up with both the gastro and the surgeon and both were highly impressed how well I am doing. I got a release to go back to work. I hadn't been able to work since the end of September. Almost 4 months. I get my next round of IV meds this week and then 4 weeks after that. I will then get a dose every 8 weeks after that. I can't believe that with the right meds how good I feel. I haven't felt this good in a LONG time. Well, that is about where I am now. You are pretty caught up on me. I will keep updates on here. I am sure that I will have more to tell! Until then- Later gator!
