Acceptance Pending

Wow, where do I begin...

Two and a half years ago during my student teaching I started to have stomach pains, they would last for a bit and then go away. So naturally, I though being a healthy 22 year old woman I just must be allergic to something. I tried gluten, dairy, etc without any help. I felt really tired all the time but being a new teacher, I just thought it was par for the course and decided to suck it up. Fast forward to about 6 months later, still having occasional stomach pains, being in my the middle of my first real year of teaching I got very sick, nausea, diarrhea and horrible stomach pains one night and eventually went to the emergency room. They dismissed me with a stomach flu (that I must have gotten from one of my germy students) but then a week later it happened again and made an appointment with a GI. After going to the GI, I was also dismissed but told if it happened again to come back. Two weeks later, more pain, vomiting, diarrhea and another trip to the GI. This time the GI left for the day before he saw me and luckily Kevin could see me. He actually listened to me and made me feel like I wasn't going completely insane.

A few weeks later I had an endoscopy and a colonoscopy and got the diagnosis of Crohn's (February 2011). Now almost a year, later I am facing my first surgery to remove a stricture in my small bowel. I have flares about once a month and unfortunately there is too much scar tissue for any drugs to really help it. I am currently searching for the right surgeon and confirming the diagnosis. I have to admit that I am stalling a bit and hoping to finish out the end of my school year and wait until June so I can actually have some recovery time and relax a bit.

If you couldn't tell from my post and my name (its what my freshman call me), I am a teacher. A high school math teacher to be exact and I absolutely love it. I cannot imagine doing anything else and I hate that some days I feel so terrible that I cannot even stand and I am missing teaching my students. My passion is definitely my biggest strength and my biggest downfall; I care too much and sometimes push myself too hard and stress out. I am still figuring out exactly what I can handle and sometimes have to just pack up and leave. I still have a hard time admitting that I can't do it all.

:welcome: Ms Krew! I can understand you stalling but from my experience of having laproscopic surgery my first time , it was the best thing I did and kept me out of the hospitals for about 7 years. Strictures can cause total blockages and alot of pain. I know I have had many throughout my 20 years of dx. Just got out of the hospital from a partial bowel obstruction and awaiting to get a scope done. My last surgery was in 2003 and has never been good because I had a lousy doctor. Research your area and hospitals and have a bowel surgereon because there are many things that can make the surgery area last longer. Watch what you eat, steer clear of chewy meat, nuts, and high fiber foods or raw veggies. Glad you are on here with our community. Hope you can make a good decision and let us know.

Hello Ms.Krew :bigwave: I can understand wanting to wait for the surgery but as there is nothing that can be done to fix a stricture med wise it can only really get worse. Try not to wait to long as this could eventually lead to a total blockage and then emergency surgery which you don't get a choice in. Leading up to my op I ended up on milkshakes called Modulen because it was too painful to have food try and go through the bowel. My surgeon confirmed after the op that the piece they cut out was nearly a total blockage and was very inflammed. Perhaps nutritional drinks are something you would like to look into? This may helops with your symptoms. When you can have a look at our diet and supplements forum for more info about these. Good luck with finding the right doc for you and keep us updated.

I agree with not waiting too long to get surgery for your stricture. Total blockages can lead to perforations which are definitely not any fun. I know the importance of having a great surgeon, and am fortunate that when i had my first surgery the on call surgeon was the best in my area. I ended up being able to do more after my surgeries than i was able to do before. I hope everything works out for you.