Hi!
My name's Kayla, a 19 year old girl trying to get ready for her second year of college (where I'm studying nutritional science, since it's applicable to every aspect of my life...)
At birth, I was diagnosed with VATERS/VACTERAL and anal-rectal malformation, which resulted in pull-through surgery. Since then, cheese, high-fiber foods, and starchy foods have been rough on my digestive tract.
I've tried every diet in the book, vegetarian to vegan to Paleo, but none have made my symptoms manageable. I've been followed by numerous GI doctors and the most recent suggestion for my chronic, painful stomach distension, constipation, diarrhea, and general malabsorption is a CHAIT cecostomy, followed most likely by an ileostomy within the next two or three years.
On top of all this, I've just (as in two days ago) been diagnosed with C. Diff. despite being on Flagyl since mid-February! I've since started a mega-dose of treatment and while I have no pain my stomach is still distended!
This past year has been awful, as I haven't been diagnosed with any specific disease or illness (negative for Crohn's, colitis, Celiacs -but am gluten intolerant) and was hoping on getting surgery before leaving for college.
Now, I have my first meeting with the surgeon on Sept. 15th and no definitive date for surgery.
I'm beyond frustrated, upset, sad, just generally unhappy.
Has anyone else had similar symptoms or a cecostomy?
I'd love to meet all of you with similar struggles and experiences
My name's Kayla, a 19 year old girl trying to get ready for her second year of college (where I'm studying nutritional science, since it's applicable to every aspect of my life...)
At birth, I was diagnosed with VATERS/VACTERAL and anal-rectal malformation, which resulted in pull-through surgery. Since then, cheese, high-fiber foods, and starchy foods have been rough on my digestive tract.
I've tried every diet in the book, vegetarian to vegan to Paleo, but none have made my symptoms manageable. I've been followed by numerous GI doctors and the most recent suggestion for my chronic, painful stomach distension, constipation, diarrhea, and general malabsorption is a CHAIT cecostomy, followed most likely by an ileostomy within the next two or three years.
On top of all this, I've just (as in two days ago) been diagnosed with C. Diff. despite being on Flagyl since mid-February! I've since started a mega-dose of treatment and while I have no pain my stomach is still distended!
This past year has been awful, as I haven't been diagnosed with any specific disease or illness (negative for Crohn's, colitis, Celiacs -but am gluten intolerant) and was hoping on getting surgery before leaving for college.
Now, I have my first meeting with the surgeon on Sept. 15th and no definitive date for surgery.
I'm beyond frustrated, upset, sad, just generally unhappy.
Has anyone else had similar symptoms or a cecostomy?
I'd love to meet all of you with similar struggles and experiences