I'd settle for a slow down...

It occurred to me the other day that I had this little blog and could not remember the last time  I actually wrote in it. Let's be honest, a year, a full 365 (or in 2012's case 366) days can truly change a lot. As I think back to 2011 and the first quarter of 2012, I went through am going through one of the biggest changes in my life.

In 2011, I began seeing a gastroenterologist due to chronic stomach issues. Now, mind you, I have never been the picture of health in my life. What with "under-developed" calves in college, a lactose issue in elementary school, multiple visits to an ENT throughout high school, college, and even after....however my stomach has always been a small, yet chronic, issue. It never lasted long enough for something to come of it. So 2 days before my 25th birthday when I couldn't watch the World Cup, stand up straight, or even eat....we knew something was really out of the ordinary. A visit to the doctor, CT scan, and 2 days in the fetal position and I was left with no answer as to my pain. With the help of probiotics and laxatives I found myself feeling better within a few days, though still confused. We began to think it was merely a bad reaction and overall, I was fine. However, when things started again in April of 2011, and stayed, we knew there was something more going on. So with multiple doctor's visits, various medications, a hydrogen breath test, multiple blood tests, an endoscopy, a colonoscopy, and 2 capsule endoscopies...I am officially a Crohn's kid.


Whew...that was like a bullet to say. While going through this entire process I refused, failed to believe it was true. I would not look up Crohn's, Colitis, and Celiac Sprue for fear of "putting it out into the universe." However, here I am...going crazy about what I can eat and what I can't. Taking eight, yes 8, multivitamin size pills each day. All while merely trying to understand what is going on with my body.


Thankfully, I have friends, family members, and a boyfriend who all not only are willing to change their diets for me, but also understand how I feel and work to listen to my rants of frustration. With that said, I am in the midst of book one, The First Year: An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed, with the hopes of getting answers and fully understanding this change that is happening and taking over my life.


In closing, like I was told by one doctor: "You aren't dying, you just aren't healthy. Now you need to learn how to make yourself feel as good as possible."