So on Sunday I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease. I really didn’t know much about it but that “disease” word isn’t a good one. Sounds like we caught mine early and at worst it is manageable. No one knows what causes it and there is no cure. It is a disease of the small intestine. In worst cases it causes the small intestine to stop processing food and can cause it to close not allowing food to pass. So basically I am on a ton of pills for the next couple of months and a bunch of doctor’s visits.
I wasn’t aware of this until my mother told me, but my cousin died of the disease over 20 years ago. I called her sister to ask about it because that kind of freaked me out a little. I guess when she got it doctors didn’t know much about the disease and she was diagnosed with all kinds of issues until she saw a specialist. But they really didn’t know how to treat it and it may have been too advanced by that time to treat it with anything that they had.
Knowing the pain that I felt with my bought, I can’t imagine the pain she must have felt with the much more advanced form of the disease. I was very young when she was sick and didn’t understand all of this at that time. But I know have a much larger appreciation for what she went through and feel very badly that I wasn’t old enough to know.
I am very thankful that mine has not progressed to that stage and that medicine has progressed to where I can live a normal life with minimal interruption if what my doctor says is true. I am very sad that my cousin didn’t get the same opportunity. But as it stands now, my disease appears to be contained and with a small lifestyle change will continue to be contained. I feel I owe some of it to my cousin, I am sure that some knowledge came from her ordeal that has or will help to make mine that much easier, I am just sorry that hers came to the end it did.
Worst part for me, no more Coca-Cola for me for the rest of my life and no drinking while I am on these pills. It could have been so much worse.
It's good to hear that you caught it early and that it won't be a big change. Doesn't look too bad from a quick search online, considering that it was caught early. I hope it's stayed contained thus far.
I guess the big question is how you cope with not having Coke and booze? : P
