Living With Crohn’s

I did my best for a while, but every time the dosage got down to ten milligrams, my eye would flare up again. One day, I heard someone at the post office I had worked at for five years, ask who the “new girl” was. The cortisone had caused my face to blow up, and people didn’t recognize me. I went to my retina specialist, and asked if there was anything else he could do. He said he could give me a shot of cortisone directly into my eye, but the pain was intense. I said, “Go for it.” He did, and he was right! The pain was overwhelming, and subsided some, but hurt through the whole day. However, it cured the problem, and I was able to get on with my life.

I eventually got married and had three kids. I adored being a mother and having the kids I always wanted. Life revolved around them and the house, and the errands, and all the usual things moms go through with three young children. When they were five, eight, and ten, I went to a Christmas party down the street.

I was sitting on a white couch, watching others dance, a technique I never acquired, and all of a sudden, I felt as if the rear of my pants was wet. I got scared, and got up to go the bathroom. Thankfully, I had on black pants. There was a line at the door, and I had to wait awhile until i could have the room all to myself. I pulled down my pants, and blood gushed everywhere. All over the floor, the toilet, even the side of the tub. I had no idea what was going on. Or where the blood was coming from. But I knew there were people waiting to get in! It took me a few minutes to clean up, and then I had to wait until one of the teens drove me to a parking lot up further from their house, to get my car. I sat on my coat. I got home, paid the babysitter, and used my own bathroom, and the same experience repeated itself.

The next day, I got in to see my Doctor, and she immediately wanted me to see a specialist and called and made the appointment for me right away. I went from her office to his. He saw my bright red palms, and the tiny bumps under my skin, and knew I had Crohn’s.