Crohns disease is an inflammatory bowel disease; it causes inflammation in the lining of the digestive tract which leads to a multitude of effects. In the eighth grade I still remember the riveting pains going through my stomach. Each time I went to the doctor, they said it was something else. At first, they were convinced that it was gastritis and I took this thick chalky medicine every day. For a little while this almost seemed to work, but nope.

I eventually ended up seeing a gastroenterologist because the pains were becoming more frequent and more severe. The doctor took a more gradual approach in order to not jump to a more severe case. At first he told me to take Miralax every day because many stomach problems stem from constipation. Although, that wasn’t the case for me it helped to eliminate that from the list. I ended up having to get a colonoscopy and endoscopy and the results showed that I had Crohns Disease along with four ulcers in my esophagus. That was just the beginning.

After that first colonoscopy and endoscopy, I was like peace out that was gross. Little did I know I was going to have five more within the next four years along with different tests, procedures and blood work. The tests and procedures themselves were annoying, but the ones that required anesthesia were kind of fun because each time I woke up I would be like “Mom where are the graham crackers? Where’s the apple juice? Can I get my stuffed animal now?” After you wake up, the nurses would offer you some sort of snack, drink, and since I was in the pediatric wing, I scored a free stuffed animal. Unfortunately, during the radiology tests, CAT scans and MRIs I didn’t get any goodies. Instead, I had to drink some sort of thick chalky drink so that they can see what’s going on.

High School was interesting because I didn’t really want everyone knowing what was going on so I only told my best friends or if it happened to come up, but even then it felt weird saying it. I missed a lot of school and a lot of time being with my friends. People don’t really understand what Crohns is and just think it’s stomach pains. Along with abdominal pains, I would experience malnutrition (during a flare up), weight fluctuation, depression, anxiety, mouth sores, pain in my joints and fatigue.

I was brought up on a healthy diet, but once being diagnosed, there were many restrictions on what I could and could not eat. For example, no raw vegetables, no skins or fruits, no acidic fruits, no sauces, no read meat, no wheat, no nuts or seeds. I also became lactose sensitive and was not allowed to eat dairy. Basically, I ate a lot of pasta. Even if I would boil carrots or peel my apples I would sometimes still experience pain, which would often lead to a flare up, meaning I was out of school for the next week. I was on a multitude of medicines and on and off steroids. Due to the steroids, I had to get blood work every month to make sure my other organs weren’t being negatively affected.

I was admitted to the emergency room Aug. 2013, then had to get a surgery called ileocecectomy the following week. They had found a structure not allowing anything to go down and be digested. I had not eaten at all the weeks prior to this, and if I did I would be in excruciating pain and my body would be trying to get it out. August was spent in the hospital, but the nurses I had helping me get back to health were amazing. I am so thankful for their kindness and support. The surgery was successful and the two years since then have been going pretty well. I now get medical infusions every few weeks that last about three hours each and take pills every day. I have not had a flare up as bad as I used to and I have been able to go back to the healthy eating I was raised on. I will no longer let Crohns get in the way of my life. Sorry, Crohns, you’re stuck with me — not the other way around.