Danielle

Health Interests

Crohn's disease,  IBS & emotionally related issues

Drugs I am Taking

Danielle has not shared any drug information.

About Me

I have been living with symptoms since I was about 9 years old, maybe younger. My parents divorced when I was very young so my symptoms were dismissed as being emotionally related or a cry for attention. As I got older I guess I had convinced myself that these things WERE either in my head or just something that everyone went through. In my 20's things got progressively worse. I began to miss alot of work due to vomiting & pain. I was given a diagnosis of acid relux & put on zantac with no further diagnostic testing. It helped some with the pain but not much. My PCP at the time always made me feel rushed & I was not a good advocate for myself as far as pushing to get the answers I needed. Late in my 20's I began to have frequent diarrhea & the pain I would experience with these episodes was off the charts. By this time I had been made to switch PCPs because of new insurance. I was fairly new to her practice so when I went in to talk about this with her she questioned me about the acid reflux diagnosis. She was appalled to find out that I had been on zantac for 3 years & never even had an upper GI exam. She ordered me to go see a gastroenterologist immediatly. I wish I had listened to her then, but I didn't. I was terrified of the tests that I knew they were going to do, especially the colonoscopy. So I put it off & put it off until things got so bad & I was missing so much time from work that I was in danger of losing my job. I love my job more than I fear a colonoscopy so off I went to the gastro-guy. The doctor I found turned out to be a really nice guy. He talks to me like a person instead of a lab specimen which I find very comforting. He told me right away that the dreaded tests would have to be done. He ordered an upper & lower GI series as soon as he could get me scheduled. The prep was toture but the procedures themselves weren't nearly as bad as I'd imagined them to be. I woke up feeling great & felt even better when my doc came into recovery & said, "Well, you're definitely not crazy. You have Crohn's disease affecting the whole GI tract." I started to cry, but it was from a sense of relief that he had actually FOUND something. I had told him in the office before the testing that since I was a kid I'd been told it was in my head. He told me that happens to alot of people. He knew I had needed to hear that. So now I have an answer. What to do about it is entirely another issue but at least I know I'm not crazy. The meds I've tried work sometimes & sometimes they don't. My condition seems to be very emotionally related. The more stressed, upset or anxious I am the worse it flares up. I've not been able to make much of a dietary connection except for a few things that I know cause reflux for me. I wish there was a cure for all of these IBDs. It takes its toll more & more emotionally. Each day is a challenge. I'm very lucky to have a husband who does his best to support me & a workplace that understands now that I have a chronic condition works with me to protect my job. Some days though it feels like a struggle just to force myself to face the day.