Effie’s Story

Hi! My name is Effie Jordan. I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease when I was seven years old.

 My symptoms go back as far as I can remember – maybe even since I was born. My mom said I would experience diaper rash A LOT as a baby. More vivid memories started when I was about three or four years old. I remember waking up at 5:00am to have to run to the bathroom as fast as possible. It would usually end up with me trapped sitting there with diarrhea then proceeding to scream for my mom to come to my rescue. As you can image, I was waking the whole house up.

 Unsure of what was happening, my family and I went to many doctors looking for answers. I had to complete multiple food allergy tests. I was placed on a new diet almost every month because we didn't know what was causing my stomach such pain. By this time, I was getting comfortable with all the shots and blood draws. I had my first colonoscopy when I was seven years old, and shortly after, I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease.

 Over the next five years, I went from one medication to the next. We found that certain medications didn’t quite stop the inflammation in my body, and I was still experiencing symptoms. While some medications provided me with relief, I began to build up antibodies and would be forced to switch. My symptoms did slightly improve, but my doctor knew I couldn't go on with chronic inflammation.

 In the fall of 2022, I had another colonoscopy. There was very little inflammation, but my ileum was hardening and causing a stricture. (The ileum is the third portion of one’s small intestine, and a stricture is rigid thickening and fibrosis of the wall resulting in obstruction.) In short, my small intestine was closing. An MRI showed that the stricture was only happening in that one place, therefore my doctor recommended surgery.  

 For a month, I occasionally threw up in the middle of the night, left school early due to illness, and didn't have a desire to eat dinner. It was hard for food to digest through my hardening ileum. Think of it like this… You’re trying to go through a tunnel, but it gets so tiny that you have no choice by to turn back. Even when I did eat, it was hard to keep anything down. By the week of the surgery, I was actively taking three anti-nausea medications.

 The day before the surgery, I was surprisingly not nervous. I was excited! During the procedure, they ended up removing six inches of my intestines (including my ileum and appendix). They had to reattach the remain part of my intestine to a healthy part of my colon.

 All in all, I ended up with three really cool scars on my stomach, and I am feeling so much better. Today, my symptoms are mild, and I am still taking medication. My Crohn’s disease is under control due to my outstanding medical team.