Sarah’s Story

My issues started the day I was born. The doctors told my parents I had what was called  “tight bowel syndrome.” I remember my parents telling me at an older age that I couldn’t digest formula and I was sick a lot. As a child, I would have the worst abdominal pain and would faint due to the pain of needing to get the stool out of my system. My first memory of this was when I was in 2nd grade. When we would visit the doctors, they would tell my mother that I needed more fiber in my diet, which was opposite of what I needed.

I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease a year after I graduated from College. I remember my first job out of College, I had to take an extra pair of clothes because I couldn’t control my bowel movements. My first colonoscopy stated I had 13 ulcerations and a clear indication of Crohn’s. A year after I was diagnosed, I had my first major surgery. I remember going to the ER multiple times, telling the doctors the pain I was in and that I couldn’t use the restroom. The third time I went to the ER, they told me I had a bowel obstruction and immediately hospitalized me. I was in the hospital for 2 months. I had an NG tube down my throat for 2 weeks and realized it was time to remove parts of my small intestine. After surgery, I developed a major infection. I became severely depressed. That surgery was not the last, I have had a handful of surgeries within an 8 year time period due to failed medications and lack of knowledge about my disease. 2019 is the first year I have started to feel better and that is because of a new drug and an amazing doctor.

 I could only imagine how my life would have been if the research and knowledge of IBD was around when I was younger. Even though this disease wanted me to sit in a corner and cry every day, I don’t. I stand strong and smile each day because some day I will need to be there for someone else.