As middle school approached my stomach took a turn for the worse. Certain foods would not stay down, and I would constantly be getting sick to my stomach. Pain grew, and got so intense. I went back to my doctor and was referred to All Children's Hospital. I would miss a lot of school, My parents thought I was trying to avoid going to school. That wasn't the case. And we all figure that out as I went through All Children's Hospital. There is where I was diagnosed with IBS. For those of you who don't know IBS is Irritable Bowel Syndrome. It is where your Bowel will Inflame, Bleed, and also have Spasms.
I lost a lot of weight and had to try to find foods where it was easier for me to digest through my Bowels. That became harder then any of us including the doctor would imagine. Yeah they give you a "list" of foods to "avoid" and "Ok to eat". Well I quickly found out that it wasn't going to work that way. Certain foods they would want me to eat would only just make me sicker. I would lose nutrients quickly. I became extremely skinny. People would make fun of me at school, thinking I was anorexic. And I wasn't. But that's a whole different subject....
I remember one day, wanting to give up hope that I'd be able to ever eat normal and the Doctor walked in. He confirmed the worst. I'd never really be able to sit down and eat a normal meal, or a plate full of food, or be able to pig out on seconds! He warned me that one day my stomach would get even worse. My heart sunk. I knew the light at the end of the tunnel was way way far away.
Because of my sickness, I barely made it through school. I fell behind, got held back a couple grades. I never wanted to drop out of school though, I knew it was something I really wanted to finish. I ended up having to get my GED. My illness took over my life.
However in Nov of 2011 what the Dr had warned me years before happened. I couldn't keep a single thing down. Not even a cracker. I knew something was up because I had gained about 20lbs more then I had ever weighed in my entire life. I quickly lost those 20lbs. Being older I was able to see a Adult GI (Gastroenterologist) . From there more tests were done. In March 2012, That's where she found I had Gastritis. Gastritis is an inflammation, irritation, or erosion of the lining of the stomach.
When I awoke from the procedure to hear this, I didn't feel relieved. Of course that caught my family's attention and I'm sure yours. I knew deep down in my heart that this wasn't the end. I just knew. I knew something else was wrong. After trying different medicine to try to help me be able to eat and keep food in, I would still hurt. Intense hurt. To the point of needing to go to the ER for pain meds. I would bloat to the point were random strangers would ask me how far along I was.
On Aug 16th 2012 two days before my Wedding, I went in to the hospital for a Stomach Emptying Test. While on our honeymoon, results were in. I tested positive for Gastroparesis. Was I finally relieved? YES. I knew ALL the answers had been found and now it was a matter of treating these diseases.
It didn't ruin my honeymoon. I knew I had someone to support me and to love me even though I suffer from these stomach illnesses.
Gastroparesis is a condition in which your stomach cannot empty itself of food in a normal fashion. It is caused by damage to the vagus nerve, which regulates the digestive system. A damaged vagus nerve prevents the muscles in the stomach and intestine from functioning, preventing food from moving through the digestive system properly. In other words, part of my intestines are paralyzed.
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