Crohn's Explained

This is an overview of Crohn's Disease shamelessly "borrowed" from Bupa.

The exact cause of Crohn's disease is unknown. It is an autoimmune disorder. An autoimmune disorder is a condition that occurs when your body's immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys healthy body tissue.

People with Crohn's disease have ongoing (chronic) inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract (GI tract). Crohn's disease may involve the small intestine, the large intestine, the rectum, or the mouth. The inflammation causes the intestinal wall to become thick.

There are different types of Crohn's disease. The type depends on what part of your body is affected.

Symptoms depend on what part of the gastrointestinal tract is affected. Symptoms range from mild to severe, and can come and go with periods of flare-ups.

The main symptoms of Crohn's disease are:

(The ones in bold are the ones that I have already had, the ones in red I still have)

Crampy abdominal (belly area) pain
Fever
Fatigue (anyone who knows me, knows I'm always "knackered" which is UK slang for tired)
Loss of appetite
Pain with passing stool (tenesmus)
Persistent, watery diarrhea
Weight loss
Other symptoms may include:

Constipation
Eye inflammation
Fistulas (usually around the rectal area, may cause draining of pus, mucus, or stools)
Joint pain and swelling
Mouth ulcers
Rectal bleeding and bloody stools
Skin lumps or sores (ulcers)
Swollen gums

Tuesday, 10 July 2012

Part 5 - knocking on a bit. 

During the 90's went to college and university for all of 3 months, it wasn't for me. I started work and worked some for some terrible companies, but early 1999 I got a job which involved going all over the country to various BAE sites.
At the time I was due to work in Brough, Hull for 2 weeks, pretty much straight away I "acquired" boils on my backside (or to those that know me well "my arse"), I thought I'd got haemorrhoids, and it being yet another embarrassing illness.
Now this was difficult to hide, as my pain was obvious to all mainly because I had to sit down...in an office or my car.
The following week I managed to get an emergency appointment at the local GP, the doctor  was understandably and in typical fashion rude, and told me off for wasting her time (history repeating itself?) and obviously because she couldn't be bothered to read my notes, just said it was a "peri anal infection", caused by the hairs on my bum growing inwards. I didn't mention crohns because I genuinely thought it wasn't that.

I basically put up with this, with no medication whatsoever for another 4 years (purely because of the laziness and ignorance of one GP).
My mum had visited the GP's and she had asked my mum how i was getting on (by the way this was a different GP who unfortunately isn't there anymore), my mum mentioned my "arse grapes", and immediately she said "thats his crohns flaring up",  and had booked me in for an appointment at 6pm on a Friday. This annoyed me because I'd been to work all day and drove for about an hour just to get home, I now had to go out again to get rear prodded.

I ended up back at hospital, they did ask why I never mentioned my bum, but my defence was I genuinely didn't know crohns affected the outer part of my bum. I had MRI's and another colonoscopy (yay!) to see if it was affecting my guts too.
I was then put on azathioprine  (took me ages to pronounce it) which are anti-rejection pills that transplant patients take. Side-effects list from pancreatitis, liver failure, rashes, nausea etc, because of this I had to have blood tests every 3 months. Small price to pay if you ask me. 

Attendance at work was made difficult but I kept my sickness record to a minimum with my vast supply of paracetamol and codeine pills to battle the pain, which felt like (sorry for the following graphic description) sitting on an apple with razor blades in it, I also tried to wear black trousers and sit on black chairs because I "leaked" a lot.

Then around 2005, it got worse when it was bad, I'd walk normally at work whilst in agony. Then when I was at home I'd walk like Cornelius from Planet of the Apes, mainly because it didn't hurt as much.
I was off work for 2 months, during that time I'd had an operation on my bum. I really don't want to go into too much detail, but they basically lanced the boils and inserted "setons" into the areas. Setons are tiny threads of gauze that basically keep the wound open, to help drain excess.....erm pus....The dressing was worse it was basically a big pack on my arse, it looked like a big nappy...oh god, now I'm an adult baby!! That was easily removed by having a bath...well I say easily..the bath looked like Jack the Ripper had washed in it.

Now I admit that this entry hasn't been as upbeat as the others, mainly because there comes a point when it stops being funny. I honestly think I make jokes about it to make it less awkward for friends and family.

I also say that crohns will never affect my life, but deep down I know this to be rubbish I know it has affected my self esteem and confidence. I think for many years it prevented me from getting decent jobs as i "sold myself" short, I'm ok in that department now as I have a new car every 3 years and own my own house. So not bad for a single bloke with a chronic illness. I find it hard to gain relationships, because I'm embarrassed by my scars and size (I mean my height and frame, you rude people! I'm ok in that department, ladies) and my constant embarrassing issues.
Many who know me will be surprised by this as I come across as very confident and "the life and soul"of the party.
I also don't want kids in case it really is genetic (I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy, never mind my offspring). I still appreciate the support of my family and friends, but when you live alone, and are in the midst of a flare up, it can make it the going extremely tough and you feel very isolated. 
Not sure I should even mention this, but maybe it helps to get it off my chest. I promise more humour next time.
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