Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Hey there

I wanted to start this blog so I could have a place to vent, or cry or just say what I'm thinking and feeling.  I hope to also be helpful to others with this disease.  Feel free to ask me anything, or leave your thoughts for me.

I'll start with a little bit about me.  I am 43 years old, am an RN and have had Crohn's disease now since I was 14.  Since then, I have had 9 bowel resections, 4 collapsed lungs, have an ileostomy, septic twice, almost died once, short bowel syndrome, a permanent IV catheter and daily TPN while I sleep to survive.  I now have only 6 feet of small intestine and no large intestine left.  My liver is being affected by the daily TPN and I hope that someday I won't need a liver transplant.

I have been through a lot.  And it still affects me every day. Lately, I get Crohn's sores in my mouth. I have one now. And it hurts.  It makes it hard to smile, talk, eat.  There is nothing that helps it.  It's just a constant reminder that I have a disease.  A disease that has never left me alone. Ever.