The Diagnosis

It started with a little nagging pain...

This particular pain had started about a month before my hospitalization. I suspected that maybe I had a kidney infection because I felt uncomfortable on the left side of my back. It seemed like no matter what position I was in the ache would not go away. I would have my husband and children give me back massages thinking maybe it was muscle pain. I had been trying to lose weight and had started The Paleo Diet. I was eating few lean meats, some vegetables and consuming cold pressed raw fruit and vegetable juices. I had lost eleven lbs in a month and was feeling very healthy with the exception of this nagging pain.

It was May 2nd of this year when the pain awoke me in the middle of the night and forced me to go to the hospital. This was not the first time I had this kind of a stomach ache but it was certainly more intense than it had been before. I awoke from my sleep moaning and sweating. I felt like I had to vomit or move my bowels, I wasn't quite sure which because I felt like both could happen at any moment. My belly was throbbing with a spastic type of pain, similar to labor contractions. I ran to my bathroom and fell on the floor clutching to toilet. I began to sob and scream. I reminded myself to relax and calm down so I could clearly assess what my body was going through. After about ten minutes realizing I did not need to vomit or move my bowels, I had enough energy to crawl back to my bed. By the time I hit my pillow, the pain was back with a vengeance. My husband demanded I allow him to drive me to the nearest hospital.

The emergency room doctor ordered blood work, urinalysis and a CT scan. I was given IV fluids and a dose of morphine which, to my surprise, did not ease the pain. I was finally comfortable after a dose of dilauded. When the doctor came in to discuss my test results I was almost in shock when he asked "Does anyone in your family have Crohn's Disease? We found evidence of Crohn's on your CT scan, there is old inflammation and active inflammation. A Gastroenterologist will have to diagnose and treat you."

I was admitted into the hospital, I was given a colonoscopy. I was diagnosed with moderate-severe Crohn's Disease. It was there for five days until I was well enough to return home. And now the journey begins...