Today I gave myself my once-a-month Stelara shot. And these days, I also think, "Is this the last one?" Every day I ask, "What can I do to help? How can I be most of use?"
Christiane Knight
11 posts
Five years ago, my life drastically changed. Five years ago, I almost died. I didn't die. I lived, but I was transformed.
There’s been quite a few discoveries and advances in research on IBD lately, with some possibilities for new treatments as well. That’s exciting news! Some of the things that have happened in 2023 – 2024 include positive outcomes with stem cell therapy, an oral medication to treat Crohn’s Disease, and […]
My scar has become a symbol of everything that's happened to me. I love it, because it's part of me and those surgeries saved my life. I hate it because it altered my body in ways that I'm struggling to love, and I don't recognize myself because of that. It's the representation of all the things I can't yet do or I've lost because of this illness.
Crohn's Disease plays havoc with one's regular diet. Trying to figure out what to eat can trigger disordered eating patterns.
Chronic illness changes you, and it's okay to mourn who you were or be angry about what you've lost. One of my biggest struggles is a two pronged one: knowing what I can handle in this new form, and reinforcing to others that I'm not capable of everything that I used to be able to do.
It's important to talk about mental health struggles, and medical trauma is often ignored in this context. This is my current journey to correct that.
Last time I updated, I mentioned that I was due to get a CT scan [properly, a CT Enterography] and that I'd update after that happened with the results. Except things didn't go exactly as planned. They couldn't get an IV going. Keep reading to see how that went, and why.
...I got my official diagnosis, Crohn's Disease. I cried with relief when that happened, because it was an answer, finally, to what had been going on. Not a great answer, but at least an actionable one.
My gut trouble started in my early 20s. Actually, that's not accurate. Looking back with the information I have now, I realize that signs were there much earlier.