Coping with Crohn's Disease

My name is Dimpel Patel and I am twenty-eight years old. I was first diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis in August of 2001.

I want to share this story with you because I felt no hope that I would heal. My goal in sharing this story is to show others who suffer from chronic illnesses that there is hope; only if you'll allow yourself to have a positive attitude and make the best of every day that you have.

I felt that this disease had robbed me of my life, but not just my life. My parents and my siblings have suffered just as much as I have watching me deteriorate physically and mentally. My doctors had told me that they would be able to control my disease with medication and that I would be able to lead a normal life.

As time went by I became very ill. None of the medications we tried seemed to be working so my parents decided to take me home to India to try treatment there. For three weeks I came off all of my medications and strictly adhered to a homeopathic treatment. My symptoms disappeared within days and I felt like a normal person again. I came home from my trip and went to see my doctor for a routine check up. He put me back on some of my medications for maintenance and my health started to weaken again very quickly.

Exactly one year after my diagnosis I had to have my entire colon removed. I was given a J-Pouch. This is an internal "bag" that is created out of your remaining intestine. I was put on more medication after this, and again, told that I would be able to lead a normal life once I had healed from my surgery. I continued to get sick and didn't know why. My symptoms wouldn't go away and my whole life was being affected. I couldn't hold down a job because I was in the hospital so much, I had to quit school because I couldn't always go to class; and, the worst part was that my parents and my siblings were heartbroken at seeing me suffer. At twenty-four years old my mother had to help me use the bathroom and she had to help me bathe. More than anything else I was embarrassed and humiliated by my disease.

Finally, my doctors told me that I what I was experiencing was called pouchitis, an inflammation of my J-Pouch. Of course, they treated this with more medication and when it became apparent that I was not getting well they decided to start testing me for other things. In January of 2003 I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease.

We continued medication to treat the pouchitis and also started medication to treat the Crohn's Disease. By August of 2003 I had become so ill my doctors thought it best for me to have ileostomy surgery. An ostomy is a bag that is worn on the outside of the body and is used as a means to get rid of waste. The purpose of having this ostomy was to allow my J-Pouch time to rest and heal. I had surgery at the end of August in which the ostomy was placed on the right side of my abdomen. It wasn't long before I started having trouble with this ostomy and it soon became obvious that it wasn't going to work. My surgeon decided to reverse it and give me a new ostomy on the left side of my abdomen. I had this second ileostomy surgery in the middle of March of 2004.

After all of this I made the decision to try natural methods again. I kept my ostomy, as it seemed to be working, and also changed my diet and started drinking green drinks that were full of vitamins, minerals, and probiotics. I was determined to make myself well again. Using these natural methods I got myself well enough to have my ostomy reversed in July of that same year.

Since then I have not had to go back to wearing a bag. My health is still unstable but it is manageable. I have learned and am continuing to learn how to change my lifestyle to accommodate my illness. I have learned to eat right, to exercise in the best way that I can, and to lead a life with minimal stress.

I have made a firm decision that I will not let this disease control my life and I will not let this disease destroy me. There are many support groups available to those who suffer from chronic illness. Through these support groups and with the help and love of my family and friends, I know now that I can lead a normal, happy, fulfilling life.