I was first diagnosed with Crohns disease when pregnant with my first child, the scariest time to flare. I have battled with pain, fatigue, weight fluctuation, being confined to the house, having chronic urgency and accidents for long periods over the last 13 years, after a recent flair up spanning 5 months, surgeons finally decided to take out my colon! Nothing else was working and I was going downhill fast! I was given a days notice to prepare for what I had feared for a long time, the colostomy bag!
My surgery was a great success, I have a 'temporary' ileostomy stoma and with my colon gone, I am finally on the mend! This was 6 months ago now and my life has been transformed! My children have never known me well, they finally have their mum back!
I am still waiting for a definite diagnosis of either Ulcerative Crohns or Colitis and once clear will complete my surgery to remove my diseased 'stump' then I hope to be free!
I have just returned from my first worry-free holiday!
I never dreamed I could spend 4 hours at sea on a speedboat with no toilet or para-glide 6500 ft off a mountain, but I have now proved to myself I can achieve almost anything now I have hope! And Fred! My precious colostomy bag :)
I couldn't have done any of this without my amazing partner and friends and family around me! To them I owe everything. Keep fighting and keep smiling!
