Blood in your Stool

[SnikPlosskin]

Originally Posted by LisaJohn

Hemorrhoids

Yup. If you don’t have a bowel disease, and the blood is bright red, that’s the ticket.

I’ve been bleeding for decades. In my case, it’s the lining of my gut is being ulcerated from Crohns. I lose enough blood (I digest some too) I get anemia. I just finished five iron infusions. I get two colonoscopies a year. I wake up in a hospital about twice a year.

I remember the first time. I was doing a keynote speech for a huge conference. In the green room I filled the bowel with blood. I didn’t know I had the disease. I was FREAKED. I had to buck up and to the speech. They were paying handsomely. (I think $10k IIRC). ****ing terrifying.

In Afghanistan I got food poisoning and puked so violently I broke a blood vessel in my neck. So I was like a blood sprinkler from both ends. Disturbing. Corpsman looked like he was going to faint.

It doesnt always happen but sometimes it goes for months. An amazing quantity. Large clots plop out. Disgusting.

One more thing. People think Crohns is “the pooping disease” as in the chocolate sprints. Some have diarrhea 15-20x a day (my poor 80 yo mom) because the disease is attacking the large bowel.

But the disease does way more. We get rheumatoid arthritis. We get mental problems, skin psoriasis, severe fatigue, sometimes confusion.

No everyone has a bag (very few). We take cancer drugs to tamp down our immune system to stop the attacks. It works pretty well.

Mine attacks my small bowel so food can be slow moving through because of narrowing and rings of scar tissue from ulcerating. More importantly the special cells that absorb nutrients are replaced with regular scar tissue.

I worked in the oil field and took a lot of nsaids. They destroyed my gut. Now I can’t absorb nutrients. My immune system is attacking my small bowel, my joints and my optic nerves. I’ll be legally blind by 65 or so.

Much of your brain chemistry is in the gut. Serotonin is made in the gut. People who’s guts are ****ed up, have depression and anxiety. And huge fatigue. I can’t sleep so when aimpost crazy stuff, that’s the ambien talking. Sometimes I go on prednisone then I get manic.

Don’t get it confused with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) IBD is (inflammatory Bowel Disease). The difference is the former is inconvenient. It’s not a disease. It’s caused by food in an otherwise healthy system.

The latter, inflammatory Bowel Disease is not food related, it is progressive (gets worse):and incurable. It kills you. Somehow your immune system decided to attack your own body. I’ve had six inches of small bowel cut out in emergency surgery. It will happen again. I was just in the ER Monday with severe abdominal pain. They gave me steroids, morphine and fluids and sent me home. I’ve been on a liquid diet all week. (No booze)

This disease is seriously life altering. We look normal so people don’t get it. I see people with cancer and their friends rally around them, buying groceries, driving to doctors appoints, doing home repair.

We get none of that. I drive myself to chemo. Nobody every helps. I had a singer one say she would come hang out to keep me company. She didn’t I don’t expect anything but when I’m down, I long for help that never comes.

It’s a disease that flares brutally then can go into remission for long periods. I’ve been flaring for almost two years. Sometimes like most of this week I was incapacitated i still managed to work.

I get stuck by needles more than 250x a year. My infusions to control the disease are $25k every six weeks. It takes five hours at the cancer center.

[carlton_fritz]

So glad there are no pics.

[NEED-A-VETTE]

[Anjdog2003]

Hi Toots

[Murray]

Originally Posted by Anjdog2003

Hi Toots

Leg humpers anonymous ——————->

[NEED-A-VETTE]

Originally Posted by Anjdog2003

Hi Toots

[SnikPlosskin]

I share stuff like that because very few people understand the disease. I hope it can help those who struggle by educating others. We face a tremendous amount of discrimination and ignorance.

[Steve_R]

I was diagnosed with Crohn's 40 years ago and have never felt any kind of discrimination because of it.

[Anjdog2003]

Originally Posted by Steve_R

I was diagnosed with Crohn's 40 years ago and have never felt any kind of discrimination because of it.

Crohn's Lives Matter

[Steve_R]

Originally Posted by Anjdog2003

Crohn's Lives Matter

I like that. Can I make a banner and go loot a store while police watch?

[JetMechZ16]

Originally Posted by Steve_R

I was diagnosed with Crohn's 40 years ago and have never felt any kind of discrimination because of it.

We have plenty of other reasons to discriminate against you.

[Steve_R]

Originally Posted by JetMechZ16

We have plenty of other reasons to discriminate against you.

.

[SnikPlosskin]

Originally Posted by Steve_R

I was diagnosed with Crohn's 40 years ago and have never felt any kind of discrimination because of it.

I wonder if your symptoms are milder or different. One example is I don’t do early day or late night meetings. I’ve heard people behind my back inferring I’m lazy and like to sleep in.

I’ve had clients ask why my skin is grey (only occasionally Grey) and part ways because they were concerned that I might not be up for the challenge) I have not missed a deadline in 25 years and I work six days a week.)

Insurance companies discriminate against me all the time.

Maybe discrimination isn’t the word. I don’t believe in shamefully hiding it. There are 750k people suffering invisibly in America with Crohn’s disease. Most people think it’s a shitting disease. For some it is. For most it’s not.

One thing I hear from patients is that they feel very misunderstood and alone in their struggle because people can’t relate or don’t give a shit.

Like when people ask “are you feeling better?” I never know how to answer. “Better than what?”

For the rest of us, it’s pain 24/7 and the occasional life threatening complication or crazy infection we can’t fight. We struggle to eat food. I don’t even enjoy food any more. Hospitalizations, doctors and more doctors, needles and more needles, cancelling social activities from fatigue.

Is a part time job managing the insurance, docs and meds. Thank god for my wife.

Some people have it milder. Mine is classified severe. It’s sometimes day to day for me.

I’ve adapted to the fatigue. I just rest when I need. I choose my own work hours. I smoke weed. (Ok, I smoked weed before).

I’m still upbeat most of the time and I’ve accepted it. I do bitch about it!

[snide]

Originally Posted by SnikPlosskin

I’m still upbeat most of the time and I’ve accepted it. I do bitch about it!

Bitch away, bitch!

[bill_daniels]

Originally Posted by Anjdog2003

Crohn's Lives Matter

ALL Diseases Matter!

[snide]

Originally Posted by bill_daniels

ALL Diseases Matter!

Racist asshole.