It took me a long time to bounce back from that last flare up of Crohns. Recovery was a very gradual thing. I had only been taking the routine steroid treatment for a few months, when I began to notice what appeared to be a 'new' symptom. 

I started getting recurrent episodes of what I had thought was "just the stomach bug." I would get terrible aching/pinching sensations in my stomach that hunched me over and made me feel as if I wasn't able to stand up straight. At these times, my abdomen would become extremely bloated and get painful migraine-like headaches. I used to get nauseous followed by repeated vomiting and dry heaves. I remember this happening to me twice in two weeks and wondering why I would (or could) have the same virus twice and so close together. 

I had assumed that I had caught some type of "stomach bug" due to a lowered resistance to infections that the steroids caused. This continued several times throughout the following two years. I later discovered that what I was experiencing was partial bowel obstructions. These obstructions just kept getting worse and more frequent over time. I found myself being admitted regularly to the hospital. Every time I got admitted, I would have to submit myself to the "torture" of getting an NG (nasogastric tube). It was standard procedure to be put on a strict NPO diet (nothing by mouth). My life felt like it consisted of recurrent bowel obstructions and repeated visits to my personal GI doctor. I found myself once again being put on and getting weaned off of prednisone. It was during this time that my doctor declared me, "steroid dependent." Every time that the doctor would try to decrease my levels of prednisone, the Crohns would flare and/or cause an obstruction. He told me that I would NEVER be able to completely be off of steroids and that I would have to be on them for the rest of my life. At this point, I FREAKED out! I refused to believe it could be true. Once again, I weaned myself off of the steroids. I realize that what I did COULD have made things worse, but in my particular situation at that time, I don't believe it made much of a difference. A complete intestinal obstruction and surgery were an inevitable part of what the future was to hold for me--with or without prednisone. 

I experienced some of the WORST bowel obstructions in 1993! It used to scare me when it would happen--especially when I was all alone. I remember thinking that I might die, and no one would be there to help me. I once remember being in bed all day with a high fever that had no apparent cause. There were other times that I would spend a whole day or two in bed with excruciating pain. The obstructions would make my stomach become extremely bloated, and cause terrible spasms in my intestines that literally could be felt as "knots" moving around under the surface of my abdomen (I felt like I was living a scene off of the movie, "Invasion of the Body Snatchers!" Geeeesh!).

 This type of pain usually rendered me exhausted, weak and helpless. It would take my breath away and cause me to break out in a cold sweat. I would usually get intense, dull headaches that accompanied the obstructions. I couldn't move or breathe while my stomach went into gut wrenching spasms. I would get nauseated, throw up bile, and get dry heaves repeatedly until I was completely worn out! It used to take ALL of the energy that I had just to manage to get through each wave of pain. Once the partial obstruction would finally pass, my stomach would generally be extremely sore and tender for several days afterward. One time, while enduring a more severe obstruction, I even lost consciousness and fell down on our tile floor in the bathroom. I was sitting on the toilet doubled over in pain. I was trying to deal with both explosive diarrhea and overwhelming nausea/vomiting, I was holding a "puke bowl" in my lap and vomiting at the same time. It was actually "coming out both ends"--I know, GROSS!--sorry. I just got so weak from it all that I couldn't take the pain any more. I found myself on the toilet one minute and lying on the tile floor on TOP of my "puke bucket" the next. I managed to get a big bruise on my cheekbone from the impact of my face hitting the ceramic floor. It was a scary incident. 

Shortly after this incident occurred, my doctor scheduled me for my very first bowel resection. The doctor couldn't see any reason to prolong it any further. I will say this much, bowel resections are very rough on a person. I'm sure that anyone who has had one will agree with me. Sometimes, you've just got to do what you've got to do--so I did. After the operation, I felt better for a while. Then, shortly after surgery, I began to have a new problem. It was the problem of having explosive diarrhea that would hit me in the middle of the night--WHILE I was sleeping! It was AWFUL!!! (not to mention embarrassing!) I'm still not sure what caused it, but I'm quite certain that it had something to do with the resection and removal of my ileocecal valve. 

I began to develop inflammation in my intestines once again, which in turn created MORE scar tissue. Surgery generally leaves scar tissue behind that CAN contribute to more obstructions. I went on the prednisone again, started taking a new drug, Pentasa, and practically LIVED on Ensure Plus to avoid the inevitable. The obstruction symptoms had returned with a vengeance!  I'm trying to shorten this story considerably, but believe me, this whole experience was very drawn out over three long years. It was really horrible! I suffered with lots of pain, often stayed in bed for several days at a time, and I was in and out of the hospital on a fairly regular basis. Over the course of time, it became necessary for me to have another bowel resection. 

It was during this period of time that my doctor told me that I may need to live on TPN (Total Parenteral Nutrition) TPN is basically food in a tube/bag [IV type]. He said that if I did need the TPN, it would be necessary for me to take it for the rest of my life. The surgeons were concerned that I would need to have more of my small intestine removed than I could afford to live without. You see, a person is able to live without their large intestine (there is a surgery to "fix" that), but no one can live without a small intestine. It is the part of a person's body that absorbs all of the vital nutrients that one needs to stay alive. They managed to leave me with enough of my small intestine to "survive" without needing the TPN. I was VERY grateful for that! Basically, TPN will cause a 'slow death' by itself, because it will destroy a person's liver over time.

My doctor gradually took me off of the steroids, and I lived without them for two years without many problems. Then some of my previous symptoms began to return, so I got my butt to the doctor-- QUICKLY. He put me on prednisone AGAIN and also 6MP (purinethol). Then, he began to wean me off of the prednisone while my body adjusted to the 6MP. This has seemed to help. I am now taking something similar to 6MP--it's called Imuran (generic name-Azathioprine) and it basically does the same thing. It is converted to something just like Imuran in a person's liver. Throughout this account of my experience with Crohn disease, 

I have pretty much been recounting my story purely from a medical standpoint. However, there IS one key factor that I should mention here as well, and that is my faith in Jesus Christ. God's Word has truly been the one thing that has carried me through when nothing else could. I have said a lot of prayers and received a lot of prayers over the past 18 years! I am now in "remission". I have been 'n remission' for the last three years. I suppose that I could attribute this fact to the medication I'm taking alone, or even explain it as being the typical "course of this disease", although, I will not do that. I give all credit to God for my improved state of health. One thing is for sure, I do not take it for granted! I believe that I am well because of prayer and faith in the promises of God. I have waited for a very long time to see His promises fulfilled in my life where healing is concerned. I believe that I am seeing now, is the fulfillment of those things . I am convinced that I will stay in remission ONLY by the grace of God. Regardless of the many trials and 'ups and downs' in life--whatever happens to me, I will still do my best to serve Him, because, "When I am weak, He is strong". His strengths are made perfect in my weaknesses. 

My story is still being written every day that I live and every breath that I breath. Life still is not without it's 'roller coaster ride', but I am experiencing much more 'stability'. I am proud to report that I went 'back to school' and earned my diploma in Medical transcription, took a correspondence course in nutrition, and also went to school to learn digital graphic design.

Continued on Page 4

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