August 1997-May 1998
My mom took me back to my pediatrician, who put me back in the hospital the very next day because I was already dehydrated again. While I was in the hospital my pediactric doctor called back to childrens hospital. I was only in the hospital for 2 or 3 days. In the meantime my pediatrician sent me to another psychologist for evaluation. The new psychologist talked to me for about 1 hour 30 minutes. At the end of the session she called my mom in the room and said that she seem none of what the other doctor said was wrong with me, and that there was no reason for me to be on the anti-depresants that they put me on. The Psychologist stopped the meds, and I was happy.
This time Childrens hospital was able to get me a sooner appointment to see the main doctor who would then reffer me to the GI department at Childrens hospital. I was set to see the main doctor in the first of August 1997. At that appointment I was scheduled to see the 2 GI doctors (a man and a woman) on August 29th, 1997. I explained to them everything that happened to me, and how they were wrong about me being mental. I was so glad that these doctors took me seriously. I was so use to doctors not really listening to me cause I was just a kid. But these doctors deal with kids everyday, and kids can have problems just like adults do and we need people to listen to us just as bad. The new GI doctors scheduled me for an endoscopy on September 3rd, 1996, only 5 days away! I just wanted to figure out why I was getting better, then got worse! The day of my test I was scared to find out if there was anything wrong. My mom was allowed to stay in the room till I was asleep.
In the recovery room the GI doctor came out and told my mom that he found Crohn's disease in my stomach (later this would be confirmed by biopsy). Crohns in my STOMACH?? What the heck?? Yes, Crohns in my stomach! That would explain the 24 hours a day nausea I had! Now it all made Sense!Now I was started back on imuran. My mom (still angry at my last gi doctor) Made the long awaited phone call to my last GI doctor that told me he couldn't help me and thought that I was mental and she told him about the Crohns disease in my stomach. He had nothing to say about it. Go figure huh? 2 1/2 months later I was started on a sulfa drug. I seen my GI docs on a regular appointment in December to check my progress. I was feeling better. I had some blood work done too (this was on a thursday). 2 days later (on saturday) I got VERY sick. My mom had made me some food to eat cause I had been in bed all day. I took one bite of food, and as soon as it hit my stomach it felt like a bomb went off. It felt like I had eaten a stick of dynamite that was lit. I just went back to bed and went to sleep. Sunday, the next day it wasn't as bad. And monday it seemed to get worse. Monday morning we got a call from my GI doctors office. They needed me to return immediatly to their office for blood work. We got dressed and drove the 60 miles to the hospital. When we arrived we were suprised to hear that I had very high levels of amylase and lipase. My lipase was 1700, a far cry from the normal 60-120. The doctors wanted my blood re-checked to make sure that there wasn't a mistake made at the blood labs. After taking my blood we had to sit and wait for almost 2 hours for the results. When the results were finally in, my levels were even higher than before. I was admitted to the hospital for pancreatitis, and it was Dec.21st,1997....So close to christmas!!! This was really unfair!
Yes my worse dreams came true-I was in the hospital over christmas. But the good thing was that Santa came around and gave out presants, and I woke up to find a stocking hanging from my IV pole!! It was so nice because we didn't get a christmas that year. My mom wasn't able to work because I was sick and going to the doctors all the time. That was the only christmas I got. On Christmas day everyone came to see me, and the hospital was serving a free Christmas dinner. No one cooked dinner at home this year, and we didn't even put up a tree!! It sucked. My Amylase and Lipase came back down to normal and I got to go home December 26th 1997. My Crohns disease was bothering me, yet again, and my GI docs wanted to give me methotrexate injections. I got 1 injection every week for about 3 months. I really don't know if they ever helped me or not. The months to follow I did improve and was able to eat REAL food for a change.I did pretty good for a while. Then I decided to move to Tennessee, after I met someone that lived in that area....