Screwing With Your Body
Living with a disease like crohns or colitis is hard to explain to many people. Symptoms are often not noticeable on the outside, there are no broken bones or rashes, and weight gain and loss is assumed to be over eating or anorexia.
I was 17 when I was diagnosed with indeterminate colitis, prior to that I had been getting progressively more sick and thin. I thought I was just a typically thin teenager who could eat what they wanted without putting on any weight. I didn’t know what a normal body felt like and so I assumed the grumbly gut was normal. The grumbly gut was around for about 1 and half years before I began spewing and spending so much time on the toilet I needed to go to a doctor and eventually get admitted to hospital.
Now I manage it pretty well with medication. Medication has side effects though. Side effects like a moon face, bad skin, and increased appetite.
And that’s how I went from stick thin teen… To thin young adult with a huge face… To average sized adult with bad skin.
At least I have a chin again now.
18 Responses to “Screwing With Your Body”
Thanks for sharing your story. :)
Sorry typo with my name. LOL
Moon face? Bad skin? Nuh, you look beautiful ^_^
Aw you’re too sweet. But that second photo, when I was at the peak of my steroid dose, definite moon face!
Thanks for sharing this story! I have friends with colitis and it’s definitely misunderstood.
ohmigod, it sounds like its been a horrible few years for you! thanks for telling us, id never heard of it before. and you look STUNNING bub, today i mean!
x
And you look lovely at all stages!
I’ve had a couple of friends with Krohn’s (one just passed away recently) and I know the struggles that people have to deal with when they have such diseases. I’m glad you’re on meds and have it (mostly?) under control now! And it’s great that you have a good outlook on your condition – lots of people get shitty about it instead of embracing it and moving on.
Cheers! <3
O wow, that’s quite scary! I try not to think about what could happen in the future with the increased chance of cancer etc.
I’m just so thankful for modern medicine! That I can take my pills every night and get a colonoscopy every couple of years and live a relatively normal life. My sister was recently diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome and there’s no medication for that. I feel very lucky in comparison.
Such a pretty girl!
I don’t see “moon face” at ALL…I just see you.
BTW, that was my grandfather’s nickname for me all through childhood :)
So glad we live in a time of modern medicine. You take care you!!! xx
And yet you look totally lovely—with ALL of your faces. :>
My cousin has really severe juvenile rheumatoid arthritis & her meds do the same thing to her. Depending on the “schedule”, she’ll have a round face for a few weeks and then, boom…right back to her narrow face. So weird. I told her she needs different wigs to match the different face shapes and personalities!
I’d never even heard of this before! It must have been super tough to deal with especially in the teenage years when everyone feels so lousy about themselves & their bodies anyway. It’s good to hear you’re able to manage it pretty well. Anyway you look stellar & I don’t think you have bad skin at all!
I know how that is. I was stick thin until 15, then had a kidney transplant and started on steriods. I had an amazing moon face. Your’s really wasn’t that bad, though i know that really means nothing. However, I def know what you mean! Meds SUCK
It was worse, I just didn’t have any photos which showed it better than this one.
Meds suck, but the illness sucks worse! :p
Yeah I have to agree! The illness is the worst part. I just get tired of dealing with the side effects of the meds that are supposed to keep me well!
That can’t have been fun :( But I must say, you look super cute to me! And what bad skin?! I’m glad the medication is keeping things under control for ya :)
Love that puckering picture! And fringe – who’s your hairdresser? LOL :) Ok, no more in-jokes in case people think I’m being horrible when I’m not!
We love you, bad skin or not. I’m taking away your chocolate bars… for myself…
Noooooo not the chocolates! :[
[...] loving: Everyone’s awesome responses to my post on colitis. I thought I’d written about it before, but it seems I haven’t written much except for [...]
Thank you for sharing this with us! I’m very happy when fellow bloggers write about the diseases or conditions that affect them. I myself have a neurological condition, and while the effects of it aren’t so apparent, it’s something that will affect the rest of my life. I too try not to think about what could happen in the future.
This post made me feel a little less alone, and more “normal”. Whatever that means.
And, ma’am, you look beautiful in every single one of those pictures!
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