Not so mild?

I haven't posted since I started, because I got hit with a 'flare'. I'm still new to all the terminology of this stuff - but not the symptoms. I had a bad bout of mid-abdominal pain. It's been a long time since the pain was that crippling.

Ah well, maybe my thinking I have a 'mild' case isn't so correct.

Even though I have had the common symptoms - diarrhea, weight loss, occasional abdominal pain since I was a kid, and then the others - joint pain, rashes, vitamin deficiencies, malnutrition as I got older - I was still surprised when the Dr. told me it was Crohn's. I don't know why. I have had 100's of tests for the last 15 years, and nothing shows up. Not till recently when my vitamin levels were in the toilet. I had a zero level of vitamin C, among other deficiencies.

I got so used to hearing, "We can't find anything", yet I was obviously sick, that it was a shock when a test showed something.

I have 2 friends with Crohn's, so I am familiar with the symptoms, and even though I seemed a mirror to them, I guess I just wasn't ready to hear I had it too.

Now my problem is eating - it hurts when I eat. Especially if I eat anything bigger than a portion the size of a hot dog. I can't even eat a sandwich or an average sized salad. Everything has to be in tiny amounts, or I am done for with pain and belly swelling.

I haven't figured out yet what aggravates me worse - except for oranges, crunchy chips and nuts. Anything too hard or crunchy is no good, since most of my food passes out undigested, that will hurt more. Even tablet vitamins pass out whole - so I take liquid vitamins and use B-12 shots.

I'm trying to figure out how to eat healthy when I am usually too fatigued to cook let alone go to the grocery store. If I could find liquid nutrition without dairy or cornsyrup in it, I'd drink that for a few months and let my guts rest.

Oh, and I love to add pics of lolcats to my blogs etc...