It was midway through 2020. I was in grade six and stuck in lockdown. I started developing some terrible stomach aches; they were so bad to the point where I wanted to curl up into a ball. I ended up telling my mum about the pains I was feeling.
I was having a smoothie pretty much every day back then, so we thought it could’ve been lactose intolerance, however the stomach aches never stopped. We ended up calling a doctor to get my stomach checked out, who said I needed to go get an endoscopy.
It was my first time being under anaesthetic and I was very woozy afterwards. When I fully woke up my mum told me the results. I found out I had Crohn’s Disease but I didn’t really process it. It was when I got home, I realised that I had a disease that doesn’t have a cure yet. It was such a shock. After many appointments with my doctor, I found out I had two options: either steroids or going on EEN, the shake diet, where I drank different flavoured shakes for eight weeks. The shake diet which was very mentally challenging for me. After seven weeks the doctor said I could go off the shakes, but very slowly.
I still remember my first meal after the shake diet. It was steak with mashed potatoes, and it was so good. Four weeks after I started eating normally again, my stomach aches returned. After many doctors’ appointments, we concluded that I was to start infusions. I was also taking Pentasa and immunosuppressants. I have now been on infusions for quite a while and they have helped me so much. I am so grateful that I feel better and that I am much healthier than I was before. Right now, I am 15 and am coping extremely well with my disease. I feel like it is very important to share my story. If any other teens struggling with Crohn’s disease read this, know that things can get better. It takes some time but it’s 100% worth it!