Our Anniversary

It was one year ago that I made friends with diarrhea. You heard me correctly. I have had diarrhea every day for a year. What makes it so unique is that 95% of the time it is confined to the hours of 5am - 9am. Needless to say, I'm a bit stubborn and let this evil persist for about four months before actually admitting that I had a problem. This was due in part to excruciating stomach pains that would appear throughout the day. In the beginning I would experience this pain one day a week, then three, until about seven months ago when the pain arrived and never retreated. I have had gnawing stomach pain for seven months.

The pain has taken multiple forms that I have noticed thus far, 1) (which is rare but ENTIRELY unwelcomed) sharp piercing, burning, knife pain just below my xyphoid process. It does not penetrate to the back, it is confined to the frontal portion of the stomach, and I CANNOT move, focus, even drool it is so debilitating. Thankfully, I only had this for about a week in December, another week in March and then the odd days peppered throughout. 2) Buuuuuuuurning. I can only describe this pain as having really bad road rash...on the inside of my stomach. Just as road rash scabs and starts to itch, so does this pain. It's can be so itchy that I will scratch and scratch the exterior with the hope that one day my hand will magically pass through and get to the source. I've been placing a lot of stock in magic as of late. 3) Heartburn. It's not very constant but when I do get it it comes quickly and violently. It will last for about four days and I can't even bend over to pick up socks without sterilizing the inside of my head. 4) Diarrhea of Death. It's happened about five times but it is quite possibly the most pain I've ever been in. It lasts for about half of the day (sometimes I just set up shop in the bathroom) and is a foray of pyrotechnics and defeat. And 5) Bruising. Don't worry, it's not a visual bruise it's just the feeling that my entire torso is bruised. It is tender to touch and is pretty unnecessary if you ask me, after all the other pain I have to endure.

So, it has been a year and doctors are stumped, concluding, "It's Irritable Bowel Syndrome." This is made known through a process of elimination--if it's not any other known disease they fall back on the trusty IBS. Well, they got two letters right.

I will post one more entry (to follow) on medications I have endured and home remedies, and then I will get into the nitty-gritties with you.

This is a blog of enlightenment. Hopefully you will come to understand what I've been going through for the past year, but mostly walk this path with me as I try to find my own cure for this illness, and offer answers and hope to many others that are struggling with this as well.

Happy Trails,

Erin