Sarah's Crohn's Blog - Dog Therapy

Sarah’s Crohn’s Blog is a series of journal entries related to Sarah’s battle with Crohn’s Disease. She was initially diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in 2010, but since then the diagnosis has changed to Crohn’s Disease. Anything referring to ulcerative colitis in these blogs was simply written before the diagnosis changed.

October 28, 2019

I can't even begin to express my gratitude for all the love I have received the past two months. I will mention few names because I know I will miss some that deserve recognition... but first a quick update. This picture was taken last week when an awesome medical student went out of her way to get me a "date" with a therapy dog named Phoebe. I cried when she walked in the room, and we spent an hour cuddling in my hospital bed. This was the same day that I failed my transition to oral steroids (AGAIN) and was taking in the fact that I would need surgery. Removing your colon requires getting a stoma which is a hole in your belly that connects your small intestine to an external bag that your poop goes into as your intestines heal. After a few months, the small intestine would be reconnected to the rectum so you can poop out of your butt again. A few days ago, the ostomy (poop bag) nurse drew an "X" on my belly with a marker to tell the surgeon where to cut, and that was the first time I felt scared, despite thinking that I was ready for this surgery.

Over the weekend, an angel came into my life because for the past three days I have had an exponential improvement in my symptoms. I don't just feel a little better... I feel absolutely amazing. My appetite is through the roof, I'm eating like crazy, and I'm finally gaining some weight. My cramping is nearly non-existent and I'm only having 3 bowel movements a day (as opposed to 5-7). There is a chance I may not need surgery now, but I'm still not out of the hole because we need to get me off IV steroids, and the steroids could secretly be masking a lot of my symptoms. Either way, I am feeling more optimistic than I ever have, so keep your fingers crossed!

I do need to make a few shout outs. Both my mom and dad have driven up to visit me nearly every weekend to visit ever since I got sick. It's an 8 hour drive to Bangor and 4 hour drive to Boston, and they have been nothing but supportive this whole journey. I also need to recognize Dale who you already know has been by my side through this all. We are 4 hours from home, and he has stayed here in Boston to be by my side every day. Right now, I look, act, and feel like a frail old lady. Even in my old lady state, Dale and I enjoy each other's company just as much as when I'm a young 31 year old. Even though we're not adventuring and living the young life, we now find joy in our conversations, wheelchair adventures, and Game of Thrones binging. Dale has learned the art of washing and drying a woman's hair, and we will forever laugh about his tendency to suck my hair into the air intake of the hair dryer and make the whole room smell like burnt hair. He helps me change my clothes because I can't bend down to put my pants on, and he does nothing but compliment how beautiful I am the entire time. He has mastered the cocoa butter foot rub, the wheelchair wheelies, and the difficult task of being my caretaker day in and day out. I am so lucky to have him. I am also lucky to have all of you - those who have cooked homemade meals for Dale when he couldn't take care of himself, those who have offered to clean up my pumpkin patch, those who stop by my house to pet my lonely cat, those who have sent me wonderful messages, and those who are praying for me from far away. THANK YOU .