About Me

I am 37 years old and from North Alabama, Huntsville to be exact. I am married to Matt and mother to Wylie. I have had Crohn's Disease since I was eight years old. I had my first surgery for what I thought was going to be the first step of a j-pouch in late August of 2001. I woke up in the ICU that night with my Dad standing over me crying, telling me that things were far worse than they expected and that my ileostomy was going to be permanent. Not exactly what a 24 year old single woman wants to hear. Boy was I wrong. Getting my ileostomy in 2001 change my life. Gave me my life really. BO (Before Ostomy) I was tied to the house. Going places sent me in to a panic because I needed to know where the next available bathroom was going to be. I would never have dared gone away to college because I knew I wasn't mature enough to manage my disease. AO (After Ostomy) I traveled the world. I went to graduate school. I camped. Went on road trips. Met the love of my life. Had a son that EVERY ONE said would never happen. Here is a breakdown of my surgeries: 1. 1999--Removal of left salivary gland--biopsies after the surgery revealed active Crohn's in the salivary gland. 2. 2001--Ostomy placed on right side and large intestine removed. 3. 2003--Ostomy revised. Basically cut around stoma, pulled out further, and sewn back down. 4. 2005--Removal of rectum and relocated stoma to the left side. Also had a bit more of my small intestine removed. 5. 2007--Benign pituitary tumor. Not sure if it is Crohn's related but I can't help but wonder.