NationStates Jolt Archive


What a life...(Long and detailed, ye been warned)

The Second Bolol
15-07-2005, 22:49
Bloody hell...

Okay, this is Bolol speaking. You may know me. Roughly a week and a half ago, I was hospitalized for three separate internal blockages related to my Crohns Disease. Needless to say it was crap. No real food...extreme boredom...constantly hooked up to something. I come back, and I find my account gone...

(sigh)

I'm not bumming for my 1000+ posts lost...I don't live in the past. So, I am simply reincarnated. Meh...could be worse. Either way, I was looking forward to venting when I returned. Nothing's stopping me it seems...so if you would allow me to regail you.

I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis roughly 4 years ago, which is a chronic inflamation of the large intestines. I suspect that this was caused by a rough 7th grade year, bad teachers and rough projects. I lived with Colitis for two years when I started having pains while serving as a Counsilor in Training at camp. My doctor was "befuddled" to say the least, me being on all the right medications. So, we agreed that I would spend a few days in the hospital taking steriod infusions that would hopefully knock things out.

Oh...right...yeah...

It worked "beautifully". And I was released after four days. I went home, the doctors seeing an excellent recovery...WRONG. I noticed just 24 hours later that things weren't right. I had pains in my legs, arms and back, severe headaches, nausea, fatigue and dizzyness. My mother thought I was simply being "dramatic". But just in case, we called in and we drove back to Children's Hospital in Boston...

That's when I passed out in an elevator...

Upon stabilizing me, they found that my hematacrit had dropped from 41 (excellent) to 14 (damn near dying). I was bleeding out from the inside. I was in intensive care for a day as they pumped me full of O-Positive. They ran every test imaginable. They did two lower colonostomies, one upper, a CT scan, an X-Ray, they even had me swallow a miniature camera. The last one worked. Apparently, these bitches had misdiagnosed me for the past two years. They found a bleeding ulcer the size of a walnut in my small intestine.

Upon re-diagnosing me with Crohns of the Upper and Lower Intestines, they once again pumped me full of steriods for the next two weeks. I was driven to near madness for several reasons.

-lack of privacy
-boredom
-restlessness
-anger

The worst however were the treatments themselves. The steriod I took is called solumidrol, a highly concentrated injection that wreaks havok on your system and prednizone an oral drug that is almost as extreme. The biggest side effects are that it retains salt, causing you to gain weight exponentially (50+ pounds in 4 weeks), and gives you a voracious appetite. The problem with the latter is that for those two weeks, I was on a liquid diet. I was starving but couldn't do anything about it.

I was on the oral steriods for over nine months after my release. And whenever I got off them, my body simply reverted back to my "sick state" and went back on them. I am now almost dependent upon them.

Nevertheless things seemed fine until a week and a half ago, when I experienced severe abdominal pains early in the morning. To be on the safe side, we traveled up to Boston, where they wanted to take a CT scan.

Once again they showed no compassion really...I needed to swallow a fluid that would "highlight" my digestive system so they could find problems. At this point unfortunately I was experiencing severe pain and nausea, and my body knew it couldn't take anything without just spewing it back up...so they shoved a tube down my nose and into my stomach...

Yeah that worked...I still threw up...

When the X-Rays and CT Photos returned, they discovered not one, not two, but THREE separate blockages in my intestines, on in the upper, one in the lower, and one where the two meet.

I was on steriods for roughly 5 days. I was feeling better so they released me...Once again, I am convinced that someone upstairs doesn't like me...

No more than three hours after returning, I experienced the same pains and nausea. After throwing up, we once again returned to Boston, the entire time my mom chewing me out for "being impatient" and "not speaking up when I was in pain at the hospital".

Yeah bullshit, she has no idea what it's like to be hooked up to four different IVs and told you can't eat or even leave your room.

I had to put up with their patronizing crap again for another week. During this time I went through five different roommates, who had no idea how much I wished they would've just STFU'd.

One who spoke absolutely no English, one little punk who seemed like he needed ritalin, one shmuck who was too cheerful to be in the hospital and wouldn't leave me alone, one kid who swallowed a pen cap (I didn't need to think about THAT at the time), and one more whos ENTIRE family snored.

Call me callous...but I was most certainly NOT in a "sympathetic" mood.

So here I am...returned...once again on oral steriods. I am constantly hungry. Just yesterday I ate five meals.

But...I have things to look forward to. I've been give several weeks off from my job at the grocery store. My birthday is less than two weeks away, and...well...having an increased appetite WITHOUT restrictions can be interesting. Hell just last night I was watching a show on exotic foods on National Geographic...I found EVERYTHING appetizing...even the bugs!

I learned long ago it's best to get things off your chest and then live life as best you can. As I type I'm feeling better about things. Now...I will spend time rebuilding my account to its former glory.

Now...on to more lighthearted issues. Did I miss anything? Also, as I said, my birthday is coming up...and I'm rather restless. I need a new video game. Any suggestions for PS2 or Gamecube?

Thanks for listening and be blessed! :fluffle:

W00t! :D
The Noble Men
15-07-2005, 22:56
Woah, man, you've been really fucked over, haven't you?

Hate to be your insurance company, and I'd really hate to be you (no offence).

My sympathies go out to to.
[NS]Ihatevacations
15-07-2005, 22:57
Could be worse, you could be living here, the local major hospital is incompetent (these people can't even handle paperwork) but its hte only fully stocked up one for a two hour drive.
The Second Bolol
15-07-2005, 23:49
Hate to be your insurance company...

Heh...my biggest joy is knowing that I'm causing pain to those guys. :p
The Noble Men
15-07-2005, 23:56
Heh...my biggest joy is knowing that I'm causing pain to those guys. :p

Yeah, stick it to them!

It's better in Britain, where we have an NHS.
Economic Associates
15-07-2005, 23:58
Heh...my biggest joy is knowing that I'm causing pain to those guys. :p

Having worked as a temp in an insurance company I can honestly say, even though you've had a shitty time, :upyours:
The Second Bolol
15-07-2005, 23:59
Having worked as a temp in an insurance company I can honestly say, even though you've had a shitty time, :upyours:

...Okay.
The South Islands
16-07-2005, 00:13
Man, I feel for you. I been on steroids and in hospitals a few times.

It's the smell, isnt it? The combination of antiseptic so strong it could be a chemical weapon, nondefined bodily fluids, and other nice things does wonders for the nasal cavities.

Brotha, i feel yo pain.
Eutrusca
16-07-2005, 00:23
So what do you have? Do they know yet? Ulcerative colitis? Chron's Disease? What?
New Sans
16-07-2005, 01:04
...Okay.

He's worked some jobs where he's delt with some crazy people so he feels for the insurance adjusters/fraud consultents of the world. I still think he enjoys dealing with the crazies though.....
Lord-General Drache
16-07-2005, 01:16
Grr. Jolt ate my post.

Holy shit, dude. That really sucks. Try playing the GTA series, TimeSplitters is awesome for multiplayer, and Destroy All Humans is good.
Katganistan
16-07-2005, 01:31
You know, you COULD ask to have Bolol revived, if it died from inactivity.....
The Second Bolol
16-07-2005, 02:19
You know, you COULD ask to have Bolol revived, if it died from inactivity.....

I may just do that. Thanks man. How would I go about that?
Katganistan
16-07-2005, 02:31
I may just do that. Thanks man. How would I go about that?

The procedure's pretty simple.
http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi/-1/page=help

Ask, and ye shall receive. Seek, and ye shall find. Knock, and the way will be opened....


....and all that good stuff. ;)
Evilness and Chaos
16-07-2005, 02:43
Shit man, I pass you some luck.
The Second Bolol
16-07-2005, 14:01
The procedure's pretty simple.
http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi/-1/page=help

Ask, and ye shall receive. Seek, and ye shall find. Knock, and the way will be opened....


....and all that good stuff. ;)

Okay, groovy! Thanks!

And Eustrusca, it is now Crohns Disease, which is an inflamation of both intestines. At least with Colitis I could've had surgery to remove the inflamed areas, but that's not an option no more...

Meh...surgery's no fun anyway!
Jeruselem
16-07-2005, 14:28
Good luck with the recovery and getting the insurance $$$
Jimusopolis
16-07-2005, 14:36
Sounds like your having a rough time.

I sorta know how you feel tho. I was diagnosed with chron's disease 7 years ago and I still havn't got it under control. I'm on high doses of immunosuppresants now as the steroids didn't do much for me.

Still, as long as you have a bright outlook on life, you'l be fine :D

-Jimus-
The Second Bolol
16-07-2005, 15:38
Sounds like your having a rough time.

I sorta know how you feel tho. I was diagnosed with chron's disease 7 years ago and I still havn't got it under control. I'm on high doses of immunosuppresants now as the steroids didn't do much for me.

Still, as long as you have a bright outlook on life, you'l be fine :D

-Jimus-

That's exactly what they plan to use on me. Two weeks from now I'm heading in for my second dose of Remicaid (took my first at the hospital). It's supposedly a kickass treatment, but if you have TB then you're screwed.
Cuneo Island
16-07-2005, 16:39
I don't know you, you must have came within the time I left and came back. I'm sorry to hear of your bad experience though.

The worst stuff is morphine, I remember when they put me on that crap, oh my god.