Crohn’s looks different for a lot of people and the range of symptoms can be overwhelming. For me, Crohn’s started with food poisoning. After years of treating my gut horribly (not paying attention to what I was eating, eating refined sugar every day, not taking probiotics), my system had had enough. The pains started coming in waves: I would be ok one minute and laying down unable to move the next. I went from being what some would call the picture of health to completely debilitated. This isn’t always the case, most experience symptoms long before they’re diagnosed as Crohn’s or IBD.

Over the span of two months, my symptoms worsened. I got horrible bloating and gas, my intestines felt like someone was sticking a hot iron on them, I felt extremely tired and irritable, and my eyesight started to worsen. My migraines with aura also started to come more frequently, sometimes two or three times a day. I lost twenty pounds. I started bleeding every time I went to the bathroom. Every time I ate or drank it felt like knives scraping my digestive tract. Then the waves of pain got so much worse. I started getting fevers every single night and couldn’t move from the couch. I developed fissures that made going to the bathroom so painful I cried and wanted to scream. My eyesight would go grey for periods of time and it felt like there was a lot of pressure in my head. I lost hair, my skin and nails started to deteriorate, and I felt my mental stability go too. I became a shell of a person and so desperate to get out of my body.

I want to apologize for this being so graphic, but this is the reality for a lot of people with Crohns. My pain only lasted about six months before I became confident enough to heal myself naturally, for others it goes on for years and years. I still struggle with extreme fatigue and anxiety about whether or not I’m going to get sick again. Those waves of pain take everything out of you.

In order to end on a good note, I want you to know that if you’re experiencing these symptoms, there is hope. My pain and desperation fueled my need to understand my body, and the minute I learned and started watching videos and reading scientific articles, my mindset changed. Instead of feeling helpless, I became in control. Our bodies are just mirroring to us what we feed them, whether it’s food, the media, or the people we surround ourselves with. Be picky about who and what is in your inner circle and only feed yourself the things that light you up. Empower yourself. Empower your body with healthy foods and meditation and love. Your body is trying to communicate with you!