Crohn's Chronicles :: Symptomatic Remission

I can finally say it. I am in remission.

It took 3.5 years.

My symptoms started in November of 2019. By May of 2020, I was having symptoms every single day, and my colonoscopy in June of 2020 confirmed that, not only was my Crohn's back, it had spread {from my ileum to my colon}. 

I spent an entire year on a medication that didn't help. I moved across the country and had to change my entire medical team. I endured severe sickness and a suppressed immune system in the middle of a pandemic. I have fought insurance and endured side effects. I spent another year on a medication that started to help, before I switched to a more frequent dose that finally pushed me into better results.

And today I can say that I am in remission.

Usually a colonoscopy is used to confirm remission. It's the best way to see how much inflammation is still lingering and what damage may still be occurring. But since my labs look normal, and I have been {GI} symptom-free since December, my doctor has declared me in remission. He said that unless something changes, I won't have to do another colonoscopy until 2025!

If I'm honest, I still have a hard time trusting it. I was sick for so long, that "sick" was my normal for multiple years. I have a lingering fear that this is only temporary and my symptoms will show back up. I have a legitimate concern that insurance will deny my medication at the dosing that is helping me. And the reality is that I am not guaranteed long-term remission, and insurance can do what it wants. 

But today I feel good. Today insurance has said yes. I am filled with gratitude for all God has done in, through, and because of my Crohn's Disease. I am filled with gratitude for my support system: family, friends, doctors. I am thankful for the grace and patience from so many over the past 3.5 years. 

Today I will praise the One who granted me health again. The same One who walked with me on all of the hard days, who met me on the bathroom floor over and over again, and who never let me face any of it alone. 

Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow!