Ian and I got married in August 2002 and we started our first teaching job at a new intermediate school in a city known for its druguse and violence. A great deal of stress ensued and thus my Crohn's Disease flared up. It started to get pretty bad and I had major stomach aches. My grandmother passed away on December 28 of that same year and I traveled to Holland to attend her funeral. My stomach aches were so bad that my uncle recommended a foot reflexologist. I was doubtful but figured it couldn't hurt. Jan was a police officer who also did foot reflexology on the side. I sat in the chair for over an hour and Jan stimulated pressure points on my feet. Jan was an interesting man for he was able to tell me things about myself that I thought only I knew. Call him psychic, call him wacko, call him whatever you want, but he told me things that were amazing to me. He knew about my dad, my grandmother, and my mom. Amazing. That night I went to my grandmother's house (where we were staying) and about an hour later I found that I could not move. My limbs were so heavy and tired. I managed to struggle and crawl my way to the car and my mom drove me "home". There I slept for over 12 hours. I awoke the next day with absolutely no stomach pains. Nor the next day or the next. What a miracle. We stayed in Holland for a few more days and then headed home. My stomach pains were gone in Holland but when I touched Canadian land they seemed to start again. I dealt with pain once again and in April of 2003 my grandfather passed away from cancer. Once again, I had to leave my first teaching job and go to his funeral. I had always been close to him and I would not have forgiven myself if I hadn't been able to say goodbye. I visited Jan again but this time his treatment didn't work. I was discouraged and the next couple of months were full of pain. I requested a transfer from the school I taught at and it was granted. That September 2003 I was to teach grade 6 in a small town 45 minutes from our house. However, my stomach pains worsened before I could even start the job. I was unable to keep anything down. I ate ONLY bananas and rice thins crackers for everything else caused great pain and I had to throw up every other day. My stomach became severely distended and I looked pregnant. Like a pregnant anorexic as I was a dangerous 98 lbs. I had no more periods and when I saw a counselor she thought I was anorexic. I tried chiropractors, homeopaths, naturopaths, foot reflexology, and I saw a specialist in Ottawa. He recommended a surgeon who said my only option was surgery. I was torn. Regular medicine had never healed my body as well as natural medicine had in the past. It was a tumultuous month. Not many people understood my situation. I was so sick that it was hard to button my pants from the pain. I was prescribed oxycontin for the pain which helped a great deal but no ER doctor would renew my prescription (one even called my husband my "daddy" ). My dad made things worse by getting angry at me because I wasn't doing anything about my pain (his words). I was resting on the staffroom couch one day when a coworker came in with a comment so rude I don't want to repeat it. Finally, after a lot of testing my surgery date was set for October 31, 2003. They removed some intestine and the surgeon happily reported that my worst fear of a colostomy bag was not necessary. I was on morphine for a few days and when I reread my diary from that week I am one raving lunatic. Very weird. I gained weight and was able to return to my job painfree (just in time to prep my class for grade 6 testing hahaha), In March I got pregnant and for once I pigged out. I gained 50 (!) pounds but was blessed with a healthy body and healthy baby girl 9 months later.
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