During the summer of 2002, Colleen Wainwright began losing weight, so much weight that even perfect strangers began to comment on her gaunt appearance. Her friends began to express concern about her mental as well as physical health. “I'd gone through a horrible breakup that spring, and I think they feared I'd become anorexic or bulimic,” said Colleen. “Which could not have been farther from the truth: especially toward the end, I was scarfing down insane amounts of calories trying to keep weight on, to no avail.”
Colleen attributed her weight loss to her heavy work schedule and didn’t become concerned until other symptoms began to show: high fevers, horrible diarrhea, mind-bending cramps, muscle aches and never-ending fatigue.
Her sister tricked her into going to the emergency room and while in the hospital, Colleen received the diagnosis: Crohn’s Disease. “Honestly, and rather oddly, I was relieved,” Colleen explained. “At least when you have a diagnosis, you know what you’re up against. Until then, I seriously thought I had some crazy tropical disease that I picked up from a coffee cup. A barista sneezed on my coffee cup right before I became very sick.”
Colleen was actually no stranger to Crohn’s Disease, as her father battled it when she was growing up. “I'd always been a workaholic, much like my dad. Plus a big control freak and do-it-yourself-er: I hated the idea of relying on anyone.”
After being released from the hospital, Colleen quickly learned that her life had changed and she needed help. She was not able to walk up a flight of stairs without assistance. Taking out the garbage or doing laundry were tasks she couldn’t even take on. “Basically, I went from being obnoxiously self-sufficient to utterly dependent, and stayed that way for weeks. It was humbling and completely life-changing: all of a sudden, my eyes were opened to how much we are all dependent on each other, and how generous people truly are. It brought me to tears more than once.”
Colleen discovered that she could no longer work the long hours that she used to; physically, her body would give out and she experienced fatigue. For three years after her diagnosis, Colleen went on a strict, specific carbohydrate diet, and she shares those details on her blog article: The Specific Carbohydrate Diet. She credits the diet and stress management for helping to put her Crohn’s Disease into remission.
For others battling Crohn’s, Colleen offers some advice: “Expore your options fully. Do not take your doctors' words as gospel, and make sure you have an advocate should you end up hospitalized. It's hard to fight for your rights when you're in a weakened state.”
“The biggest change, though,” said Coleen, “was probably in my attitude. I had been so blessed with so many gifts that I never appreciated; it took getting really, really sick to see how lucky I was. Not an uncommon refrain, I know, but really, it's true: there's nothing for opening your eyes like a catastrophic illness.”
