Lindsey Conde's Fight with Crohn’s Disease
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After many years of ongoing symptoms and unanswered questions, Lindsey was misdiagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis in 2011. After a couple years of severe symptoms, Lindsey made the decision to get a second opinion at Mayo in Rochester. In 2013 after getting her colon removed, it was discovered that Lindsey actually had Crohn's disease. Crohn's is a chronic condition that causes inflammation of the digestive tract. Lindsey has experienced many symptoms including chronic pain, bleeding in her digestive system, abdominal cramping, back pain, arthritis, fever, fistulas, and abscesses. Her disease has been severe and often debilitating.
2018 was an extremely challenging year and came with many unexpected hardships for Lindsey and her children. At the beginning of September, Lindsey was told that biopsies that were taken during a surgical procedure were precancerous. This lead Lindsey down a path, that she was dreading for some time, much sooner than expected. She no longer had the option to make this decision when she was ready. In October, she went through a very difficult life altering surgery to remove her rectum and anus giving her a permanent ileostomy. Recovery had been a bumpy road and much more difficult than expected, but she had remained positive and continues to fight.
In the middle of December, Lindsey was faced with the news that she would need to have yet another surgery due to some unexpected issues with her ileostomy. This was not what she wanted to hear, but again, had no choice. She choose to put it off until after the New Year so she could enjoy the holidays with her family. Only a few days after hearing the news of needing another surgery, her son ended up with MRSA and was hospitalized for 4 days. This, of course, was more added stress, but she put all her focus on his healing. Once Lindsey's son was home and able to get back to the teenage life, it was time for Lindsey to start preparing for her next surgery in a very short timeframe. Unfortunately, this second surgery meant another unpredictable recovery and more time off of work.
Over the course of 4 short months, Lindsey was off of work for a total of 13 weeks to recover. She ended up going back to work earlier than suggested, after both surgeries, because of the additional financial stress. We hope, with everyone’s support, this will relieve some of the stress that has been added to Lindsey and her beautiful children’s lives. Every little bit can help take some of the burden away. Thank you so much for helping Lindsey out during this time.
Lindsey does a great job explaining her journey with Crohn's Disease in her blog. Please follow her story:
https://defectiveguts.wordpress.com
2018 was an extremely challenging year and came with many unexpected hardships for Lindsey and her children. At the beginning of September, Lindsey was told that biopsies that were taken during a surgical procedure were precancerous. This lead Lindsey down a path, that she was dreading for some time, much sooner than expected. She no longer had the option to make this decision when she was ready. In October, she went through a very difficult life altering surgery to remove her rectum and anus giving her a permanent ileostomy. Recovery had been a bumpy road and much more difficult than expected, but she had remained positive and continues to fight.
In the middle of December, Lindsey was faced with the news that she would need to have yet another surgery due to some unexpected issues with her ileostomy. This was not what she wanted to hear, but again, had no choice. She choose to put it off until after the New Year so she could enjoy the holidays with her family. Only a few days after hearing the news of needing another surgery, her son ended up with MRSA and was hospitalized for 4 days. This, of course, was more added stress, but she put all her focus on his healing. Once Lindsey's son was home and able to get back to the teenage life, it was time for Lindsey to start preparing for her next surgery in a very short timeframe. Unfortunately, this second surgery meant another unpredictable recovery and more time off of work.
Over the course of 4 short months, Lindsey was off of work for a total of 13 weeks to recover. She ended up going back to work earlier than suggested, after both surgeries, because of the additional financial stress. We hope, with everyone’s support, this will relieve some of the stress that has been added to Lindsey and her beautiful children’s lives. Every little bit can help take some of the burden away. Thank you so much for helping Lindsey out during this time.
Lindsey does a great job explaining her journey with Crohn's Disease in her blog. Please follow her story:
https://defectiveguts.wordpress.com
Organizer and beneficiary
Andrea Durtschi Polenz
Organizer
Eau Claire, WI
Lindsey Martenson
Beneficiary
