Rot Gut: Colin's Battle With Crohn's

Hello, I'm Kendall, Colin's partner. I'm writing this on his behalf. Here is his story:

On the drive home from his cousin’s wedding in Washington, D.C. in late September, Colin began to feel ill. At first, he assumed it was just another Crohn’s flare-up; something he had experienced a few times a year for several years. He had even been hospitalized for it once before, though that episode had been treated successfully with antibiotics. His typical flare-ups involved abdominal pain, often accompanied by a high fever. He usually managed them with ibuprofen, Tylenol, hydration, and rest, waiting for the blockage to pass.

However, this time was different. After two days of trying to push through it, his condition worsened; his eyes turned yellow, and he began vomiting fecal matter. Realizing this was far more serious than his previous episodes, his partner rushed him to the hospital.

Colin was hospitalized from September 25th to October 22nd due to severe complications from Crohn’s disease. He required three major surgeries to save his life. He had a significant intestinal blockage, multiple strictures, and severe dehydration, which was damaging his kidneys. He was intubated and heavily sedated for nine days, spending a total of 27 days in the hospital. During his stay, he also became septic, further complicating his condition.

While he was intubated, his body became so bloated from fluid retention that he gained over 50 pounds of water weight. Surgeons had to leave his abdominal wound open because he was too swollen for it to be closed. Due to the severe nature of his Crohn’s, they performed an ileostomy, removing approximately three feet of his intestine. His ileostomy is so short that he now suffers from short bowel syndrome, making it difficult for his body to absorb hydration and nutrients effectively. As a result, he requires IV infusions three times a week, along with frequent doctor’s appointments. In early January, he was hospitalized again for six days due to dehydration.

The combination of his ongoing recovery, surgical wounds, and the fatigue from a major autoimmune disease has made it difficult for him to work full-time over the past several months.

Colin is now on a lifelong biologic treatment called Remicade, which is expected to put him into remission. If all goes well, his ileostomy will hopefully be reversed in early summer. We are asking for donations to help cover the cost of his hospital stay, his weekly infusions and doctor’s appointments, and the future surgery he will need to reconnect his intestines.

We will also be having an in-person benefit and celebration of Colin's recovery at the Eastern Palace Club Thursday, March 13th. Link to Facebook event below:

Rot Gut

Thank you so much for reading and following along with Colin’s story; we appreciate any support you can offer during this time.