Hi all, it’s me- Tori!

After dealing with really bad digestive issues and pain for a long time, I finally went to the Dr in 2021 and started my journey of getting diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease. I’ve been diagnosed for over 3 years now and it has been progressively getting worse. Crohn’s Disease is an auto-immune disease under the IBD (irritable bowel disease) umbrella and it causes inflammation and ulcers in your intestines which can cause permanent damage and lead to even worse issues when left untreated. They don’t know what causes it and treatment is not always straight forward for everyone dealing with it. I have now tried 5 different medications - you have to try each one for 6 months to a year and I have failed every one. Some people get lucky and find a medication that helps and others don’t. I live with daily pain, nausea, fatigue and everything I try to eat kills me.

My GI doctor and his colleagues all agree that at this point surgery is the best option. I just had my consult with a surgeon and he has agreed to do the surgery. They will be cutting out my diseased terminal ileum and part of my large intestine and then reattaching the healthy tissues. The surgery is pretty straightforward and most people have great results from it. Unfortunately surgery is expensive and he recommends I take 6 weeks off to recover which puts me in a bit of a financial bind. Being self-employed, I don’t get paid for all the sick days I have had to take recently and I definitely do not get paid medical leave. I have started saving money but it is hard when I’m missing so much work from not feeling well all the time.

If you are able and feel inclined to help, anything is so so greatly appreciated! I do not expect anyone to help but as embarrassing as it is to post, I still have to try.

Im really hoping this surgery can give me back my life. My quality of life is pretty awful right now and it’s just so draining living like this.

Thank you for reading and thanks for your support !

Lots of love,

Tori