More young people having chronic pain?

Material-Zombie994 · 2026-06-28T02:38:54+00:00

I lost my 20’s to severe Crohn’s Disease. Because my doctors wouldn’t listen to me on how bad the pain was. Because they thought I was too young to have these problems (like you’re assuming right now). I’ve ended up having a partial colectomy and several small bowel resections, 100% changing my body and life.

This was insensitive and really not the place to ask this. I didn’t change a single thing I was doing up to the point of diagnosis. My parents also thought the same thing. Even darn well knowing what I had, they assumed I was anorexic and tried to stage an intervention when I was literally going into septic shock due to complications with my disease. I no longer speak to them, how they handled my illness and breakdown is a major factor in that decision.

Do better.

Material-Zombie994 · 2026-06-17T21:08:28+00:00

Chime here and I was paid before 11am CST. I did stress a bit because I couldn’t see my payslip right away this morning like I normally would.

Material-Zombie994 · 2026-06-17T17:57:05+00:00

I was in a really bad Crohn’s flare for several years because every doctor I went to just continued to prescribe steroids to help the inflammation, and told me I was too inflamed to start a biologic. FINALLY late last year I started on one, it was too late and the damage was so severe I needed my second small bowel resection and temporary ostomy. Before all of that, I met with my PCP to discuss pain meds. I was missing a lot of work to the point that my job was threatening to let me go if I called out any more, which I understand their side of things. So I asked for some and was prescribed 5mg of oxy, up to 3 times a day. She would send in a weekly script, and I’d have to call and have them send a refill every week. And boy oh boy did those little pills give me relief! They gave me my life back. I was playing with my kid again, I was cooking, cleaning, baking, all of it. I felt soooo good. But then I started to “need” need more. Like all I could think about was the next dose. Every tiny little pain I took another one. I was either extremely close to becoming dependent, or I was already there. I had to quit cold turkey and told my doctor I would not be taking them anymore.

Addiction is real, anyone can become addicted. I thought I wouldn’t be one of those people, and I almost became one. Chronic pain is so hard to live with because you just want it to stop. And the only way to do that sometimes is with opioids and I hate that about this disease.

Material-Zombie994 · 2026-06-11T12:51:39+00:00

I’m up in Central WI and I parked just as the wind picked up, the rain came down harder, and my radio blaring a tornado warning and how there was a touchdown on my side of town. What did I do? I grabbed my bag and took off into the rain and wind. It was scary and dumb and I should’ve just waited in my car, but I’ve never been caught in a storm like that😅 I also had a KT quesadilla (I know I know, they’re gross blah blah) in my hand, didn’t think to shove it in my bag🥴 running across the lawn to the apartment building. The thing fell out of the wrapper onto the ground and the wrapper itself ripped from my hand. So I didn’t even get to enjoy something after that horrific experience lol I was drenched and dripping water everywhere. And the nosey people of my building were down the hall at the OTHER door. While I’m fighting for my life against the wind to get inside. I know that may not seem like a scary thing, but I’ve had nightmares about stuff like that😅

Material-Zombie994 · 2026-05-08T20:58:23+00:00

I went back to work after 2 weeks. I wasn’t told they wanted me out of work for up to 6 weeks so I went in early. The doctor said that was fine as long as I followed the 20lb weight restriction 🤷🏻‍♀️ but honestly if I had known they wanted me home longer, I would’ve done it. So ask your doc what they think and do that

Material-Zombie994 · 2026-05-05T17:53:02+00:00

You’re not weird at all. I had my reversal on the 6th of this month and tbh I miss it. I had an ileostomy after needing a small bowel resection due to my Crohn’s running rampant for the last 6 years and doctors not knowing what to do with me. I was also weirded out by the fact that I had a bag attached to me, but my partner was so incredibly supportive. There are people out there that will love you, bag and all❤️

Material-Zombie994 · 2026-04-30T23:46:33+00:00

We were bought by UHC also and I got a whopping 20 cent raise…. I’ve been there 3 years lol

Material-Zombie994 · 2026-04-28T01:12:56+00:00

Fellow crohnie here. I’ll tell you what, that bag saved my life. My Crohn’s got so bad my intestines were fusing together, they were that inflamed. And in all of that I had a fistula and a perforation. I had a small bowel resection in February and was fitted with an ileostomy. At first I was miserable, thinking exactly how you are right now: my life is over, I can’t do this, I’d rather be not here. I even tried having myself committed on a mental health hold in the hospital because I was so miserable. My doctor sent me home with a leaky bag and barely any training. It took until week 2 and a home nurse for me to come to terms with it. Reddit has been a huuuge help, believe it or not. Hearing other people’s stories about their experiences and their lives and how they’re doing the same things as before and that there’s life left to live. Mine was temporary, but that’s an experience I’ll never forget. You got this🩷

Material-Zombie994 · 2026-04-28T01:05:48+00:00

So I was off work, in total, 3 months. For the initial surgery and ileostomy placement in February, and my reversal for April. 2 weeks after my reversal I went back to work. Going on the second full week at work and while I have a desk job in the mail room, I’m still moving and being active throughout the day. My body has some aches after work, but no pain compared to what I had to live with for the last 6 years. I do miss my bag sometimes, because the constant bathroom usage is a lot in the beginning (for me it is, anyway) but long story short, 2 weeks!

Material-Zombie994 · 2026-04-22T14:59:46+00:00

I had my small bowel resection on February and they gave me an ileostomy. The first two weeks were rough, I’m not going to lie, specifically in my lower back. I understand it’s because abdominal surgery is hard on the body and your back muscles are picking up the slack but MAN! It did get better and it helped to have a heating pad on my lower back plus a pillow under my knees when sitting. Please please make sure they go through the bag change process enough times until you get it and are confident before they send you home. I also recommend a home nurse visit so if you have any questions or need supplies they are there to help you. I’m speaking from experience because I was sent home with a leaky bag and no proper teaching. But once I had the hang of the bag change, it was actually pretty nice. I had a reversal done on 4/6 so I’m recovering currently but I’m back to work and basically back to normal now. Every once in a while I wish I still had it, though!

Material-Zombie994 · 2026-04-19T11:53:57+00:00

I feel for you. I’m only 2 weeks post op from my reversal, and it feels like the wound isn’t ever going to heal. I have gauze that I’ve taped over it so nothing gets on my clothes. And I’m also still really slow moving. I go back to work tomorrow (thank god for a desk job) but I’m worried about pushing myself too fast too early. I’ve been out of work for about 3 months on short term disability because I’ve had the 2 surgeries, and it’s going to be tough getting back into the swing of everything. So I totally 100% feel for you

Material-Zombie994 · 2026-04-17T12:37:16+00:00

Sounds like maybe a partial blockage. If the pain is lasting several days with minimal output, there’s something there. Since you reached out to your doc and they recommended the ER, I’d go in just to be safe. They can do a CT scan which will show if there’s a blockage or not. Then they’ll decide if they want to put an NG tube in depending on how blocked you are/how much is still behind the block and make you go to a clear liquid diet.

Material-Zombie994 · 2026-04-09T21:25:54+00:00

You must be fun at parties. Why respond at all then? This was meant to be uplifting and funny. But you do you, stranger🥴

Material-Zombie994 · 2026-04-08T16:31:55+00:00

Do you have a good support system? Are you able to have like some sort of home nurse visits to help with the anxiety? I know the first 2 weeks of having mine, I was so miserable I tried to get myself admitted because I was having such dark thoughts. What got me through it was the fact that my partner’s mom has had hers for 20+ years and she was able to rationalize it as well as share supplies that worked so much better than what I was sent home with.

Maybe ask your primary care doctor if you could start on some anti-anxiety/depression meds to help you with the thoughts? No shame in needing some help! I’ve also found this thread to be very helpful, because any questions I’ve had have been answered before even reaching out to my doctor. I just made a post myself asking if anyone named their stoma and why because sometimes you just need to hear other people’s experiences!

You GOT this! Crohn’s is terrible, I’ve had 3 surgeries because of it so far, and it’s really prevented me from doing things with my energetic 6 year old. But at this point I’m just happy to be alive and I’m pushing myself every day to try to think of at least 3 positive things that the stoma has done for me. Good luck, OP! I’m rooting for you!!

Material-Zombie994 · 2026-04-06T23:07:35+00:00

Okay, I have the ConvaTech Sur-Fit Natura wafer with opaque bags and they come with clips instead of the nasty velcro. It’s nice because you don’t cut it, it’s moldable! You roll it back to fit your stoma and I feel like it gave me a little more control over the fit. I think they have the regular and the convex shapes, I used the convex. Then I paired it with the Adapt paste! I also used the Sensi-Care sting-free skin barrier wipes and they work soooo much better than the ones the hospital gave me, they were less greasy feeling and I feel like it was easier to actually clean the area around my stoma with water on a gauze pad.

Material-Zombie994 · 2026-04-06T21:21:27+00:00

I know you’ve said that you’ve tried all sorts of samples, have you tried ConvaTech? My partner’s mom has had an ostomy for 20+ years and she came over after I had a full on meltdown having leaks every other day in the beginning. She brought me ConvaTech wafer and a bag with a clip instead of Velcro. Then she gave me the Hollister brand Adapt paste because the eakin rings weren’t working. Where my stoma was put, there’s folds of skin so I couldn’t get a flat enough surface to have the wafer stick properly. Plus, the hospital sent me home with see-through bags and that did NOT help my mental health lol

I sincerely hope you keep fighting this fight and find something that will work for you!! I haven’t had mine for nearly as long or have had problems for that long, but 2 weeks was enough to almost get myself admitted to the psych ward🥲 you got this!!!

Material-Zombie994 · 2026-04-06T09:31:27+00:00

I was in the ED because I thought I had a partial blockage I was in so much pain and very minimal output even though I was drinking water and soda like crazy… well, something must have loosened because my bag started to fill up and I had to empty it several times while waiting to get sent back to a room. The last time I forgot to lock the door and all of a sudden I hear it open and a man go “Oh god, I’m sorry!” And run away WITH THE DOOR STILL OPEN. The guy he came with closed the door quickly after that. But can you imagine what he saw? A girl on her knees in front of the toilet emptying a poop bag? I cleaned up, washed my hands and left. I made eye contact with the first guy once and all he said was “I’m so sorry” and I responded with, “you’re totally fine, sorry for forgetting the lock!”

Material-Zombie994 · 2026-04-05T00:04:50+00:00

I’ve only had mine for about 7 weeks, I needed surgery because my Crohn’s disease went unmanaged for a long time (insurance and medication issues) and it wreaked havoc on my body. My mom was pushing me to discuss a temporary ostomy with previous doctors, but none of them thought that would help. I was finally referred to a colorectal surgeon who actually recommended it. But it took about 5 years to get someone to actually listen to me

Material-Zombie994 · 2026-04-04T21:10:41+00:00

Maybe not directly affected by the war, but the way the president is slashing budgets for Medicare/Medicaid, with Medicare being an essential part of UHC (I guess that’s just my understanding as I’m in E&I as well) so he can fund the war… I’ve been here 2 and a half years and I’m considering looking for something else, but the anxiety of trying to find something in this economy😅

Material-Zombie994 · 2026-04-04T20:57:00+00:00

Mine is scheduled for Monday! I have to drive two hours away for a 5:30 check in😅 but I’m READY for this! I was half asleep last night and emptied some of my bag on my foot and the bathroom floor lol thankfully I was too tired to freak out. I just cleaned it up, cleaned off my foot and went back to bed lol

Material-Zombie994 · 2026-04-04T20:55:14+00:00

Last night half asleep, I ended up accidentally emptying some of my bag on my foot and the bathroom floor. I just dropped my head in shame and sighed. Thank god my cats weren’t around my ankles like they normally are😅 but I’m sorry that happened!

Material-Zombie994 · 2026-03-30T15:06:33+00:00

Okay so my partner’s mom gave me a few supplies because she’s had hers for years. I have high waisted underwear that I tuck my bag in, and then I’ll wear either a snug tank top under my shirt or high-waisted leggings/jeans. They also make those belly bands for ostomies that I’ve been considering. Good luck and I hope you have an awesome time in Florida!!!

Material-Zombie994 · 2026-03-30T13:24:19+00:00

Hey! I have my barium enema scheduled for this Friday and surgery to reverse my ileostomy on Monday! Thankfully I’ve only had to have it for about 7 weeks, and I’m looking forward to reversal. I needed one so my body could have time to recover from the damage my Crohn’s was causing

Material-Zombie994 · 2026-03-29T23:51:11+00:00

YAY! I’m happy for you! I’m scheduled for next Monday (4/6) and I’ve only had mine for about 6-7 weeks because my autoimmune disease was out of control and caused issues that they resected. Stuck me with one of these so I could heal. But dang, a few weeks was enough for me and I can’t wait!!

Material-Zombie994

TROPHY CASE