Megan 
Megan Story
Megan, Age 17
My name is Megan and soon I will be 17 years old. I have Crohn's Disease and was diagnosed at age 6 in 1991.
I was initially put on prednisone for 3 months and all went pretty well after that and I wasn't on any meds again for 2 years. After that things started up again with diarrhea and cramping and I controlled things with prednisone periodically. 
I've tried dipentum, and ultimately found out I was allergic to any type of sulpha drug including rowasa which I tried in enemas.
In 1995, I was so sick and so underweight that they put in a g-tube. I had been using an ng tube for 9 weeks but my throat felt horrible and it was constantly in. I couldn't deal with taking it out everyday. Every night I would hook myself up for 10 hours and that is how I ate for the next 5 years. I would try to eat whatever I could during the day. Sometimes it worked, other times it made me sick.
In 1996, the docs put me on 6mp which was OK for awhile but because it started things healing, I developed a stricture and I was puking all the time. I had some of my colon removed in the fall. It was awful to do it then because I was starting Junior High at a new school and really didn't know anyone but I couldn't go on the way things were.
I felt pretty good after that till December of 1997 and then things got very bad. I started on an experimental treatment called RMAT which ultimately didn't work in the long run although helped initially. I missed the first two years of high school and was tutored at home because I was too sick to make it there. I also tried Remicade but the second infusion was too long after the first and I developed the antibodies because I went into shock once they started the second infusion. It was really scary and I couldn't breathe so we stopped it right away and I can't have it again. I was on home TPN for 8 months. That year I was hospitalized for a total of 3 months.
In all, I have been in the hospital 15 times since 1991 and out of that 14 times since 1995. Ultimately my crohns is in my colon and we decided to disconnect temporarily to allow things to heal. I have an ileostomy and it gave me my life back. We did this a year ago last week in March 0f 2000. I was also put on an experimental protocol with cyclosporine because I am positive for what they call a proton inhibitor pump. My body tolerates meds for awhile and they work and then my cells just start to pump them out. Hard to believe that a year ago I was in a wheelchair and walked with a cane for several months. It took a long time but slowly I regained some of my strength although I am constantly working on the weight and height thing.
This year has actually been the best I have had for as long as I can remember. I am in school and although I have had alot of colds and twice had to be put on IVs due to dehydration, I could do them at home. My fistula activity which was very, very bad is almost healed in the past year and I had it actively for two + years before that.
There is nothing easy about this disease but I have alot of support from my family. There are also alot of nice people to talk to out there. It really impacts us all and my Mom and Dad have been there for me and so has my sister who will be graduating from college this year.
I don't know what the future holds but I try to live each day to the fullest and forget about this disease most of the time. Although taking 16 pills a day gets real old. My hope is that soon they will have a cure and no one will ever have to suffer like all of us have had to again.
Written by Megan April 2001