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History
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My name is Florian, born in Saint Cléophas, Quebec, a small village in Gaspésie Quebec Canada. In 2000, I moved to Granby in the Eastern Townships, approximately 80 kilometers from Montreal, in order to be closer to the big cities. I chose the Townships for its beauty and the many sports that are available, such as golf, bicycling, nature paths, etc. This area has indeed the most beautiful cycle trails of the province and also some of its most beautiful mountains. I chose Granby for its renown as having the best restaurants and also to live life to its fullest. Destiny, however, decided differently. One morning, I got up with diarrhoea, stomach cramps, and blood in my stools. Thinking I had caught a virus, I went to the hospital. That is where the unending questions started, followed by a battery of tests: blood tests, samples of my stools, scans, a coloscopy, and more, including a three day stay in the hospital. Ulcerative Colitis or Crohn's Disease?After the coloscopy, the doctors believe I have an acute case of ulcerative Colitis, therefore, risk of Cancer. Treatments diminish the evolution of the disease for the short term, but the secondary effects are enormous. During ten months they try to treat me using standard procedures but without any significant result. I must therefore face an extreme solution: the ablation of my large intestine and of course, the need to wear an ostomy pouch for the remainder of my days! It is without joy that I resign myself to this serious operation. They remove my colon and appendix and send them to the labs for tests. Surprise! My illness is not ulcerative colitus, but Crohn's Disease. Many thoughts run through my head and I even doubt the competency of my physicians. It is now too late….. without any possibility of reversing the procedure, I must now face the fact of living the rest of my days with a pouch stuck to my stomach, a permanent ileostomy. Is it a medical error? Could they possibly have kept the uninfected part of my colon? These are questions that remain unanswered. The doctors explained, however, that it was extremely difficult to distinguish between these two diseases. In my case, the symptoms were completely misleading. In any event, without an ostomy, Crohn's disease would result in my certain death; of that outcome, there was no question. I therefore calmed myself and became resigned to my fate. Adapt to life after an ostomyOstomate at 51 years old, yes. Wearing an ostomy pouch is not the end of the world; far from it. I still have a great quality of life. If I do not tell people of my condition, there are very few chances that they will realize it on their own.
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