Mom feels no shame in sharing colitis story
When Amy Kelly started volunteering with Crohn’s and Colitis Canada, she had no idea she would one day suffer from that very disease.
At the time, it was her way of supporting her friend, Joel Frey. She could see how much he suffered.
“He was my inspiration to start volunteering, and a lot of our friends joined as volunteers,” she said.
Then, in early 2013, when she was pregnant with her second son, Kieran, she saw blood in her stool. It was traumatizing.
“I thought I was dying or something. It was a lot of blood, so it was scary. Especially being pregnant, being dehydrated and wondering if I’m going to keep anything in — I mean, I need nutrients, I have to stay healthy, not just for myself.”
Kelly also suffered sharp pains, gas and diarrhea. At first, doctors thought it was hemorrhoids from her first pregnancy.
Over time her symptoms worsened, however, and five months into her pregnancy a colonoscopy showed ulcerative colitis — inflammation of the colon that just wouldn’t heal.
“I was pretty upset. Nobody wants to hear they have a lifelong chronic disease,” she said.
She turned to her friends for advice, asking for the names of good doctors and what she could eat; whether she would ever go into remission, go on vacation or hold down a job again.
“I was reassured that remission exists and there was a lot of positivity and a lot of people telling me it’s going to be OK,” Kelly said.
At the time she was still teaching drama at St. Joseph High School, but she couldn’t venture too far from a bathroom.
About two months later things got so bad she ended up hospital, where she was hooked up to an IV and monitors and put on Prednisone, a type of steroid with many uses, including treating inflammation. Within the day, she was feeling better.
Fortunately, her pregnancy was so far along that her child wasn’t in danger.
Later, Kelly went on another drug, Pentasa, and is now in full remission. The cause of her disease remains unknown.
She’d like to go off drugs eventually, but because she’s still nursing, she’s under orders to stay on her regimen. In the long run, she hopes for a cure.
“Nobody can understand what it’s like to have this disease until you are in the thick of it,” she said.
Kelly tells people to stay on top of their disease and advocate for themselves, and not be too embarrassed to get the help they need — with prolonged inflammation comes a risk of cancer, she said.
Kelly also stresses support is available. Saskatoon has one of the best Crohns and Colitis chapters in Canada, she said.
“Keep your chin up. It will get better, as long as you stay on top of it.”
The 20th Annual Saskatoon Gutsy Walk to raise funds for Crohn’s and Colitis Canada is scheduled for June 7.