In Pain, is In my Art.

This piece is called "Sick". This is an expression of the most painful time in my life, second to my Divorce and my parents breaking up. Back in 2002, a day after thanksgiving, I got really sick. Around the clock burning stomach pains, vomiting, diarrhea, and a fever. The doctor told me it may be the 24 hour virus that was going around. She gave me an anti-biotic and said I should be fine in 4-5 days. But I never got better.

Two weeks later, no signs of this going away. I missed my anniversary December 8Th, while being bed sick. Christmas came, I was still sick. My grandma prayed over me. It was hard on my family. I continued to fight the sickness. I lost 15-20 pounds in one mouth of hell with this Inflammatory Bowel Disease. I went to work some days a week, when the pain wasn't as bad or manageable. I spent my work days in the bathroom. I noticed that when I ate, that's when the symptoms got worse. So I only ate soft foods: soup, bread, etc. People told me I wasn't in any condition to work. But the fighter in me didn't want to quit living.

I went to the emergency room for a IV, my body was dehydrated. I seen a Gastroenterologist that scheduled me for a MRI or CT scan. He said he seen something in my lower intestines that looked like Colitis. I was praying it wasn't Crohn's disease. He scheduled a full Colonoscopy.

Around New years, I prayed as hard as I have ever prayed before, for God to get me thou whatever this was. After my colonospocy results were in, I went to see the Gastroenterologist again. He looked puzzled and concerned when he can to talk to me. He told me that the colitis they seen in the MRI, was Gone.

He said it must be Diverticulitis. I look at him like, yeah right! I got back my life back after recovering.

This trial in my life taught me a few things: Life is so unpredictable; Family is important; God is so real and God answers prayers; And In Pain, is In my Art.

CP