Scarred Beautifully, LLC. - The Beginning

The story of how Scarred Beautifully began is a story I truly hope one will find themselves wanting to share with others who have faced adversity caused by Chronic Illness.

   The best way to begin is to start with who I was and I say was because, throughout the course of seventeen-years I have found that I have changed many times. I was born to my parents and as Amanda Nichole Bell, but am now known as "Manda York". I was newly married with a brand new baby boy that was born in August 2003 when I diagnosed with a gastrointestinal disease called Crohn's Disease. It was not too commonly known back in October 2003, and many of the treatments to relieve the symptoms were relatively new. This is where my battle with chronic illness began to drastically alter my life in a way I never dreamed possible.

(https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/crohns-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20353304)

    For months prior to and after my diagnosis I coped with the symptoms of the disease, and suffered from painful blockages in my small intestine. The blockages required constant hospitalization requiring an NG tube (https://www.verywellhealth.com/nasogastric-ng-tube-1943087), and intravenous medication since, eating was not an option. Over several months the blockages began to not respond to medications the doctors were using to open the bowel. Therefore, another approach was tried by doctors so surgery could be avoided at all cost. 

    I was only twenty-four years old, and the medical staff believed I was far too young to begin operating on. Therefore, I was placed with a PICC line (https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/picc-line/about/pac-20468748) so that I could live on a feeding bag otherwise known as TPN (https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/total-parenteral-nutrition/about/pac-20385081), and placed on a diet of nothing but liquids. This was done so that the intestine did not have to process any food, and is referred to as "bowel rest". I remember carrying a backpack that contained my nutrition for just shy of three months while, eating a diet of soups and popsicles. People in the grocery store stared at me oddly because, my cart was filled with nothing except liquid products. 

    Being on a liquid diet and my nutrition begin supplied intravenously through the PICC line I began to gain weight negatively affecting how I felt about my physical appearance. This was due, to the massive amounts of medications I was placed on with Prednisone (steroids') be the highest dosed medication. Depression became a part of my everyday existence as I was exhausted from the physical, mental, and emotional pain. I can recall feeling defeated, alone, and scared and to help I was placed on mood stabilizers and anti-depressants. All I could think was, "great more medicine". :(

    Although, on complete bowel rest the new medical regimen stopped working and I began to suffer blockages again. The disease was creating excessive inflammation in the intestinal tract causing damage that was unable to be stopped. The regimen that had worked for the past two-months was no longer helping and I was re-hospitalized with the topic of surgery being avoided. I was devastated.