My name is Kristine Bishop, I’m now 53 years old, live in Missouri, married, quit my corporate career to stay at home and raise my three daughters. It all began in April of 2015. I became so ill so quickly. From nausea, feeling full, extreme pain, the inability to go the bathroom it seemed to hit out of no where. I saw so many doctors. Urogynecologists, gynecologists, GIs, Family practitioners, neurologists you name it I saw them. I was misdiagnosed with Rectal prolapse, bladder prolapse, heart burn, infections and though I did everything, took everything they each
individually requested my health continued to deteriorate. The first GI I saw did the Sitz Marker test within 6 months from the start and I retained 72 of 72 markers at day 5. Had he been more proactive and less text book my suffering would have ended long before it did.
By January of 2016 I couldn’t eat solid food and was on a liquid diet. No doctor was taking any of this seriously yet I knew something was desperately wrong. Not one doctor was concerned about my weight loss, my inability to not eat. I was told to add fiber, eat less fiber, medication was offered continuously but only to band aid instead of fix whatever was wrong with me. I was slowly giving up, close to bedridden until I was referred to Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota.
At 5’4 and 93 pounds (I had lost over 20 pounds by this time) March of 2017 I arrived at Mayo alone. I went through their battery of tests only to be told I had slow motility (add fiber) and Pelvic Floor Dysfunction. I headed home feeling like this was it. I didn’t have the strength to fight. I underwent Biofeedback therapy which was unsuccessful. Loaded with prescription laxatives I was not only close to bedridden, I was isolated in my house from all the laxatives which failed to work most of the time and when they did it was awful, not to mention the constant pain, cramping and nausea.By the Grace of God I was referred to Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis to the best Colorectal Surgeon there Dr Elisa Biernbaum. She took one look at all of my records, test results and said we are going to get you well. As well she had a few choice words for GIs prescribing overdose levels of laxatives. She redid a few tests I had already had and scheduled me for a total abdominal colectomy.
July 24th, 2017 my large intestine was removed and completely paralyzed by this time from the GIs overloading me with laxatives. This was confirmed by the pathology report. I was down to 83 pounds. Surgery was successful even with complications, a free ride 4 hours back to the hospital, blood transfusions and the normal adjusting to a new body. I now suffer from permanent vision damage, teeth deterioration, not even an indication of any form of nutrition, passed off by doctors and GIs until I finally went to St. Louis with the exact same issues I had started with 2 years prior? Now one year after surgery I can’t say everything is normal because normal will never be normal for me again. However I am better, I’m better because I became my own advocate, I’m better because I fired all those egotistical doctors who want text book cases, I’m better because of the GP community fighting to raise awareness to doctors that this condition is serious, incurable, with people dying from neglectful doctors who took an oath to save lives, not dismiss them.
I have some great doctors now who care enough to know, I am that special case, and do everything in their power to help me live day by day!
I also have been diagnosed with EDS, Gilbert’s syndrom, 2 faulty MTHFR genes, Colonic Inertia, Fibromyalga and a few other issues.
