2021 in Review
I am currently writing this blog a few days before it is going to be posted. As 2021 quickly comes to an end, I have been doing some reflecting on 2021 and am beginning to set intentions for 2022! As I reflect back on this year, I figured it my be neat to post one of my favorite end of the year traditions. Every year I think back on the year and write a review of things that happened both medically and just in life. So here is this year:
January: January was a pretty relaxed month full of school, track meets, and hiking trips with my roommate. I also was officially diagnosed with PCOS after 9 years of searching for answers.
February: February started out strong with an ER trip. This one was weird, I got super dehydrated and needed fluids. However, when the nurse took my IV out, I guess she did not put enough pressure on the site, because blood came pouring out. It went all down my arm and dripped to the floor. She ended up re-dressing it, but you would have thought I was in a murder movie when I got home, because nobody wiped the blood off my arm that had dripped. Other than that, February was pretty relaxed.
March: Filled with lot of hikes with my roommates. In late March I got my first dose of the Moderna vaccine and ended up in the ER due to side effects on top of a really bad Crohns flare.
April: This month I got my second dose of the Moderna vaccine. I lead a church retreat and had a group of high schoolers this month. I have always come home for this retreat to help out as a college leader, but this year was extra special. For the first time, I got to lead high schoolers. They were all very open about their lives and asking questions. However, some had chronic illnesses and I really got to see the impact a community can have and as an older mentor, the impact I can have and the things I have lived through and shared. I also moved home this month as my semester came to an end.
May: Spent a lot of time with family. I went to the beach with my friend's bridal party and got stung by a stingray :/. Crohns wise, this month was pretty good! I also moved in with a friend in Knoxville so I could work a summer job up there.
June: One of my best friends got married! I got my first real job in medicine, working at a Urology clinic in Knoxville. I turned 21!!!! I completed the first 5k I have been able to run since my Crohns symptoms started flaring. I felt like I was completely in control of my body again. I finally had my life back.
July: I travelled to see my family in South Carolina for the fourth of July and got a stomach bug. A few days later I had a very very very late night/early morning in the ER just to get some steroids and IV zofran plus fluids. I was also diagnosed with Psoriasis in July and finally got some treatment and explanation of my random rashes. Exercise wise, I got a bit set back, but focused on listening to my body and learned that just going for a walk is okay.
August: A month of celebration! My last semester of undergrad started! I moved into my first house with some of my closest friends! We celebrated one of my best friends being 2 years cancer free! I got into nursing school! Overall, an amazing month. I did see my GI in August due to not being able to get my CD under control after the stomach bug and we scheduled a colonoscopy for mid September. Due to Crohns, work, and school I began to find it hard to work out so I kind of just stopped other than yoga at least three days a week.
September: Well, September started out strong with a trip to the ER. I got into a flare and had to go in for fluids and steroids :( A few weeks later I had a colonoscopy with my GI in Atlanta showing no ulcers, no erosion, but high inflammation. In September I worked full time night shifts in the ER and quickly learned that I would not survive the semester if I continued that way, so I asked to become part time for the rest of the semester. One really cool thing that happened in September was that Schar sent me a box of gluten free goodies to try, which was very sweet and I really enjoyed all of it!
October: October was a super busy month for me. My on campus job on the activities board took up a lot of free time due to homecoming and ur annual Halloween Haunted House. On top of that, I was still working night shifts in the ER and going to class. I picked up a new hobby of going to wineries with friends (but always make sure to drink lots of water starting a few days prior to these visits.) I also had a lot of traveling. I went to Knoxville to visit my boyfriend during my fall break, went back to South Carolina to work, and then travelled to south Georgia for my cousin's birthday. This month was also super exciting because I got my COVID booster. Plus, the Braves won the World Series! While this month was kind of stressful due to how much I was doing, I felt like my old self for the first time in a long time. I felt like even though I was tired, I was able to do a lot more than I have been since I got sick.
November: I began the moving process to my new apartment in Knoxville. I travelled to Knox on weekends that I was off work or did not have a hard week of school ahead to get somethings settled. One weekend I was in a car wreck and ended up in the ER the following weekend due to GI issues. Up until that visit, I was doing pretty well GI wise and was soaking up as much time with my friends as possible, going to class, and working at the ER. I think after having a super busy month in October, my body needed a reset.
December: I started this month on a good note GI wise. I got fully moved into my apartment in Knoxville and. finished my undergraduate degree. Then I got the COVID-19 variant of Omicron a few days before Christmas which really set me back physically and mentally. Now that I am negative and only have a residual cough left, I am doing a lot better.
This year was a year full of celebrations and growth. I personally learned a lot about myself as well as my illnesses. I am still learning, but I cannot wait to see what 2022 holds.
If you decide to do this exercise, I would love to see your responses! Comment on this post, message me on instagram, post to your story and tag me, etc.
Happy New Years everyone!
Yours truly,
Kaitlyn
@trusting.my.gut