For years, I have been fighting Crohn’s disease. It’s getting harder and harder. It’s taking a toll on my body and my mind. I have tried every possible treatment, every medication, but nothing was easy. Every new treatment brought fear—fear of side effects, fear of what it would do to my body. Some treatments left me weak, in pain, unable to move or eat. I lost my hair. I felt like I was falling apart. But I never gave up.
Every time the doctors gave me something new, I was terrified. What if it didn’t work? What if the side effects were too much? But the pain was unbearable. My body was breaking down. People told me to try natural treatments, to relax, to reduce stress. I understand they wanted to help, but how can I live without stress? I don’t have money for an easy life, for vacations, for relaxation. I tried natural treatments. They didn’t work. Cannabis helped me eat, but after a few hours, the pain, diarrhea, and vomiting came back. I need something that will truly help, something that can give me a normal life.
After trying many medications, I finally found something that helped—Stelara, a biological drug. I inject it every six weeks, and it put me into remission. But there are still side effects. Not as bad as Entyvio, which gave me seizures every week, but my body still hurts, and I am always tired. On top of Crohn’s, I also have epilepsy. The medications for both conditions fight against my body, and I don’t know what they will do to me over time. Will I live a full life? Will these drugs send me to the hospital one day? I don’t know. I try not to complain, but I often have to lie about why I don’t go out, why I skip camping trips, why I miss parties. The truth is, my body is just too tired.
Living with two untreatable diseases is not easy. My seizures have gotten less severe, but I still feel them. And I think biological medicine is making them worse. But what choice do I have? Treat only Crohn’s? Treat only epilepsy? I have to treat both. I am strong. I fight every day. But some days, I just can’t get up. I just want to sleep. My husband is my biggest support, but I know it’s not easy for him either. He worries when I don’t pick up the phone. He has caught me so many times before I hit the ground. I can’t even count how often he found me on the floor.
One day, I found a website about stem cell therapy for Crohn’s disease: https://www.bioxcellerator.com/treatments/crohns-disease. It sounded promising. But then I saw the price. Too much. And it’s not even proven to work. They are still testing it. I don’t know anyone who has tried it. Maybe in the future, when more research is done and I can afford it, I will try. But for now, I keep looking. I will never stop searching for a better way to live.
So, what exactly is stem cell therapy?
Stem cell therapy is a treatment that uses special cells to repair damaged tissues. These cells can turn into different types of cells and help the body heal. For Crohn’s disease, stem cells may help reduce inflammation and repair the intestines. Some studies show that stem cell therapy helped about 90% of patients who didn’t respond to other treatments. But it’s still experimental.
There are different types of stem cell therapy. One method uses mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), taken from bone marrow or fat. These cells reduce inflammation and help repair tissue. But stem cell therapy is not yet a standard treatment. It is mostly available in clinical trials.
Is it safe? Early studies say it might be. Some trials show stem cells helped close fistulas in Crohn’s patients. But, like all treatments, there are risks. More research is needed to know if it’s truly safe long-term.
Where can you try it? Some countries offer stem cell therapy for Crohn’s:
United States – Available in clinical trials and some specialized centers.
United Kingdom – Some hospitals and private clinics offer it.
Germany – Known for advanced medical research, some clinics provide this treatment.
Spain & Italy – European countries with research and treatment centers for stem cells.
Mexico & India – Some private clinics offer it, but quality varies.
Is Crohn’s an autoimmune disease? It has autoimmune features, but it is also linked to how the immune system overreacts to bacteria in the gut. Scientists are still studying the exact cause.
So, maybe one day I will try stem cell therapy. Maybe with time, more research will be done, and I will have the chance to afford it. Until then, I keep fighting.
“Every day may not be good, but there's something good in every day. Focus on the good, no matter how small.” - Alice Morse Earle
