29 Dec 2011
By: Lea Wee
A 15cm surgical scar runs vertically down Mr Wayne Lim’s abdomen.
It is a daily reminder of how differently things might have turned out for the 27-year-old, who was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease nearly five years ago, had he been more conscientious about taking his medicine.
In 2007, a scope had revealed ugly red ulcers on the wall of his ileum, the end bit of the small intestine which joins with the colon.
He had gone to the doctor after having had bloody diarrhoea at least once a day for a couple of months.
The doctor prescribed medicine to reduce the inflammation in his intestines. But he stopped taking it the moment he felt better.
Mr Lim recalled: “Even though I still had diarrhoea intermittently, I felt well.”
By April last year, however, the inflammation had tunnelled a tract through his bowel to the outside of his body, near his anus. Pus collected in the tract and a painful abscess formed. The abscess had to be surgically removed.
That September, his condition took a turn for the worse. The diarrhoea became a daily occurrence and he could barely control his bowel movements.
“I had to make sure that wherever I went, I knew where the toilet was,” he said.
He tried all kinds of traditional Chinese remedies, to no avail.
By November, his abdomen was distended and his weight had dropped from 60kg to 46kg.
The pain became so acute and constant that he had to quit his job as an administrator in an educational institution to seek treatment.
Over the next few months, he tried different drugs. He went on a liquid diet, which helped him regain some weight. But the inflammation raged on.
Finally, in May this year, he underwent surgery at the Singapore General Hospital to remove the damaged and infected part of his small intestine.
His system began to stabilise and the symptoms subsided.
In July, he found a job as an executive in the medical industry.
He regrets not taking better care of himself earlier but has since learnt his lesson. He now takes his medicine regularly and is likely to be on long-term medication.
However, he is no longer in pain and diarrhea has stopped.
Mr Lim, who is single and is the elder of two children, said: “I believe that being optimistic helps me cope with my condition better. I will deal with my illness to the best of my ability.”
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