Latest update February 10th, 2025 7:48 AM
Living life with an incurable disease
…. the tale of a 32-year-old man
Life for 32-year-old Rajesh Bedassir has not been ordinary ever since he was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease more than one year ago.
Crohn’s disease is a chronic inflammatory disease of the intestines. It primarily causes ulcerations (breaks in the lining) of the small and large intestines, but can affect the digestive system anywhere from the mouth to the anus. Constantly in excruciating pain, Rajesh of 58 East Meten-Meer-Zorg, West Coast Demerara does not even have the strength to walk a few yards. He also has difficulty defecating.
Rajesh Bedassir
Approximately nine years ago the man’s abdomen started to swell. He also vomited repeatedly. He was rushed to hospital where doctors could not diagnose the problem. The very next day he underwent emergency surgery, because doctors had suspected that a fishbone had ruptured his intestines.
For five years after that surgery Rajesh did not experience the problem, until 18 months ago.
From the first surgery a hole was left on the right side of his abdomen. Rajesh then found that liquid started oozing from it, and another surgery was done at the Georgetown Public Hospital, despite the fact that the doctors were unable to diagnosis what was wrong with him.
The man was experiencing most of the symptoms associated with the disease, which includes abdominal pain, diarrhoea, vomiting, weight loss, fever, night sweats, rectal pain and rectal bleeding.
Rajesh’s situation worsened over time, and he did not know what to do or which doctor to go and see, according to the man. He had exhausted himself and the little money that he had by seeing almost all of the best health professionals in the country.
It was only a few months ago that he was advised to visit a doctor in Trinidad and Tobago. There he informed the doctors about his symptoms and learnt that he had Crohn’s disease. However, he still took a test and confirmed his worst fears.
He was given treatment for the disease, since no cure has been found thus far.
However, Rajesh has stopped using the treatment given to him by the doctors, because his eyes and skin become swollen whenever he uses it.
Currently the father of two beautiful little girls, cannot work, and depends solely on relatives to maintain him and his family. Most of his days are spent in bed, as he cannot deal with the agonising pain. Before his illness Rajesh was a goldsmith by profession.
Rajesh displays the after-effects of his surgeries
“Although I want to work to maintain my family and provide for them, I cannot, because the pain is too much for me to bear. Sometimes, I can’t even sit down or stand up for long periods,” Rajesh told Kaieteur News yesterday.
The man added that, due to his sickness, he does not even have the strength to spend quality time with his children.
“Sometimes I would want to pee, and I won’t even have the energy to get up.”
Rajesh admitted that he does worry about his illness a lot, something that only makes matters worse.
He is asking the international donor community to listen to his pleas and render assistance to him in any way possible, so that he can be a normal person once again.
“I sleep with pain and I wake up with pain… I just do not know what to do anymore… This is too much for me,” Rajesh said. Research shows that Crohn’s disease is related closely to another chronic inflammatory condition called ulcerative colitis that involves only the colon.
This disease affects approximately two million people in the United States. The cause of Crohn’s disease is unknown, as some scientists suspect that infection by certain bacteria, such as strains of mycobacterium, may be the cause. To date, however, there has been no convincing evidence that the disease is caused by infection. Crohn’s disease is not contagious.
Although diet may affect the symptoms in patients with Crohn’s disease, it is unlikely that diet is responsible for the disease.
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