Robert R. Pilkington was diagnosed with Crohn's disease on May 26, 1990. He was 29 years old. His first recorded day of sickness was August 8, 1988. Between these dates, Robert had three major surgical procedures performed and nearly lost his life because of an incorrect diagnosis and an improperly performed surgical procedure. Robert suffered debilitating and life-long damage to his body because of one surgical mistake. Because of the misdiagnosis, RobertÂ’s colon eventually ruptured and the damage was so severe that 2/3 of the colon was removed.
Robert also suffers many other health-related problems that are a direct result of Crohn's disease. At the writing of this Handbook, Robert has been a Crohnie for over 12 years.
Since he copes with many of the same symptoms, sicknesses, problems, public embarrassments and fears that most of you do, he understands what you have to live with, everyday, with no real end in sight. He also requires the same support, guidance and understanding that each of you does. Through this Handbook he hopes to provide some of that support, guidance and understanding about day to day life and what to do if you do have a relapse.
As a result of his constant and on-going daily battle with Crohn's disease, Robert has experienced almost all of the local and systemic side effects of the disease. He has also taken most of the medications available to Crohn's patients and has experienced most of the side effects of each.
Because of his CrohnÂ’s disease, Robert's weight dropped from 298 pounds on April 10, 1990 to 164 pounds on Christmas Day of that same year. In less than 7 months he went from playing semi-professional football with the Maricopa County Sheriff's Department to being almost bed ridden. His low point came when he had become so weak that he was unable to mow his lawn and had to ask his father to do it for him.
Robert has been fortunate because through diet and exercise, he found a way to control his Crohn's and again weighs over 200 pounds. Robert exercises and lifts weights regularly and has developed a diet and supplement routine that contains high protein, complex carbohydrates, balanced fiber, essential fatty acids, supplements and amino acids; a diet that he follows every day with very little changes in his day to day routine. He developed his diet through years of trial and error and finding out what his body would and would not tolerate.
Robert was able to maintain his disease from December 1991 until October 2001 at which time he knew he was having a relapse. He was able to get to his doctor before his symptoms got too severe but even with that, he was sick for three months. As he has learned, the biggest challenge facing a Crohnie is knowing the difference between just being sick and actually having a relapse of the disease. By the way a Crohnie feels most days he knows that sometimes it's hard to tell the difference.
Robert holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix and has earned a Certification in Procurement from UCLA. He is a member of the National Contract Management Association and has won several awards in Training, Negotiation, Management and Legal Writing & Editing.
Robert has trained the Procurement and Sales staff of several major corporations in the Phoenix area, has been a certified auditor for two Fortune 500 companies and was a certified ISO auditor for a division of one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world.
Robert is the former Managing Director for The Automotive-Sales Training Group in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Automotive-Sales Training Group training modules that Robert personally developed specialize in training automobile Sales Professionals by promoting ethical behavior, honesty, hands on experience and classroom instruction. He currently owns Justice for Judgme
