Back on Track

Back in February, I posted that I would be adding more content to this blog soon. I am very sorry to those of you who have kept up with this blog, and I thank those of you who messaged me to check on my well-being. I really do have some great readers, followers, friends, and family!

Things lately haven't been well for me, physically: I've lost 7 pounds since last Wednesday, I'm in constant pain (and the painkillers make me feel way too loopy), depression is making me crabby, I can't eat anything besides simple carbs, and I'm just so done with this flare-up!

Here's the latest update on my particular surgery case... if you recall, the surgery was originally supposed to happen in December. Then I got SHINGLES, so it was postponed. A few other things happened in between the last few months that made the surgery get postponed again, one of them being getting a new surgeon. My GI doctor, whom I trust very much, strongly recommended a different surgeon, one who specializes in Inflammatory Bowel Disease surgeries. The previous surgeon was a general surgeon, so I was more than happy to oblige for the second opinion.

I met with the new surgeon today for a consult. She is wonderful! She answered all of the questions that my boyfriend and I asked, and explained/showed us exactly what she's going to do. There's no longer any mystery surrounding this surgery; I am fully aware of what to expect.

The plan is to remove my ileum (the portion of the bowels where the small intestine meets the large intestine), as it is actively diseased. She'll re-sect the small and large bowels back together, but I just won't have that "flap" of the ileum anymore.
She'll also be removing a portion of my Sigmoid colon (the "S" shaped portion of the large bowel, close to the rectum). This particular area has been the source of active Crohn's since I was first diagnosed. I am actually EXCITED to have that part removed!

Finally, she'll detach the fistula that has invaded my bladder, and remove any additional diseased areas. The bladder may need a stitch or two, but should heal up fine on its own after surgery (with proper care, of course).

While the current plan is to re-attach and have full-function of my bowels after the diseased portions are removed, there is a small chance that I may have to have a temporary stoma and colostomy bag. I'll make a post about these appliances soon, as it's fairly common for Crohnie's to have them. This news doesn't bother me at all, but for some people, the thought of having what is essentially a bag of poop hanging off of their body is a bit hard to consume.

The best part of the meeting with the surgeon is when she said what I have wanted to hear for so long: this surgery will most likely afford me LONG-TERM REMISSION!!
With that said, remission requires care and maintenance on my part and my GI doctor's part, but I may just have a period of life ahead of me that is pain-free, bloat-free, bloody stool-free!! It's no secret that Crohn's Disease can and will come back in most patients, sometimes in a different area of the digestive system. But with proper maintenance medication and personal care, I hope to fend off any return of CD!

We're looking at either May 6th or May 14th for dates of surgery; that will be determined by the coordination ability of the scheduler at the hospital. Since a urologist will need to assist with the bladder portion of the surgery, this will be a highly choreographed event. The whole thing should take 3 to 4 hours. Planned hospital stay of 3 to 5 days, if everything goes well. I'll be facing about two months of full recovery time after surgery, but I'm hopeful that it will go quickly.

Not a whole lot of "funny" to write about right now, given my current physical and mental status. But I promise you, my funny bone is still fully intact and will be droppin' fat jokes again soon! In the meantime, check out some of my previous blog posts to learn and laugh!

Life Happens but I'm Back!

When I created this blog, I had plans to update it often - daily, even. But, truth be told, life happens. And unfortunately, this little gem had to take a backseat for awhile. So, after nearly a month-long hiatus, I am back! Over the past few weeks, I have dealt with a lot of personal and family issues that created a lot of stress. But, everything is settling down now, and once again, I'm able to focus more of my attention to helping others through their Crohn's or Colitis journey!

What? Why would I want to do that? As crazy as it may sound to some, helping and educating other IBD'ers and their friends/family gives me a sense of accomplishment, peace, and good ol' satisfaction. I guess what I'm saying is, I'm not doing this for you - I'm being a selfish brat and it's all for me!! (Just kidding. This is 100% for YOU.)

A quick run-down of my health status: 

1. The shingles I had are long gone, finally.
2. I've been trying to taper off of Prednisone (this link will take you to my previous blog post about steroid meds), but ran into some issues with it. My body had withdrawal symptoms, and my Crohn's flared back up with a vengeance. So, I'm still on the medication, but am working toward weaning off again.
3. The Prednisone also gave me the delightful side-effect of severe muscle spasms in my back, legs, and feet. I've been miserable with these aches and pains, but it's getting better!
4. My GI doctor has recommended a second surgical opinion for my fistula surgery, for reasons that I'll expand on after I meet with the new surgeon.
5. Because my surgery has been postponed again, I am back on Cimzia - a biologic injection medication - for treating my Crohn's. The injections seems to be helping to at least keep the fistulas from growing and worsening while I await surgery.

I'll keep this post short, as it's more about my status than helping others, but I would like to say that I'm really glad to be back. And I'm looking forward to the next step of the journey. In the meantime, I have some more highly-informative posts planned for this blog, thanks to questions asked by readers and friends. 

If you're new to my blog or new to Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), a great starting point would be HERE. You can also learn more about the various symptoms of Crohn's and Colitis HERE. Feel free to read through my posts to educate yourself or others about the Crohn's and Colitis struggle.

As always, please SHARE my blog with anyone you feel may benefit from it! And don't hesitate to comment, ask questions, or share your complete disgust of the disease with all of us! Stay tuned, there's lots of goodies in store! 

 

When it Rains, it Pours

Just want to post a quick update for my readers. But before I do, I want to scream THANK YOU at the top of my lungs to everyone for sharing my blog and getting it read around the world! My viewership has extended all across the globe, and it's all thanks to the great, supportive audience I have!

Please, feel free to share my blog ANYWHERE - Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, anywhere you hang out online. I want to help as many people as I can! The blog can be translated in to any language, so let's send it around the world again!

Now on to my update...

When things keep going wrong, they say "when it rains, it pours." Things have seemingly gotten worse for me over the past several days, but it's not all related to Crohn's Disease. The outbreak of shingles seems to be slowly getting better, but I have some days where the pain extends all across my neck, shoulders, and scalp.

My doctor has prescribed oxycodone for the shingles pain, and while this stuff definitely helps mask the pain, it makes me as loopy as a rollercoaster! It feels like being drunk, but not in a good way (if there even IS a good way). So, I've resorted to only taking it at nighttime to help me sleep. That doesn't work so well either, it seems, as it has disrupted my already-faulty sleep pattern. I wake up nearly every hour of the night, feeling pain-free, yet cuckoo as a clock. Needless to say, my mornings are miserable.

In addition to my Crohn's flaring up and the shingles outbreak, I now seem to have acquired a sinus infection. I get these quite often throughout the year, mostly when the weather changes. Pretty sure I single-handedly keep the facial tissue and nasal spray industries in business.

All of that nose blowing has me looking like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, which, I must say, is perfect timing for the season! I'll be guiding no fat men in sleighs, though. The nasal spray helps with breathing, but makes my throat raw and scratchy, and suddenly I can do mean Gilbert Gottfried impression!

I can't seem to catch much of a break lately with all these various illnesses popping in and out of my life. But, I'm staying positive thanks to my wonderfully supportive friends and family, and even strangers on Internet support groups. Thank you again, readers! And, I promise to post another Crohn's related update very soon! Stay tuned!