Random updates

So I haven't updated in a while. Here's the breakdown.

Been picking up a lot of odd jobs here and there. Babysitting, dogsitting, elderly-sitting. It's nice to have some cash for myself again and get out there. It really makes me stop and think about how I am treating my body. I have stretches of days where I'm eating wonderfully and having no problems and then randomly I'll have a day or two where I feel crappy. But all-in-all I've been doing great. Hence the fewer updates.

Had a minor scare the same day I posted last time about how great I was doing. Started having symptoms of an abscess. Yes, the same thing I had emergency surgery for last year. Swelling, mild fever, pain while walking, talking, sitting, anything involving the use of my butt muscles (you use them more than you think) Called the doctor. They weren't alarmed and didn't over-react (which makes me think I had surgery last year for nothing-another story) and prescribed me antibiotics and told me not to worry unless things got worse. Well, that night I decided to go to the Phillies game anyway and stand instead of sit, and lo-and-behold, while walking to the stadium my abscess must have burst on its own and started draining involuntarily. This made for an interesting scenario but it relieved the pain and swelling and I've had no problems since. Whew. If only the Phils had won that night.

A lot of other things are going on and I've come to a lot of conclusions about what my next step should be. I am taking a GRE prep course and hope to take the test in the fall. More on that later. Things are looking up.

I'll write more after my next Remicade infusion on the 3rd of September. I'll be seeing my doctor then and maybe have some more knowledge.

And by then I could be Aunt Ellen :)

Oh, and check out my good friend Graces' blog because it's not about Crohn's and it makes me smile.

Told you this was random.

Reflections on a year

Well Saturday was my twenty-sixth birthday. And it was fabulous.

Now on Friday I started getting really bad pains in my stomach and noticed I my output had almost completely stopped. I don't get worried about this until I start throwing up, and luckily it didn't get that far. But I was definitely experiencing some kind of blockage, which I experience every few months. And this time I pretty much knew what the culprit was.

PEANUTS! Now, peanuts and popcorn are some foods that you are told never to eat with Crohn's or diverticulitis. But my philosophy is that everyone's body is different and you should just work with trial and error philosophy. And of course I can't just eat a few peanuts or a few bites of popcorn. I gotta eat handfuls. And I am pretty sure the peanuts were the culprit. Even going into Saturday morning I was still feeling pain in my stomach that changed with how I would bend and move. Luckily by the afternoon after drinking a lot of water, I felt better.

So I went to the Phillies game with my friend Anne and some others, including my brother. I really had one of the best birthdays in a long time and was able to indulge in some tasty adult beverages. I don't know if it was the beer or having not eaten much all day but I made it through the game without any pain or problems. Woohoo!

I stole this pic from Anne:

This Friday also happens to be mine and Stevie's one year anniversary. I really can't believe it has been a year since my surgery and how much has changed. I remember how friggen sick I was that morning and I was probably down to 90 lbs. Let's just say I've probably put back on 30 pounds this past year and I'm comfortable with that. Of course I have other issues with my body that come along with losing/gaining so much weight in short amounts of time, but it beats being sick. As long as I feel strong, I am okay.

And I do feel strong, for the most part. My feelings about everything change along with the inconsistencies in my illness, unfortunately. Aside from the little blockage I experienced the other day, I've been eating and getting around fabulously. I can even eat fruits and vegetables. It's amazing. I had salad and watermelon today, salad and cantelope yesterday, and I will probably eat more salad tomorrow! It just feels good to have variety back in my life and I think it definitely has an impact on your mood when you aren't loaded with carbs and meat every day.

So that's what is going on right now. Just trying to stay positive and do things to get myself mentally back in the game.

Tomorrow there is another Phillies game on the agenda, and I couldn't be happier.

It's been a while...

Well I had my infusion yesterday in Maryland and all went well. I swear after I got my benadryl pre-meds, I closed my eyes for five minutes and it was done. Really, I don't know how it went so fast and how I slept through the entire thing. So much for being productive and reading during my infusion. I don't know why I always bring magazines and books when I know as soon as the drugs kick in I'm a sleepy mess.

Towards the end of my infusion there was a father and daughter who were each coming to get Remicade as well. It was very sad to me, as the younger girl was definitely still in her teens and seemed very ill. And I guess just sad to think that both of them make the trek to the hospital together every eight weeks to sit next to each other hooked up to an IV for 4 hours. But I guess if you have to go through something like that, might as well be with your family.

Anyway, I noticed how attentive and accommodating our infusion nurse was to the girl who was sick. She was very nauseous and in pain and they gave her meds to help with it while she was infused. And I couldn't help but get mad thinking at how sick I was and how I had to go through some of the worst pain in my life for a whole year without pain medicine. And I know how GI practices are with prescribing meds but I think my situation last year was pretty damn dire and I wonder if it would have been easier had I been with the doctor I am with now while I was going through it.

On a positive note, I am feeling better at 20 MG of prednisone. Really well actually. It is a relief similar to right after I got the first Remicade infusion again. This relief is something I haven't gotten with steroids alone. There must be something about the combination of steroids and Remicade that works. Hopefully now that I am at my two month mark of starting 6-MP, that will begin to kick in...

Not much else is going on. My birthday is Saturday and I will be celebrating at the Phillies game with my best friend and her fiance. And really, I'm quite happy to keep things low key. I hate to even make a big deal out of the day, but I've come to understand that you never know what is going to happen from year to year and you might as well celebrate things when you can.

Okay, that was a very boring update. Hopefully exciting things will be happening soon.