Good thing: homemade salsa from Z.
Horrible thing: SPICY HOT homemade salsa from Z.
"Disappointed" doesn't even scratch the surface.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
'Roid Rage
Even though I'm tapering down now, and never did take more than 20 mg/day of prednisone, my face is square again and I have lost my chin.
Prednisone is truly a nightmare.
Prednisone is truly a nightmare.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Subversive Thought of the Day
I find absolutely nothing funny about Garry Shandling, Jerry Seinfeld, or Larry David. I think they're all abominably rude.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Five for Friday
It's been a long time, but I have much to be thankful for.
Things that make me happy:
Things that make me happy:
- Bourbon.
- Cold, wet cat noses.
- Crunchy toffee.
- Cooler weather.
- Getting out the Fall decorations.
On Illness
I have been living with Crohn's Disease since 1995. Most of the time it is just an annoyance. This summer, however, I have been under siege. I've been sicker than I have been in the last 10 years, and I'm just now starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Chronic illness is an interesting thing. It's easy to be obsessed with it, and spend all of your time and energy meditating on the ways that your body is betraying you. Or, you can stick your head in the sand and just deal with the day-to-day annoyances (which is my specialty).
One of the ways that I have stuck my head in the sand for all this time is to think that I don't REALLY have Crohn's. Perhaps I just have IBS. Or, perhaps I just eat the wrong things. Or, I'm just lazy and fat and that's why I'm always exhausted and in pain. Plus, I don't fit the profile of the normal Crohn's patient: in other words, rail-thin. I can have a terrible, 3-month flare like I am now and barely lose any weight at all. And, that's even with not eating much.
It is finally beginning to sink into my thick skull that I am Not Well.
I had an appointment with a Colo-Rectal surgeon yesterday. It went well, all things considered, and I am going to have at least one Seton drain installed on 11/2. I say "at least one" because it turns out that I have two fistulas right next to each other. I thought that it was just one big one. Double the fun! And, I am most likely going to give Remicade another shot to see if we can keep the fistulas from coming back in other places. Being hooked up to an IV for 3 hours every 8 weeks isn't something that I can ignore, nor can I ignore the unfortunate placement of two drains.
These last months have been a nightmare. I started feeling lousy in July, and chalked it up to the heat and stress. August and September were almost completely lost to me. All I did was go to work (and poorly, might I add) and sleep. I simply couldn't function. No laundry, no cooking, no cleaning, no reading, nothing. H has been an angel and has taken excellent care of me even when I was incredibly difficult. He has been more stymied by this than I have, because while he has the same disease, it manifests itself completely differently in both of us. He has watched over me and loved me and held us together when I couldn't.
I need to count my blessings every day that we have great insurance. I also need to be grateful that we have access to some of the best medical care in the country and these intelligent, devoted people are working hard to help me function. H and I joke often that if we had been born early in the 20th century we would probably both be dead by now. Sad, but true.
So, if you are ever in need, go to Vanderbilt and get the team of Dr. Christopher Lind, Dr. Roberta Muldoon, and Dr. Nanette Dendy on your side. They will listen to you and respect you and do everything that they can to fix you. And, they will fix me. God willing.
And, as one last thought on this, Every American deserves the same level of care that we receive. H and I are incredibly lucky in that he works for the State and the insurance is some of the best in the country. But, we would be in extraordinarily bad shape, or homeless, if we didn't have the insurance. My heart breaks for anyone that has to even think about how they will pay for medical care. End of political rant.
Chronic illness is an interesting thing. It's easy to be obsessed with it, and spend all of your time and energy meditating on the ways that your body is betraying you. Or, you can stick your head in the sand and just deal with the day-to-day annoyances (which is my specialty).
One of the ways that I have stuck my head in the sand for all this time is to think that I don't REALLY have Crohn's. Perhaps I just have IBS. Or, perhaps I just eat the wrong things. Or, I'm just lazy and fat and that's why I'm always exhausted and in pain. Plus, I don't fit the profile of the normal Crohn's patient: in other words, rail-thin. I can have a terrible, 3-month flare like I am now and barely lose any weight at all. And, that's even with not eating much.
It is finally beginning to sink into my thick skull that I am Not Well.
I had an appointment with a Colo-Rectal surgeon yesterday. It went well, all things considered, and I am going to have at least one Seton drain installed on 11/2. I say "at least one" because it turns out that I have two fistulas right next to each other. I thought that it was just one big one. Double the fun! And, I am most likely going to give Remicade another shot to see if we can keep the fistulas from coming back in other places. Being hooked up to an IV for 3 hours every 8 weeks isn't something that I can ignore, nor can I ignore the unfortunate placement of two drains.
These last months have been a nightmare. I started feeling lousy in July, and chalked it up to the heat and stress. August and September were almost completely lost to me. All I did was go to work (and poorly, might I add) and sleep. I simply couldn't function. No laundry, no cooking, no cleaning, no reading, nothing. H has been an angel and has taken excellent care of me even when I was incredibly difficult. He has been more stymied by this than I have, because while he has the same disease, it manifests itself completely differently in both of us. He has watched over me and loved me and held us together when I couldn't.
I need to count my blessings every day that we have great insurance. I also need to be grateful that we have access to some of the best medical care in the country and these intelligent, devoted people are working hard to help me function. H and I joke often that if we had been born early in the 20th century we would probably both be dead by now. Sad, but true.
So, if you are ever in need, go to Vanderbilt and get the team of Dr. Christopher Lind, Dr. Roberta Muldoon, and Dr. Nanette Dendy on your side. They will listen to you and respect you and do everything that they can to fix you. And, they will fix me. God willing.
And, as one last thought on this, Every American deserves the same level of care that we receive. H and I are incredibly lucky in that he works for the State and the insurance is some of the best in the country. But, we would be in extraordinarily bad shape, or homeless, if we didn't have the insurance. My heart breaks for anyone that has to even think about how they will pay for medical care. End of political rant.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
