Doc Appt

Well, I went to see my GI doc today for the second follow-up after the hospital/obstruction. It went well. He was pleased with my progress.

His next step is to take me from 9mg of Entocort (a steroid that releases in the small intestines where it's needed, instead of getting into the bloodstream needlessly) to 6mg in a month.

YIKES!

This freaks me out.

I told him that it makes me nervous, and he said that I've been on steroids for a year and a half and I need to get off them.

I asked him if people have flares when they go off steroids, and he said "sometimes," but it is NOT GOOD for me to be on them, not for a young lady such as myself. They are not good for the body.

I said I was still really nervous (testing his patience by now, I know, but I had to be honest and I had to hear more about what he was planning and thinking), and he said that if it is between a lifetime of steroids and surgery, surgery is the MUCH better option.

So, it sounds to me like I am going to go off the steroids and if I have another obstruction, I'll have the surgery. If I handle the transition off Entocort well, then I'm successfully off steroids and haven't had to have surgery, only taking a maintenance drug. My husband is encouraged by this doc appointment, as he said it's a great thing that my doctor is looking after my longterm health, not just quick, temporary fixes. He's right.

Reasons why I might have another obstruction when they lower my dose of steroids and take me off:

--I had an obstruction the last time they starting weaning me off Entocort(August 2005).
--My body is SUPER sensitive to fluctuations in medicine and takes things hard.
--My body will take this even harder b/c it's become dependent on steroids to be well and because steroids are the only thing keeping me on this side of surgery.

Reasons why I might be just fine transitioning off of steroids:

--I am not recovering from PLANNING A MAJOR EVENT when I'll be going down to 6mg (in a month). Stress is a major trigger of Crohn's symptoms for me, and I believe that it played a HUGE role in my two obstructions.
--I went off the Prednisone just fine, no problemo, and apparently, that's not necessarily a given.
--I know how to take care of myself so much better than I did even a month ago. I could prepare for this transition emotionally (perhaps I could talk myself into looking forward to this and thus, anticipate it in a good way, stimulating dopamine and all those good things), physically (perhaps having liquid diet for a day or so to ease things, etc.), and spiritually (receive prayer at church, pray about it, etc.).

So, I'm going to focus on the second list.

Oh, and my doc hadn't heard about that new drug, and sounded extremely skeptical, so I'm going to mail him some information.

PS. The problem I mentioned yesterday has now, at long last and with much gnashing of teeth, resolved itself, with some help from drugs. Praise the Lord!