I just heard from my nurse after some harrowing phone tag. She left a voicemail message saying that she had the results of my bloodwork and I could call her at ... Well, I thought they would call only if something was wrong, so I called right back, and she wasn't there. So, I promptly began to freak out and called my husband, who did an admirable job of trying to calm me down. I mean, there are many bad things that can happen with this drug: high susceptibility to infection, liver damage, and last but certainly not least, many types of cancer.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/medmaster/a682167.html
However, not to continue to leave you in suspense: my blood is fine. No problems. I can stay on the Imuran (even if my hair is falling out faster than usual).
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Blood
Oh, don't worry, I'm just trying to be sensationalistic (is that a word?). ;)
I got my blood drawn, finally, to check on the Imuran/aziathropene and how it is affecting my body. I should be getting it drawn every 3 months. There is a chance, I believe, for adverse side effects on my liver or kidneys or something. I don't remember. I lose track. But I'm not that worried, honestly. I can't begin worrying about the only drug that (a) my Crohn's responds to and (b) my doctor will let me be on. The stress would ruin everything. I have an appointment with him, with my GI, next Friday, so I'll probably find out then how my blood looks, unless it's really bad and they have to call me right away.
I'm feeling good, still, praise the Lord! I am gaining a little weight, which is awesome. I have occasional evenings of minor intestinal discomfort but I can usually create an explanation. It's amazing how much time heals my mind. I'm no longer freaking out about every little gas or cramp I feel. I'm keeping cool, keeping calm and doing smart things: drinking lots of water, walking, talking about things that bother me instead of holding them in ,eating in an atmosphere of calm, etc. And I'm even able to eat things that bothered me just a month or two ago: fried foods, fatty foods, broccoli. Most aren't things I should eat anyway, but at least I don't have to be so hyper-vigilant to avoid them.
Thanks for checking in and for loving me. I hope you are all well, too.
I got my blood drawn, finally, to check on the Imuran/aziathropene and how it is affecting my body. I should be getting it drawn every 3 months. There is a chance, I believe, for adverse side effects on my liver or kidneys or something. I don't remember. I lose track. But I'm not that worried, honestly. I can't begin worrying about the only drug that (a) my Crohn's responds to and (b) my doctor will let me be on. The stress would ruin everything. I have an appointment with him, with my GI, next Friday, so I'll probably find out then how my blood looks, unless it's really bad and they have to call me right away.
I'm feeling good, still, praise the Lord! I am gaining a little weight, which is awesome. I have occasional evenings of minor intestinal discomfort but I can usually create an explanation. It's amazing how much time heals my mind. I'm no longer freaking out about every little gas or cramp I feel. I'm keeping cool, keeping calm and doing smart things: drinking lots of water, walking, talking about things that bother me instead of holding them in ,eating in an atmosphere of calm, etc. And I'm even able to eat things that bothered me just a month or two ago: fried foods, fatty foods, broccoli. Most aren't things I should eat anyway, but at least I don't have to be so hyper-vigilant to avoid them.
Thanks for checking in and for loving me. I hope you are all well, too.
Monday, September 18, 2006
Goals, cont.
So, I started the Metamucil a day later than I planned because I wasn't feeling 100% on Friday and I didn't want to complicate things.
But I have now taken it two days in a row, and things are... okay. I am pretty bloated, though not in pain, and so I decided to ask the GI nurse about it when I called her about blood work for my medication. She said that (though she was the one who said it originally was okay) fiber suppliments are pretty gassy by nature, but Metamucil is known for being EXTRA gassy. Hmmm. I reminded her that I have Crohn's and said I wanted to up my fiber intake b/c I don't get much in my regular diet and was it okay for me to take these suppliment at all? "Oh, yes! Your doc says it's great." But she recommended Citrucel or Fibercon this time, which are a little less gassy but still gentle.
I guess my husband's going to have to finish that big container of Metamucil that I bought in bulk. ;)
But I have now taken it two days in a row, and things are... okay. I am pretty bloated, though not in pain, and so I decided to ask the GI nurse about it when I called her about blood work for my medication. She said that (though she was the one who said it originally was okay) fiber suppliments are pretty gassy by nature, but Metamucil is known for being EXTRA gassy. Hmmm. I reminded her that I have Crohn's and said I wanted to up my fiber intake b/c I don't get much in my regular diet and was it okay for me to take these suppliment at all? "Oh, yes! Your doc says it's great." But she recommended Citrucel or Fibercon this time, which are a little less gassy but still gentle.
I guess my husband's going to have to finish that big container of Metamucil that I bought in bulk. ;)
Friday, September 15, 2006
Off Steroids
At long last, I post again.
I am now officially off steroids. I've been off them since Sunday, and it's going well! I feel just fine. Whenever I have gas or something irregular, I can generally trace it back to a risky food choice or stressful time. Praise the Lord!
I have some goals for myself in the next few weeks. I say "few weeks" because I am afraid to do them and want to give myself time to build up to them. My goals are as such:
--Metamucil.
I always assumed I couldn't have any kind of fiber, but the more I read about fiber, soluble and insoluble, the more I learn that insoluble fiber is my enemy, not soluble fiber. I should be having soluble fiber for good intestinal health (sometimes weak intestines can be reason enough for surgery) as well as for the reasons everyone else takes extra fiber: regularity, bulking, lowering cholesterol, etc. And Metamucil is a safe brand. So, I'm going to start it tonight. Yup, tonight. And I'm going to see how it goes.
--Omega 3's
"Didn't the dietician tell you about that in July?" Yes, she did. I'm just, well, afraid of trying that, too. I feel lots of fear about putting unknown items down my throat--which makes medicine hard to try out. And honestly, to give myself some grace, who could blame me? Two hospital stays don't make a woman more confident about her health. But I need to try these out. I'm only on one drug right now and feeling good--a person could even say that I'm stable. Perhaps I should try some remedies that could play a big role in getting my health back on track, and maybe even lessen my Crohn's.
--Florastor (probiotics)
I can't use this without a prescription, so I'm going to ask my GI doc about it next time (in about a month). It feels extremely risky, because it plays around with the bacteria in my digestive system. I don't know if I should upset the delicate balance of things, but maybe my balance is off and this probiotic would help. Heck, they give this stuff to newborns.
So, we'll see what happens. I'll let you know.
While taking the Eucharist last Sunday, I had a moment of feeling like I should open my mouth, because when healing comes, it will come into my mouth. Not a prophetic word or anything fancy, just a sense that I need to be open to healing, that I need to be willing to open my mouth, to open my mind, to take risks. My husband felt like healing through my mouth could also mean a healing of my relationship with food, because I'm afraid of food in many ways. It just reminds me that God heals in many ways, and even if He didn't heal my body completely, He may have other ways of healing in mind for me.
I am now officially off steroids. I've been off them since Sunday, and it's going well! I feel just fine. Whenever I have gas or something irregular, I can generally trace it back to a risky food choice or stressful time. Praise the Lord!
I have some goals for myself in the next few weeks. I say "few weeks" because I am afraid to do them and want to give myself time to build up to them. My goals are as such:
--Metamucil.
I always assumed I couldn't have any kind of fiber, but the more I read about fiber, soluble and insoluble, the more I learn that insoluble fiber is my enemy, not soluble fiber. I should be having soluble fiber for good intestinal health (sometimes weak intestines can be reason enough for surgery) as well as for the reasons everyone else takes extra fiber: regularity, bulking, lowering cholesterol, etc. And Metamucil is a safe brand. So, I'm going to start it tonight. Yup, tonight. And I'm going to see how it goes.
--Omega 3's
"Didn't the dietician tell you about that in July?" Yes, she did. I'm just, well, afraid of trying that, too. I feel lots of fear about putting unknown items down my throat--which makes medicine hard to try out. And honestly, to give myself some grace, who could blame me? Two hospital stays don't make a woman more confident about her health. But I need to try these out. I'm only on one drug right now and feeling good--a person could even say that I'm stable. Perhaps I should try some remedies that could play a big role in getting my health back on track, and maybe even lessen my Crohn's.
--Florastor (probiotics)
I can't use this without a prescription, so I'm going to ask my GI doc about it next time (in about a month). It feels extremely risky, because it plays around with the bacteria in my digestive system. I don't know if I should upset the delicate balance of things, but maybe my balance is off and this probiotic would help. Heck, they give this stuff to newborns.
So, we'll see what happens. I'll let you know.
While taking the Eucharist last Sunday, I had a moment of feeling like I should open my mouth, because when healing comes, it will come into my mouth. Not a prophetic word or anything fancy, just a sense that I need to be open to healing, that I need to be willing to open my mouth, to open my mind, to take risks. My husband felt like healing through my mouth could also mean a healing of my relationship with food, because I'm afraid of food in many ways. It just reminds me that God heals in many ways, and even if He didn't heal my body completely, He may have other ways of healing in mind for me.