Doc appt, online Survey and more!

So, here's the news:

I had a GI doc appointment on Thursday, and it went very well. He's going to keep me on Entocort, the steroid that my body loves, for another month (during my root canal) and then start tapering after a month. We'll see how that goes. He said that if I have trouble tapering, he'll send me in for a new kind of CT scan at our local hospital (the one I've lived at a couple of times). This new scan is just for the abdomen, and I guess it's preferrable to a small bowel study.

Second news is that a site I subscribe to (thanks, Mom!) sent an email saying that there was a Crohn's study going on and those who are accepted and participate will receive $75. So, I thought, why not? I applied and was accepted! I have to sign into the site for 30 minutes to answer questions and discuss answers (it's a blog format) every day for four days (today through Thursday) and then fill out a closing survey a couple of weeks later, and then I'll get a check! And I'll also have the pleasure of knowing that I am contibuting to some medical research that may advance the process of figuring Crohn's out. Exciting! I'll let you know what happens.

In general, I'm feeling very good, though I'm still being very careful about what I eat. The probiotics are great as long as I drink enough water (I think they contribute to constipation, especially with little to no fiber in my diet). I take them every evening after supper (on a full stomach) and I really feel like they help my digestion.

I'm going to sign up for a temporary pass at a local gym where my husband goes, and see about exercise. Yoga classes are expensive or not offered at convenient times, so I'm going to do those at this gym when I can, and then just walk on the treadmill or some equivalent cardio exercise and see if that helps my stress management, etc.

Also, my husband and I went clothes shopping this weekend, partly because I need new pants. The 10-pound weight loss isn't coming back quick enough, and the two pairs of pants that fit me (one of them jeans) wasn't cutting it for dressing up for work. Thank God for Kohl's! It's amazing how much better I feel about my body when I have clothes that fit me well. Makes me less stressed about my health because I don't feel so thin. And really, I'm still within the healthy range for my height, so I don't look malnourished, I'm just thin for me.

I went up for prayer at church yesterday, just on a whim, and asked for prayer about my Crohn's. I do this often, but usually do it when I'm not doing well (and I've been feeling really good). I received prayer for healing, and he also prayed about Paul and the thorn in his side that the Lord would not remove, for His glory. The prayer minister prayed that I would be healed, but if it was God's will that I keep this thorn for awhile, that He would be glorified and that my faith and trust in Him would grow. A hard prayer to hear, but an important one. I hope it becomes the prayer of my heart. (Sorry for all the Christianese, but these words aren't empty, like Christianese can be.)

Thank you for your prayers!