But! But! But! I love salad.... :(

OK people. I know I haven't been on here in a while but I've been SUPER BUSY! With doctor's appointments and such but I'll get to that in a bit. A lot has been happening in my life recently. I bought a car. It's a really cute little 2011 Ford Fiesta in the colour "Lime Squeeze". It's a really easy drive and can fit into most smaller parking spots that the bigger economy cars just can't squeeze into. It was a bit pricier than I wanted to pay but I put a lot down on it and I think that helped. And I got some really super cheap insurance to go with it so that helps a lot. Here's a picture just so you can see how totally wicked it is! (Does anyone even ever say this anymore? I don't know, I'm a Ninety's kid and proud of it!)

A few less milestone-ish things happening in my life most recently are I survived March Break with a billion screaming maniacs disguised as kids on March Break last week. And that's after the 1 hour sleep deprivation we lost thanks to the farmers and the changing of our clocks. I'm loving this new show called "Raising Hope" about this 20 something year old kid that knocks up this serial killer. She then gets the chair and he and his crazy family get to raise this baby girl whom they dub 'Hope'. It's very cute.

Alright, enough beating around the bush. The real reason why I've decided to resume writing this blog against my better judgement and forgetfulness. I have Crohn's Disease. You ask yourself, "What is Crohn's Disease?" Well, by the time I'm done you will have a very thorough understanding of this ailment it's complications and annoyances and everything in between.

What is Crohn's Disease?

Crohn's disease is an inflammatory disease of the intestines that may affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract from the mouth to the anus(or you gums to your bum says my gastroenterologist), causing a wide variety of symptoms. It primarily causes abdominal pain, diarrhea (which may be bloody if inflammation is at its worst), vomiting, or weight loss, but may also cause complications outside the gastrointestinal tract such as skin rashes, arthritis, inflammation of the eye, tiredness, and lack of concentration.

Can It Be Managed?

Yes. Crohn's can be managed using anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive drugs primarily. Prednisone is the most effective type of drug called a Steroid. But you cannot stay on this drug for an extended period of time because of other negative effects on your body that are sometimes irreversible. If these drugs don't work sometimes you have to have a surgery to remove the diseased section of the bowel. This is not always a cure however because another patch of inflammation could develop in a different section of your gastrointestinal tract. Therefore there is no "magical cure" that can completely 100% cure this disease but remission can be maintained with drug therapies and if needed surgery.


My story is as thus....
I have been having lets call them "bathroom issues" for a few years that have just been written off as nervousness in new situations or IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) until late August of 2010. I was having such bad pains that I went to the hospital and was told I had a Kidney Stone. I went through a bunch of tests, pain meds, shots, IVs, etc. until I went to get a Colonoscopy on September 15th 2010. This is when my lovely gastroenterologist whom I've come to love for taking away (most of) my pain told me I had Moderate to Severe Crohn's Disease.I went for an MRI and it confirmed that I have a 25-28 centimetre section of my Terminal Ileum that is badly Diseased. This is what it looks like(just scroll past if you don't want to see....)

....that's not my actual picture, just one that I found on Google images that looks like mine. It kind of looks like the inside of a Cantaloupe. I took Prednisone and am currently on Imuran(Azathioprine) and Entocort(a type of Prednisone that is in extended release capsules so it delivers it directly to the site of inflammation). However these meds are not working so I am currently in the process of getting vaccinations to start a new treatment by the name of Remicade. It's delivered by IV injection every 6-8 weeks and it takes 2-3 hours to infuse. I'm just waiting for my TB skin test to show positive or negative and then I'll post again.....

Just as a final note. If you or someone you love would like to find out more about Crohn's or things you can do to help fund a cure you can go to this website for The Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of Canada.....

http://www.ccfc.ca/site/c.ajIRK4NLLhJ0E/b.6319851/k.BDBF/Home.htm

Or this site for The Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America....

http://www.ccfa.org/

Thanks for listening to my rant! :)