I Knew It Was A Long Shot....

So the Remicade Gods must have something against me.
I had to cancel my loading dose appointments on account of a "Fungus". It's on my shoulders and rib area. I went to my GI doctor yesterday and she said she wanted me to see a dermatologist before I proceed. So I settled in for a two month wait of Entocort and phone call tag with yet another doctor's office. So imagine my surprise when I get a call, not 24 hours after the referral was sent that I go on Tuesday! Awsome! So there's nothing left to do now but sit back, relax, and wait for Tuesday morning....

....and maybe paint my nails. ;D

Caterpillers and Concrete Appointments....

Well, first thing's first. I managed to save five drowning caterpillers from within the depths of a rather wet Tonka Truck. The first two were revived within mere seconds of laying on the nice warm stone in the sunshine and were quickly wisked away into the Dollarstore bug catcher. The third and fourth took about 3 and 4 minutes, respectively. But the fifth little guy who was deemed "Abidulio" by a certain four year-old little girl just wouldn't budge. I thought it was only going to be a 80% survival of the pack but this little girl wouldn't give up. She held him in her hands, force fed him leaves and even held him up high so that he could be "closer to the sun". And gosh darn it if after ten minutes of this the little bugger didn't start crawling! He was then re-introduced to his friends in the nice-stick-and-leaf-filled-captivity where he is still living out his days. When asked why his name was Abidulio she answered, "Because that's his name and I like it!" Here are a couple of pictures of the little guy.

Just goes to show you that even the little things can brighten your day and we as adults need to slow down and see the world for what it is. And the best way to do this is though the eyes of children. Man I love my job!





Health Update: I have Remicade Appointments! My application went through and I go June 22nd for the first round, July 4th for the second and August 3rd for the last loading dose. I'm so excited about getting off of the Entocort and Imuran(I hate swallowing pills, but then again, who does?)but I'm getting scared for the Remicade. Here's hoping it works!!!! *FINGERS AND TOES CROSSED*

Remicade or Remi-can't????

So as some of you know I am waiting to get my Remicade treatment, and it's been quite the ordeal. Since Remicade is $30,000-$40,000 dollars a year and I just don't have that kind of change sitting around I have to get approval for government funding. I apparently didn't mention that I didn't have Private Health Insurance so I've been on and off the phone trying to sort that out when all I needed was a quick fax and I'm home free. So now I currently wait for an appointment. Being sick is exhausting........

Things I Learned today....

~Getting up early sucks.

~Children who scream incessantly give me a headache and really get on my nerves.

~Police Officers are hypocrites because they speed and talk on their cell phones while driving.

~You cannot do a Mother's Day craft with 7 two year-olds without a large mess.
  ~The smiles on the mom's faces makes all the mess and chaos worth it....

We Never Give Them Enough Credit....

Daycare Thought of the Day: We really don't give our feet enough credit....unless you're two years old. Then you thank them with every step you take. "Sank-You Feets! I yov you! Sank-You! Sank-You!" with every step she takes! Rock on girlie! Rock on! And everyone remember to thank their feet today!

Checkmate Kate--You've Just Captured the King....

Well as most of you probably know(unless you've been living under a rock or perhaps down a deep deep hole for the past few months) Prince William and Princess Katherine got married today. No, I did not get up at 3 am to watch. I tuned in at a more respectable time of 8:34am. Why did I need to get up that early when that's all that's on the television for the next 24 hours anyway? I saw all of the important parts on recaps throughout the day anyway and these are my top five favourite moments....

5. Princess Beatrice's fascinator....

I mean what the heck is that?!?! It looks like she killed some undiscovered sea creature, took it to the the taxidermist and planted it on her forehead. I hope she didn't use superglue. She'll sure look funny with that growing out of her next week....

4. Kate and Pippa's dresses....

I thought that both Kate and Pippa looked stunning! I've come to realize that Kate is a very plain girl but this dress suited her perfectly. It is very classic and I think little girls will be dreaming of a dress like this for years to come. If there was one dress that I liked more than Kate's it was Pippa's. Like her sister's dress it was very plain and simple but it too had a sense of elegance that will be adored for years to come.

3. The flower girl afraid of the jets....

I just thought this was one of the cutest moments of the whole event. The little flower girl on the left (Grace, aged 3 and William's Goddaughter) cannot help but to cover her ears when the RAF flew over the royal occasion. Working with children I know that no matter how much you plan and prep these ad-libs by kids are some of the best memories.

2. Harry's aisle commentary for William....

What a sweet moment between brothers. When Harry looked over his shoulder and then whispered, "She looks beautiful." to his big brother that just made my heart melt. Lady Di would have been proud of her two little boys, now grown men on the biggest day of her eldest's life....

1. The ring didn't fit....

 My favourite moment of the whole shindig. It just goes to show you that even though you plan for months or years in advance something will inevitably go wrong as in the case of Kate's ring. Could it be possible that her knuckle has gained weight since last trying it on? Don't be silly. It was an adorable moment that showed that they too are human.

Those are some of my favourite wedding moments. A few of my not so favourite moments would be the scripted-ness feeling throughout. I would have liked them to have it be a bit more personal. I would have also liked them to smile more. They had very solemn looking faces for most of the televised portion. Come on guys! You're getting married! Be happy! But my biggest pet peeve was the not only bad kiss #1, but the even worse kiss #2! I was like come on Kate! You just married the guy for goodness sakes! At least look at the guy when he's kissing you! All in all it was lovely to see and I wish The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and long and happy marriage filled with lots of love, happiness and fun! (At least a bit more than his old pops Prince Charles, HA!)

Health Update: Still waiting on Remicade. I sent my application out last week and haven't heard back yet. I've been fighting a terrible horrible no good very bad cold since Wednesday and it's now Friday and I'm already feeling better so as far as viruses go I suppose that wasn't too bad....

Not TB and a Harrowing Tale....

I don't have TB! Yay! Not that I was in fear of having it considering I don't live in an area where it's prevealence is high. I just had to get tested because if you start on this new drug I'm going to be starting soon and you have it lying dormant in your body somewhere it can activate and like, I don't know, kill you or something. But I don't have it so that's awsome! My Remicade arrangment Lady called on Monday so I have to call her back tomorrow(totally fogot) and set up a time to speak with her. And I have to call to get a road test appointment for my G license. I will be busy tomorrow!

I suppose I'm incredibly lucky to even be writing this post tonight. I almost got mugged today. I was coming out of my local mall and waiting to turn left when I heard this loud tapping on my driver side window. It was a grungy looking guy, about thirty that looked particularly terrifying. I told him to go away(without opening a window or unlocking the doors, I'm not stupid!) but he kept gesturing for something. My guess is a ride(which I am obviously not going to give him, once again, not stupid!) or money(but he had a bunch of bills bundled up in his hand so I wasn't giving him any of that either). Anyway, the shaking of my head and wild hand gestures seemed to have scared him off because after about 30 seconds of this he flipped me the bird, dropped a few F-Bombs and continued on his way. All I can say for a final thought is, I'm glad I have automatic locking doors....

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! :)

Snuggie: The Blanket with Sleeves....

Ok, so I finally broke down and bought a Snuggie. Albeit, it was on my terms. Here's the story....

I was walking through Walmart, got to the checkout and what was there but a big, pink, SNUGGIE! "Oh my goodness" I thought! I had been contemplating buying one for some time now but never had the nerve to actually buy one. Like, what would the cashier think when I pull my cart up and place my twenty dollar piece of fleece with arms on the conveyer belt. Kind of weird. So yesterday I got over my fear, walked right up to the shelf, announced to myself that today was the day and put that box with the red "AS Seen On TV" sticker in my cart and proceeded to the checkout. Well, the greasy-haired teenage something rang it in, threw it in a bag and I walked out of there with my head held high. When I got home it was totally worth it, except the "Bonus clip on reading lamp" which actually turned out to be a Dollar Store product which I've already bought in triplicate from the Dollar Store doesn't work. Oh well. But I think the best part about buying it was that some proceeds from by purchase go towards Breast Cancer. It's not a lot but hey, every little bit helps right?

Are You A Gleek?

Three Words:





GLEE. RETURNS. TONIGHT!!!!