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!!!!

Tim Hortons Ettiquette....

OK, it's late at night and I am tired but I just wanted to get this off of my chest. Today while I was going through the Timmies Drive Thru little Miss "I'm so much cooler than you because I can tail gate the car in front of me and sneak in front of you when I am completely aware of the fact that you were there first but I still insist on flipping you the bird just to tick you off so that you'll go home and write a blog post about it", decides that I am the perfect target in her little plan to annoy the world into oblivion. Well lady (and your very ugly looking dog too!) I just want to let you know that what they say about Karma is true! I won a coffee on Roll Up the Rim! Suck on that!

And last but not least, Daycare Thought of the Day: Don't ya just love Fridays?

The Good Ol' Days....

I know I haven't been the most attentive blogger in the world but the truth is I just don't have time. Don't worry, I'm trying to get better.

Anyway. The reason why I thought of this particular blog on this particular day is because of toys. Figures... Seeing as these toys are an everyday part of my life I thought I would bring this story to your minds....

It was called to my attention today that Health Canda has recalled the very popular toy, "Little People". Now, this news headline would not usually grab at my attention, however. It was not a recent batch of said "Little People" that was recalled, no, it was the version that was made in 1991! 1991! And just for dramatic effect I'm going to type it out just one more time. 1-9-9-1!!!! Who in the heck has toys left from 1991?!

The reason why Health Canada has recalled said toys is because...

"The size and shape of the older Fisher-Price "Little People" figures are such that the toys can become lodged in a child's throat, causing a complete block of airflow which can result in serious injury or death."

and

"Recently, Health Canada has become aware of the death of a 10-month-old child resulting from the use of one of these older products. The death occurred after an older "Little People" figure became lodged in the child's throat."(http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/)

OK,

A) This is just ONE death of ONE child in ONE household while there have been MILLIONS of children playing with these toys for over NINETEEN years?. After all weren't 1991 kids throats about the same size as 2010 kids throats? Why are they only recalling them twenty years later?

B) Where were the late child's parents while he/she was playing with these toys. I'm not sure but I think that all or at least most toys say, "DO NOT LEAVE CHILD UNATTENDED". Or is this just they way I think about children playing unattended?

Please don't think that I am one sided on this. I do feel for the child's parents, it's a very heartbreaking thing to loose a child. I get that and I definitely don't wish that on anyone, ever.

The point that I want to make at the end of this post is that when I was a kid, there was really no such thing as a "recall". My opinion is that I played with these toys, I had every one in the picture below in fact and I turned out alright. So now the question I pose to you: Is today's society just trying to guard our children from everything that could sort of be maybe potentially dangerous? Or does it make sense to recall a toy that probably not many people have and still use?

A picture of the recalled 1991 Little People compared to Little People that are still made today just in case you want to do a "Little" searching through your toy box....

Once Again....

OK. So once again I completely forgot to Blog. Comes with having a busy life I guess. And another downside to not having enough time is that I only have a minute when I do get to blog. So,

Daycare Thought of the Day: If you eat all of your lunch make sure that you eat your cookie. Even if you can't keep your eyes open. :)

Daycare Thought of the Day....

Ok, since I work with kids so much and kids tend to say the darndest things(Loved that show!) I have decided to implement the "Daycare Thought of the Day" into my blog. Today's entry:

Daycare Thought of the Day: "Did you know, orange juice sometimes has alcohol in it? But mine dosn't, does it?" -Olivia, age 3 1/2. She is the cutest!

Going to a baby shower tonight! TTYL! :)

Square or Diamond????

You should know by now that any posts that happen on a Saturday are usually pretty boring. Since I take on "hermit status" on the weekends the topics I post are mostly about things I encounter during the day. So today's topic is............ Shreddies!

I'm sure you have all seen the commercials for the new "Diamond Shreddies". Well, let me tell you, THIS IS A CROCK! Don't fall for it! Square is the best! In fact, I have come up with three reasons why I think that everyone and their dog should go onto the website and vote square, not diamond. Here they are....

1. Square has been around longer. It is the tested tried and true. It's the thing we grew up on. And in my opinion it's the one to choose.
2. The diamond shreddies are too overrated. Just because their "cool" and "new age" everyone is switching to them. All a bad idea if you ask me....
3. And the third and final reason, it's hip to be a square!

If you agree with even ONE of the three points I have listed above then please, go on and vote for the square. Right now it's behind by at least 8% of the votes. I'll post the link so you can go on and vote vOtE VOTE!!!! :)


http://www.diamondshreddies.com/index.php

Autumn, Closer Than We Think....

It's official! The first leaf has fallen! Imagine my surprise when on a walk with the kids, Vanessa(a two-year old who obviously doesn't know what a fallen leaf signifies) runs up to me and says, "Here Kylee! Here is a leaf for you!" To which I responded, "AAAAA!" and preceeded to throw it to the ground and take photographic proof. Let it be known. August 26th 2009, the FIRST official sign of Fall 2009. It was like that commercial that was on TV last year where she sees the leaf on the ground and starts screaming. I forget what it was for but I experienced it today!

I don't really like Autumn, but I have to get through it to get to my beloved Winter! Yes, you read that right, "beloved winter". I love the winter season! It's so beautiful and fun! Don't get me wrong, I love summer however....

1. In summer you can't build a snowman.

2. In the summer you can't throw snowballs at your little sister.

3. Most importantly, You can't slide down a 90 degree slope of a hill on a 1/4 of an inch thick tefflon pan! (in the summer ;) )

So, moral of the story, until it looks like this outside....

....I will not stop lobbying for snow. To end this post I am going to leave you with a video all about winter to get everyone into the Wintery mood! And it's sung by Jason Mraz, one of my favourite artists, EVER!!!!