I'm BACK!!

It's been weeks, but feels like forever since I've posted. I have been feeling ill since late January and after some extensive tests I have been diagnosed with IBD. At this time, it is suspected that I have Crohn's disease. I don't post this here to seek sympathy, but just to let some of you who read my blog know what's been going on with me lately! If you don't feel like reading the gory details, you can stop reading now! Just scroll down to look at the pic if you wish!

So, in January, it started. I had several days of unsettled stomach. If I was 20 years younger I might have suspected morning sickness. Just that ever-so-slight, gnawing feeling in my gut. Early on, the symptoms would come and go and I often felt perfectly fine for several days in a row. Then the pain started. At first it was subtle pangs that would start in my middle and crescendo into a deep, dull ache, then it would ease off to nothing again. I would get these waves only one or two times throughout the day, but after awhile I would get them several times an hour. Sometimes the pain would be momentary, but as time went on the waves would come more often, last longer and be more intense. My digestive system has always been extremely sensitive, so I thought it was just a flare-up. My doctor was at first convinced that I had a lingering virus that was causing the pains and the frequent bathroom trips. After sending me for some preliminary tests the results were inconclusive for anything other than a slight elevation of my WBC count. I was also affected by the occasional low-grade fever. When my symptom cleared up for a week in March I thought everything was over! Then one beautiful day while walking on the ice to our camp, the pains started again! I was not a happy camper. This time the doc sent me for Upper GI ultrasound and Small Bowel Follow Through x-rays. What a horrible experience. The prep for these tests gave me the WORST bloating and gassy pains that I could have ever imagined! I had to take Dulcolax and eat nothing for over 12 hours. I had to drink Citro-Mag which tastes like a syrupy lemon juice. I swear that stuff burned an acidic hole into my stomach. I was in pain all night, let alone being in the bathroom about 5 times!! Then I woke up around 4am with a fever and violent chills. I'm not a whimp by any means but I felt like such a baby. I felt like crying and crawling in a hole. I was feeling very sorry for myself. By morning I felt fine! Go figure. The tests themselves were a breeze. I was in the lab for a few hours, but the ultrasound and xrays were totally pain free!
The tests showed that the inflammation is at the Ileum, [the final section of small intestine]. Other tests revealed that I'm slightly anemic [no wonder I haven't felt creative lately] and I have lost about 7 pounds. Not that I needed to lose any weight, but it's not a concern right now.
So now I'm awaiting an appointment with a Gastrointestinal specialist. Unfortunately, until I do see him, I cannot take any medication to ease my discomfort. I imagine I'll have to go through some more testing but I've got to say that I am extremely relieved to find out that what I've got is treatable. I'm not a worrier, but I admit that the 'big C' crossed my mind! I have also learned that Crohn's is thought to be an autoimmune disease. That makes SO much sense for me. It's an even longer story to explain that aspect, but I also suffer from joint pain, [Ankylosing spondylitis] and eye problems [Central Serous Retinopathy] which are common in Crohn's sufferers! I can't wait to speak with the specialist to see if the Canker sores and Eczema I suffered as a child might have anything to do with this as well as the joint and eye probs!
I am so relieved that I finally know what's been wrong with me since January and I am looking forward to some treatment so I can get back to normal. C'MON SUMMER!!
The weather is starting to get nice and I'm looking forward to our holidays in May and June!! We went to camp for the first time this weekend and it was so peaceful. I didn't do too much except rest and relax! Doug puttered about the whole weekend. He has been SO supportive and understands that when I feel pain, I just don't feel like doing anything - especially housework!!! Hmmm, I guess I can't use that excuse once I'm on meds, huh?
That's it folks. Now you know why I've been AWOL for so long. I'm hoping that very soon I'll be back to more regular posts and updates. Thanks for being patient with me!!!