Crohnology

I was recently recommended a website called Crohnology by a total stranger who I met at professional related meet up.

We were asked to share a fact about ourselves and mine was that I had Crohns and that I ran a blog about my experiences. I do not normally share this kind of information, but the ethos was to share something unusual, to open up to each other to establish a better working relationship.

During a break one of the attendees was really keen to ask if I had seen Crohnology  I am really glad he recommend the site and I have since signed up.

The concept uses crowd sharing of experiences to build data about what medication, food, supplements and alternative therapies work best for people.

The results are very interesting. It seems the main cause of a issues for people is alcohol. No beers, no wine, no spirits are among the top five diets.

The list of supplements correlates with my experiences.

The list of medications was a surprise, with medical Medical Cannabis coming out top?!?

Now I find this very strange as I have never heard of Cannabis being used to treat Crohns. As a long term pot smoker I find this hard to believe - more on this in another post.

Imuran (Azathioprine), the medication I find works well for me, is pretty far down the list, but has some good reviews. It seems Imuran is not effective for everyone, people with mild to moderate find it most helpful.

Go check out the data yourself. The is website well worth checking out for anyone interested in Crohns.

Back On The Meds

So it seems life without medication was not for me. I cannot hide my disappointment. I relished being drug free, but I think going back on Azathioprine is for the best.

Over the past year and a half I have been coping well. Feeling good, energy levels okay, holding down a pretty serious job as a highly paid consultant, and fulfilling my duties as a father with a young family.

It seems I was in a cycle where I would be well for a couple of days, then have a bad tummy for the rest of the week. I was coping. But I was never fair away from a flare up. At one point I got a little depressed when I realised that despite my best efforts I could not stabilise my condition for a sustained period.

At the trip to the outpatients today I was told that my latest results of blood and stool tests where okay. It shows good levels of iron, etc., but a reading of 20 for inflammation. Not bad as a normal reading during a flare up is 80, but it shows that Cronhs is still active.

So I agreed to go back on Azathioprine. As much as my heart wants to stay drug free I could not argue. The medication worked well for me for a number of years with no serious side effects – so I have nothing to loose.

A Year Without Drugs

A year has flown by and I am just released that I have been clean of prescription drugs for a year now!

Coming off Azathioprine was a big milestone for me and I am glad to report I am feeling great.

My mantra is to try and stay health and not get to stressed. Hard sometimes when you have a full time job and two kids!

I still do have the occasional naughty smoke and still like a few drinks and a night out. Something I need to keep an eye on.

I did catch the Norovirus a few months back. Luckily knew straight away it wasn't my Crohns. Very different feeling and hit me like a steam train.

Wishing everyone a great health and fun times in 2013!