Latest Check Over and Colonoscopy

So I have just seen the doctors for a recent checked up. All is going well. The Azathioprine seem to be working well for me and I am glad to be back on them.

The doctor was happy with me and I have been feeling well. I was due a colonoscopy to check things over which I had today. Never pleasant. Taking the laxative and having that rumble in your belly is not nice. Luckily I have had a few colonoscopies before, so kind of took it my stride.

This time I decided to go for gas and air instead of a sedative as I wanted to drive myself some home as they wife was busy with the kids. It was certainly an experience. At times it was quite painful when the doctor had to ease out a bend of my intestine all the while the nurses where chatting away to me.

I did kind of enjoy seeing what was going on. They have a magnet in the tube so you can see it winding up towards the your belly. Very clever stuff.

The doctor was complaining of a lack of air during the procedure. It seems the air is fired out the end of the tube and used to open up the intestine. So they replaced a button mid op on his control stick. Thankfully this seems to make things a bit easier and less painful.

When the doctor got to my Ileocecal valve it seemed there was some ucleration. The doctor was also concerned that it seems quite small. There was scarring around there valve from when I had been ill previously.

The doctor recommend I get this dilated. They discussed doing it there an then which would have involved sticking a balloon in there and pumping it up.

I am glad they elected to not do the procedure immediately. Even if it means another colonoscopy. Apparently this is the area most Cronhs suffers encounter problems and is the section of stomach which is often removed with surgery.

I spoke to one of the nurses who has looked after me for year now who explained dilating the vavle might not be the best course of action. I have been feeling well recently. Do not suffer pain. Can eat pretty much what I want (with the exception of yeast). See will speak with my consultant and let me know the recommendation.

In a couple of weeks I am moving to Australia. So will see what living with Crohns is like over there. Hopefully Medicare treats me well and won't cost a bomb.

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!

Wonder Treatments - Too Good To Be True?

Recently I got an email from a family member with a recommendation from a trusted friend for a wonder cure to his Crohns Disease.

He recommended Quina Compound, which cost him £800 gbp for a four week course!


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinchona

Looks interesting with a lot of medicinal history, but if this plant is so amazing then surely it would have had its properties proven scientifically. The amount he was charged also raises my suspicions.

Being open to alternative medicines I went to a Chinese doctor years back. From the description of Quina on Wikipedia, I believe I was prescribed something similar.

Basically I was given a bag of bark and other pieces to boil in water, strain and then drink. I must say, it was the most disgusting thing I have ever tasted, and I did not see any notable benefit. The accompanying acupuncture was a lot nicer and I actually found it quite relaxing. That was until they wheeled out the electrocution device and wired it up to pins in the my nipples. Needless to say, I knocked that on the head and saved the £50 gbp for something else.


I have also noticed a lot of spam comments over the years on this blog with random links to professional looking sites setting everything from Yoga swings to Aloe extracts.



Saying all this, I realise I am contracting myself as I recommend the intolerance York Test, which has a flashy website and costs a lot.

The basic message is beware. By all means try different remedies, each person is different, just beware of costly scams (especially if you cannot afford it).

Coming off of Azathioprine

It has been a long while since I have posted anything. Which is good news, as I have been rather well.

I have recently stopped talking Azathioprine, which is a big milestone in my journey with Crohns.

Something to celebrate after 14 years of taking the medication daily!

The last time I came off the medication it did not take me long to be back into remission. This time I feel a lot healthier and have learn my lessons from last time.

Life style choice is the biggest factor. Last time I was young and would be out most weekends smoking and drinking. Now that I am a married man and parent I find it a lot easier to remain healthy - with the odd blow out now and again.

I also think stress plays a part.. So I try to remain chilled and not get stressy about minor things.

So my top tips for staying healthy are

• Stop smoking
• Drink sensibly
• Maintain a healthy lifestyle
• Try not to get stressed

Fingers crossed.. and I will not have a lot to blog about in the coming years.. But I will post anything I think might be useful.