Happy Colon
A blog about living with ulcerative colitis and healing a flare using integrative medicine
Update: January 14 (2013!)
Here’s a random picture that I quite like (since I want a picture in each post but nothing goes with this post except silly things like pictures of pills or Ironman. I took this in Egypt in 2011.
I ended up starting the 6MP earlier than I had planned because my symptoms were getting worse and worse since about January 2nd (a wonderful start to the new year). They were actually so bad that I went on a self-imposed liquid diet for several days and then started working in rice, millet, and eggs very slowly.
The 6MP did not kick in right away like it did in 2009, but at least I’ve started it, and hopefully I’ll notice some effects soon (even though it can take 2-3 months to work). Actually, yesterday was better than the days before, and today was better than yesterday, so maybe it is starting to kick in. Of course, I also reduced my dose of Cipro yesterday, so I guess there’s a chance that played a part in today’s improvement since I think I might be resistant to Cipro by now and maybe it started to hurt rather than help me. I don’t know if that makes sense, but quite often with this flare, things haven’t made sense. So I am going to assume that’s a possibility. At this point, though, I don’t care as much as I did before about knowing what works, as long as something works.
Today the weather was really beautiful. The sun finally came out after days of rain and fog, and the temperature reached 60° (which reminds me, I need to get back to saving the world from global warming once I’m in remission). I went for a short walk with my dad and my dog, took a glorious nap once back home, then went to the Brigham for an iron infusion. (I’m having another set of those…4 down, 1 to go.) I got bloodwork done, too, which I asked for since I’ve been bleeding a lot lately and have had low energy as a result, so I expect I’ll need a blood transfusion and needed the bloodwork to confirm that.
I started seeing a therapist last week. I loved the therapist I saw at Children’s Hospital when I was there for two months, and I learned from that experience that you don’t need to be crying yourself to sleep every night or have symptoms of this-or-that mental issue to benefit from therapy; there’s more to it than that. They can help you see things differently, and that is always a good thing.
In other news, I’m reading two books right now – Anna Karenina, which I read in bed, and Fordlandia, which I read in the bathroom. I’m moving a lot faster through Fordlandia…
I love you.
I love you too, Auntie Barbara. :)
I believe that, “healing is always available” and “We carry a spark of the Divine within us,” ~Dr. Edward Bach.
I also believe in you.
Love,
Mom
Thanks Mom :) love, Roxanne
Keep up the good work! I hope that everything you’re doing to move towards wellness will bring you there quickly!
Thank you Levi! I hope you are doing well.
Great job on starting therapy. Yes, the results can be astounding and invaluable. I’m in my third month now and I eagerly look forward to my weekly meetings. We have IBD, but hopefullness, tenacity and subsequent heart felt choices are gifts.
You and I are on the same page, thank you for your comment :)
Since I , too, like correct grammar AND spelling sorry for the typo on hopefulness.
So, Fordlandia is the bathroom book !
You bet! The bathroom is where I read the most. The book is really interesting so far, and he hasn’t even been to the Amazon yet.
It’s tough this illness. My 13 year old daughter has it, but she is under control with no meds. She has blood occasionally and mucus most of the time, but she eats very simply and I give her 3 x VSL#3 every day. I am so afraid that one day a full on flare will hit her. I hope that never happens. My sister has UC (steroid dependent)/ Crohns and now she has Lupus:(( my brother also has UC/Crohns. This illness is horrific and I pray that one day we can find a cure XX Best of luck.
Senga Taylor
I know someone else with UC who manages it just with probiotics; your daughter is so lucky, in that respect. I actually went almost two years without a flare on only a light maintenance drug after I was first diagnosed, but then things began to head south. When this flare started, I ignored it for a month because I didn’t want to go back on prednisone. I wish I knew my Chinese herbalist then, because I would have dealt with the flare right away and prevented it from escalating into what it is now. I feel like major UC flares can be avoided easily without prednisone if the right natural means are used at the first sign of a flare, so I hope that if your daughter does enter a flare, that she can find the way out that works for her.
It’s too bad IBD runs in your family, and yet at least you guys can understand what each other are going through. I don’t have any family members with UC or Crohn’s, although I am lucky that there is such a large IBD community online. Have you heard of crohnology.com? It’s a neat new site for people with Crohn’s or UC, with health tracking, a Q&A section, and treatment reviews.