Finding out

It is 4am Monday morning. I am up because I had to go to the bathroom and am too sore to go back to sleep. I am medicating with the only medicine on the market that takes care of all of my pain and discomfort and even gives me an appetite (of which I have none most of the time.) This near amazing cure-all is marijuana. I was once ashamed to admit I smoke this taboo herb, but I have come to accept that it helps me tremendously in this fight against Crohn's, even before I knew the cause of the majority of my pain. And if I am not honest about what helps me get through some of the hardest times of my life, then why am I bothering to write about it?

I have dealt with migraines and chronic headaches since I was 12 years old, I am 24 now, so 12 years, also muscle, joint, stomach, general discomfort and pain that the level raises and lowers on a daily/weekly/monthly basis (UNPREDICTABILITY). I am now finding that these are most all caused by the Crohn's itself. My parents tried very hard to heal me of my headaches when I was a child. I was taken to all sorts of specialists, that studied the brain, stress, etc. Nothing was ever found to be wrong despite crippling headaches, because we were looking a few feet too high. I have come to find out that my mother feels extremely guilty as if I am mad at her for not finding this out while under her care, I do not blame her, I do not blame anybody, myself is the only person I can blame and that is for giving up on seeking treatment for constantly being in pain. But I refuse to blame myself because it will end no where good. Instead I am going to focus on what I can do to feel better.

My wife, Kit, has been the best thing in my life, without her, I'd be dead. I wouldn't have gone to the doctor that started this journey to my colonoscopy and to the findings, I would not have kept it up, if I had started it, I would have just quit and said "screw the world" and hid under a blanket for days. She is my motivation, my strength, my comfort (hugs and back-rubs are always being offered.) She is everything that makes me worthwhile as a person. Kit, and all my other friends and family that haven't offered blame and disappointment in me because of what I am capable or incapable of because of this ailment, they have made this all worth it, they make me so fortunate I am on the other side of this with direction now. I have so much love in my life.

Now onto the more recent story. 2 months ago, I had some bad belly aches, I stopped being able to control when I had bowel movements sometimes, and when I was in "control" It was like driving a race car. I was having what I like to refer to as "bowel sprints". I had to call into school a few days in a row. (at the time I was training to be a chef at SPSCC in Olympia, WA) Eventually I had to drop from my classes, which I loved. I did get into see an amazing urgent care doctor at Seamar in Olympia, named Michael Stinson, who documented that I had lost 70 lbs over the course of the previous year, he ran a myriad of tests that included my blood, feces and urine, and wrote me a referral to see gastroenterology Associates of Olympia Urgently, while still seeing me twice more because he wanted to monitor me (Kind of rare from an urgent care Dr. It confused to receptionist everytime I called for him, but It was worth it, he made sure I got taken care of.)

Around early October I got a call from the GA saying since I as marked "urgent" I could take consult with a doctor the following day that was canceled by someone else. I would have had to wait over a month to get one otherwise (THANK YOU MICHAEL STINSON). I took this apt talked to the dr there. Dr. Merryfield, again a nice man, who realized there was indeed a problem with me and wanted to get me fixed ASAP, he even complained about the old people he sees often that are not sick, but just wasting his time, and raising insurance prices for other people. I ended up paying 300$ for this chitchat with him, but we scheduled a colonoscopy for November 11th (that's earlier than I would have had a consult with him!)

I get my colonoscopy. Dr. Merryfield played Regina Spectre for me, it was a very sureal experience, and my butt is still tired. It doesn't hurt, it's just worn out from the robot snake doing it's thing to me. What the robot snake found was that nearly my entire lower intestine is inflamed, and covered in ulcers and black spots. And it is most likely Crohn's. I was prescribed some prednisone (a steroid to help with the ulcers), and another drug I will get in here later, Prodnosone was 15$, Drug B was 1300$. and drug B has been linked to cancer so NO THANKS. But I did get the prednisone.

I am currently waiting for the results of the biopsies that were taken from my intestines, it still may not be Crohn's Disease, but it certainly seems to be. I plan to document any "abnormal" bowel movements, and possible relations to foods I have eaten, also document my drug and nutritional intake, because diet and a good attitude are the only ways I'm going to be able to live any better than I am right now. marijuana can be assumed, if there is some big break where I don't have to toke to be comfortable enough to walk, drive, fall asleep or anything aside from moaning crying, I will be sure to let the world know, because that sounds thrilling.

As of 11-14-10 I am taking:

Prednisone: 40mg - http://ibdcrohns.about.com/cs/prednisone/a/prednisonedrug.htm
Potassium: 700mg $ 600 mg time released - http://www.rxlist.com/micro-k-drug.htm
Vitamins: GNC joint multivitamin pack (A-E, Zinc Iron, Flax seed, Fish oil (with omega 3 fatty acids). And extra Vitamins B and D

All of the vitamins I take are nutrients that come from food, and holding food inside my body is a real problem with all this. I am wary of processed pills, though I am taking some.

PS. "colonoscopy" is not understood by spell check. nice.