dreaming state

applebloggingjeans:

I’ve gotten a lot of support from lots of you who read my blog.  Many of you, I’ve never met in real life.  So from the bottom of my being, thank you.  Thank you so much for your kindness.

I’ve gotten lots of questions about Crohn’s Disease, what’s going on, etc.  And since I like to take any chance I can to educate folks who want to know… here we are!  A nice little timeline for you of my experience with the disease, complete with a link to CCFA (the source for all things Crohn’s… exciting, huh?)

Please know this is just meant to be a basic timeline of what has been my experience.  I am not endorsing any drugs or giving any medical advice whatsoever.  I am just a 28-year-old working professional, with a great life OUTSIDE of my disease. My hope here is this:  People who are suffering with similar issues will find some comfort in knowing you can have a serious illness and, with the right team of doctors, supportive loved ones and friends, determination and prayer (or whatever gets you through the day), you can lead a great life. I am blessed to have an amazing social life, a fantastic and handsome partner-in-crime, a challenging and demanding career I love, an extremely supportive family, and the list goes on.

So without further procrastination, here you have it.  The Crohn’s Disease timeline of one AppleBloggingJeans.

• Late Feb. 2004:  Hanging out at work one day, I got this massive OUCH in my lower left abdomen.  Wondered “WTF” and kept on with my business.  I was 22 years old.
• One week later:  Still had a massive OUCH that would not go away.  Decided when, at my desk I could not sit up straight, a doc’s visit was in order.  Called my mom.  Called my PCP.  Got an appointment that day.  Later that week, saw a GI specialist in Reidsville, NC.
  
  
• March 2004:  Diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease.  Read all about Crohn’s here, if you’re so inclined.  You’ve got question?  They have answers!
  
  
• April 2004:  Began taking drugs for Crohn’s— cipro, flagil, and pentasa.  Cliffs Notes Version:  Cipro and Flagil sucked.  Big time.  They made me UBER sick.  “Never again” became my mantra with those lovely meds!  Pentasa doesn’t do jack for Crohn’s.  It didn’t do much for me, and later clinical trials have proven it is not an effective drug for Crohn’s patients, so says my doctor.
• The rest of 2004-2006:  Things were looking pretty good.  I was on Pentasa for a couple years.  Nothing improved, nothing progressed.  I got my Master’s Degree, started a non-profit student organization at NC State in Raliegh, traveled to Mexico to do service work, and then traveled to Zimbabwe for a month to work in an orphanage there.  Crohn’s disease???  What Crohn’s disease?  I had an AMAZING support system of family, friends, and loved ones making this all easy breezy.
• Late 2006:  I began taking a very strong probiotic everyday.  This has made a world of difference.  I need to send a very special thank you to the fellow who obtained this for me for a long, long time, as it comes from a special doctor outside of Charlotte, NC.  Having tummy issues and want a natural aid to help you feel better?  Just ask me.  Seriously.
• 2006-2007:  Things got a little hairy on occasion, but overall = two thumbs up!  Amazing support system continued with constant love from friends, family, loved ones, etc.  In November 2007, I got another constant companion who has made the whole journey even better— RUBY!
• 2007:  My doctors thought I was doing so well, perhaps I didn’t have Crohn’s disease after all!!!!  Had my first ever colonoscopy.  Oops.  Looks like I do have it.  Meh… whatevs.  Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
• 2008:  A whooooooooooooole lot of stress in my life made Big Daddy Crohn unhappy.  BDC (Big Daddy) resumed wreaking havoc on my body.  Began taking azathioprine, an immuno-suppresant drug, to suppress my immune system and tell BDC to stop being a bully.  Azathioprine was a good drug, but not for me.  What it did to my body overall wasn’t worth the Crohn’s-fighting powers.  I wanted to do things like go visit my baby niece without freaking out if she drooled on me, hug someone without wondering if they’d come into contact with any sick germs that day, etc.  So, for that reason and for the reason that azathioprine took away 99% of my energy, I stopped taking that one too.  Things leveled out.  Knock on wood, life is good!
  
  
• 2009:  Moved to Boone!  Fell in love!  Had lots of fun!  Medication free!!!!!
• 2010:  Uh oh!  Guess things were just going a little too well!  :)  Big Daddy Crohn reared his ugly head in late January.  Apple = practically bedridden for two solid weeks.  Bah!  Suck!
• Feb. 2, 2010:  Had an appointment with my Crohn’s doc, Dr. Scott Plevy at UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill.  If you have ANYTHING going on with your digestive system and you want an amazing medical team to treat you, Dr. Plevy and his team are unbelievable.  I would recommend them to anyone.
• Feb. 11, 2010:  COLONOSCOPY!  This is about as fun as Chinese Water Torture.  It requires days of preparation and lots of “no eating”.  It also included, this time, a really funny story… but it’s pretty gross.  Anyway… guess what?!?!?!  NO MAJOR DISEASE PROGRESSION, even though I’ve been medication free for about a year and a half.
• This time, I was enrolled in a clinical study of Crohn’s disease.  They have been trying to gather enough patients to “fit the bill” for the research requirements for a few years.  Guess who is the LAST PATIENT THEY NEEDED to get the study moving?  ME!  Score one for progressing research!
• Feb. 12, 2010:  Wake up to a smile from my Boo and a wiggle from Ruby.  All is right in the world.  Pack up my bags, tidy up the house a bit, meet my Boo for lunch, and GO TO TENNESSEE with one of my best girlfriends!  See, there is life after a Crohn’s flare and a colonoscopy after all!  :)
• March 2010:  I will begin taking cimzia by injection to prevent further disease progression.  I have mixed feelings about this, as it’s an immuno-suppresant drug too.  BUT, I really have high hopes for what this’ll mean in the long-term course of my disease.

So… for some, that might be TMI.  For others, it might be the source for the answers to questions you’ve been asking me via email and text.  For others who are wondering if they will be able to function like a normal human being after a pretty severe disease diagnosis, I hope this gives you some hope for yourself!  For others still, you might not give a rat’s a$$.

But here it is.  In all its glory.  The life and times of BDC (Big Daddy, that is) and one 28-year-old Southern gal.

Thanks again to those who have sent me warm fuzzies.