My Health Updates:

September 9th, 2012
I am ready.  I've prepared myself mentally, and spritually, and physically for this surgery.  My colon is coming out.  
It's been a little difficult, however, as I've prepared myself for this surgery, Nathan and I both have prayed immensely that I can JUST MAKE it to the surgery date.  I've recently felt dizzy, LOW energy...and very lethargic.  I pushed myself incredibly (but happily!) during my Mom's wedding.  (I assure YOU...there was NOTHING else MORE I would have rather been doing, to tire myself out with!)  It was a beautiful time in our lifes, her wedding was! 
I had an episode just last night, I got really cold and couldn't figure out why.  I just got the quilt and put it on the bed.  I was NOT warming up.  (knew my stomach had been terribly hurting the last few days, especially after supper last night).  Nathan turned on the electric blanket for me, ...and put it on high.  I finally checked my temp...and it was up to 101.00.  :(  I took tylenol...and broke the fever...slept well afterwards.  I did this quite frequently during the many flares I've had.  Ones coming and I KNOW it.  Nathan refused to let me go anywhere today, stating I 'only have two more days...u gotta make it'.  Bless his heart....he's been through just as much as I have been.  
 Needless to say, this is much needed, and GOOD will COME of it...as GOD is good, and GOOD is God!  God has his hand in this situation, and will use me to be His testimony.  
Please keep me, Nathan, and my kids in prayer this week,...as we all will endure a DIFFERENCE in our routines, much worry, and much hesitation.  
I will update my facebook page as soon as I can...until then...
may He be with you! 


August 22, 2012
In June, I went for another colonoscopy.  It, again, showed severe Ulcerative Colitis.  Dr.s in Vanderbuilt were consulted, and some of my meds were changed.  It was at this point, that we (myself, Nathan, and my Mom, and my Doctor) realized that my colon has been through enough, and that it needs to come out.  So, we made some appointments in Vandy, and went.
July 11th, I saw the medical team (Dr. , RD, and the Clinical pyschologist.)  Several options are available, if I wasn't in such severe need of medical attention right now.  So, the Dr. recommended surgery.  Although he'd rather see me do a clinical trial, as that's what they are there for in Vanderbuilt, but his words were "if you were my sister, I'd push for the removal of your colon., your disease is so severe".
On July 27th, we saw the surgeon, and set a date.
September 11th, is the date.
This will be a series of 3 surgeries.  The first to remove the colon, and install the illiostomy.
The 2nd to connect the j-pouch (man made colon).
The 3rd to remove the illiostomy, and set me free again!  ( i really can't wait for this one...)
Ive been told I will feel MUCH better, and I'm looking forward to that.  Although I have many reservations of being with a ostomy.  :( However, I've been told they aren't that much trouble too, so I will find out!  (and you will too...as I plan to continue my 'health journey" on here as well.
Prayers and thoughts will be much appreciated as I go forward with this part of my life.

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May 24th, 2012 
In March, my UC seemed to have gone under control! :)   It was very very enjoyable!  No bleeding, no lethargy, no having to monitor my consumables....it was really nice.
However, May 4th, 2012, I noticed more bleeding, and it has escalated since then.  I've since then gotten back on my Prednisone.  Started a medication called Immuran, it's an immunodulator, to keep my immune from running in over drive, and working itself to complete inflamation.  (so in other words....I am VERY succeptable to contagious 'things' others may have that could spread to me....as I have medically reduced my immune system.
I remain taking my Remicade treatments every 6-8 weeks.  My GI is amazing, and has helped me through so much.  He's really trying to exhaust every option before he sends me for a surgery consult. (meaning removal of all, or part of my colon. )
Prayers would be GREATLY appreciated!

March 14th 2012:
I was doing so well blogging, .....but in February my health kinda took a turn for the worse.

I spent 8 days in the hospital in two weeks the begining of March, and last few days of Feb.
I got to where I couldn't hold anything down, was really dehydrated, and anemic. Had a cat scan, and a few other test run. My ulcers were bleeding, and it was just a really rough few weeks. I was forced to take on a liquid diet for about 3 weeks, as I couldn't even hold applesauce down. (I lost some weight !) lol. Anyhow....I'm doing MUCH MUCH better.

Started a regime of medications, (one of them being a bi-weekly infusion treatment to control the Ulcerative Colitis - called Remicade {also used for RA}). Seems to be doing wonders for me. I get the next one on the 21st of March. The first treatment caused a lot of edema in my feet/ankles...so I had to go on lasix, ....so now i pee ALL the time, lol. I feel like an old person...one med causes the need for another med. Really kinda unreal. But,.....I'm feeling better, so thats all that matters! :)In the hospital I had Magnesium, Pottasium, Sodium-chloride, Iron, Ciproflaxin, Flaggyl, 4pints of hemoglobin again, and Solumedrol (steroid) all sent through IV. It was a busy week and a half in my hospital room, ....but I am ON THE MEND, and doing SO much better!

I love enjoying this weather, and able to enjoy it. Its really the small things in life that are easy to take for granted. Enjoy your good health!
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 Friday, January 13, 2012
Beginning to feel better:
I'm SURE it's the Iron! Day two, and I'm not so darn TIRED! (now to just get the bleeding under control, and settled. )
I had a friend to message me on FB after I posted yesterday, and share with that her husband had gone through similar situations as my own, so I'm glad I posted that. I don't know anyone with UC, other than myself. So, ...I think I might lean on them for a while, until I find some medicines to calm the ills of my digestive system. Thanks to you, ...(and YOU know who you are!) :)
We've had a great snow day today. Other than taking Natalie to have a wart burned off, we've snuggled on the couch, I know this isn't the best....but we had Jello, and hot cocoa for lunch! lol! Funny right. But, hey...what's the fun in a snow day, if ya can't just 'do your own thing' . We have also read a few books, and promised them to play a game later! :)
I must say, it feels good to feel good! I just hope it continues. I've been so tired SO LONG, that I keep wondering when I'm gonna feel like taking a nap! ???? lol..seriously. Being tired has been part of my 'life'. :(
I've missed out on ball practices, Natalie's no longer in dance classes....(too tired to drive to Murray once a week), she got crayons for the tub, in her Christmas stocking. on the bathtub wall she wrote a list of things she got for Christmas. At the top, she wished for ONE DAY OUT WITH HER MOMMY. She wrote it just like that....in all caps. How sad that made me.
Bradley prays for his Mommy to get better.
They miss me. I miss me. The last few months have been really hard on us all.
I talked to my Mom today, and she was impressed with how well I sounded on the phone, she says my voice is sounding much better, and quite frankly I'm feeling much better. :) I don't know if it's the iron, ..., or a Combination of all the meds. ??? who knows, ...but I am feeling so less tired. :)

So much for the snow day. We got maybe a half inch of snow. it's pretty much all gone. I WANT SOME SNOW!!!! I WANT SNOW CREAM. LIKE TWICE A DAY!!! i WANT TO GO BUILD SNOW MEN, ....AND THROW SNOW BALLS!
WHERE'S THE SNOW???



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December 2011
As many if you may know, (through phone calls, conversation with Mom, or whoever else) my health has not been in tip top shape. Mom has encouraged me to blog it, so to be an inspiration to others, in similar situations, to keep on top of their health!
Similar situation being I don't have insurance.
HERE'S MY STORY:
In December of 2010, I noticed minor blood (i know this sounds gross, but so it is) in my stools. I played it off, through fear.
It got worse.
In March, of 2011, I took my self to our family doctor, and he treated me for internal hemorrhoids.
That didn't fix it.
I.......
1. don't have insurance
2. don't/ didn't want to know if I have cancer. (still don't, I swear to THIS DAY, if I have cancer, I will opt out of doing chemo/radiation).
3. Didn't have the time off work
4. Was afraid of knowing what it was.
5. Thought "this will go away, surely eventually".

So, ...life proceeded. I was sleeping alot. ALOT. Like I would sleep until 11:00 a.m. (after my job expired). *I thought I was just catching up on lost sleep from working for the past 18 years* I would then take a nap with my son at 2:00 pm.m, and sleep through supper sometimes. (don't know what I would have done had I not had my spouse around. : (

With all that tiredness, in November 2011 I got sick with the stomach bug/flu! (or whatever it was, in hindsight it was probably my condition worsening) I was puking so often, with rampid diarrhea, (bloody might I add), and NO ENERGY what so ever. This lasted about two weeks.
Around November 14th, I dragged myself into the dr. office, and literally told him, somethings not right, i don't feel well, I'm sick. He couldn't figure out. He noticed my heart rate was fast, and my breathing was way low. So, he sent me over for x-rays, and blood test. This was late in the p.m.

The next morning on November 15th, he called me on his day off, to direct me to the Emergency Room in Murray KY, where there was a Dr. Dawdy waiting (gasterologist) on me, with a room in the hospital as well. My x-rays were fine, however my blood levels were at a 4.8 (should be at least a 9, preferably at a 12! So....I made arrangements for my daughter after school, and my son as well, and Nathan drove me to Murray.

I was given no choice, but to accept a blood transfusion. The doctor ordered two pints of blood, and tests the next morning.

The next morning, November 16th, Dr. Dawdy came in and said i was safe enough to do a endoscopy, but that my blood levels still weren't up to par. After the endoscopy, I would receive two more pints of blood. (Four pints of blood people, ....the human body only holds 7! NO WONDER I WAS SO TIRED and sleeping all the time. I was EXTREMELY Anemic, and from the blood loss. Who without a medical degree would have put those two together.? Ok....perhaps I should have since I have a Nutrition degree...but I tell ya....being a tired Mommy was consuming my life!)

The Endoscopy revealed 5 Duodenal Ulcers in my stomach. None of which were the cause for the bleeding. So, a colonoscopy was suggested. (thankfully enough, this doctor REALLY worked with me, on he price of this procedure, only charged me $250. Wow! )

On Monday November 21st, I went for the Colon scope, and I was a nervous wreck. I REALLY didn't want to know what it would reveal. I feared the big C word. Terribly.

What is the culprit? The culprit is not curable, but treatable. Treatable with episodes of flare ups. (It IS curable, if the colon is completely removed...I'm NOT doing that). So, this is something I'll have to live with. Ulcerative Colitis. Glad to know it wasn't Cancer...but worried sick about what to do with it.

Dr. Dawdy sent me home with a few prescriptions, told me to wait on more after the biopsies returned. (to see if it was Bacterial UC, ....and it wasn't). Then he sent me on to my family dr.

Family Dr., bless his heart, did all he knew to do. Put me a high dose of prednisone, and then a drug called Methotrexate (a chemo) drug, which scared me to no avail. I didn't like taking that. :( The UC itself, is an Auto Immune Disorder (not disease), so taking the prednisone really made me a GERM MAGNET!

The first of December for 3 weeks, I had the flu again....received tami flu, and the other 3 in the family were prophylactic treated. All the vomiting, I lost my voice, ....(JUST NOW getting it back). Still experiencing the bloody stools, (loose might I add), added to another summation to the equation.
Hemorrhoids!!! 3 weeks of them. Never had them before, yes I took myself to the dr., and had them diagnosed. I went two weeks, and asked my Dr. for some lortabs! Also in that time frame, my blood levels were checked, and I needed to be on Iron supplements, as they were getting low again. NOWAY was I taking them to get constipated with hemorrhoids.!

On January 11th, I went to see a Gastroenterologist, ..one who can perform surgeries, AND do more than the gastrologist did/does. He took me off the Methotrexate, thank goodness. Asked me about being on Iron pills. He got a little upset with me not having taking them, and told me, ....if I am going to treat you, you have to be compliant, or you can choose not to be, and die.
WHOA!!! I'm liking this Dr. , he's straight forward, and very adamit! (however that word is spelled).
I have non-specific pancolitic Ulcerative Colitis. I am now taking 325mg of Iron, 30 mg of prednisone (to be tapered once a month), Asacol HD, (6 pills a day), and and antibiotic for my inflamed intestines (3 a day).
Who'da thunk that at 33 years old I'd be so tired, and on so many meds, wondering if they are going to even help out my condition. ?
So, ...that's where I am. Still tired. Still bleeding. and still trying to figure out how to put into remission this disease. So, if you catch me saying no to something I normally love to do, ...please understand that its NOT a offense toward you, or something I want to quit. I just literaly can't do any extra.

If you notice you need medical help, ....GO to the Dr. ....EVEN if you don't have health insurance. Go. There is NO PRICE to your health. Especially if you have children. I've lost so much time and fun with them, it's not even funny. (this brings about a whole-nother blog).

Have questions, email me. or call me. or comment here...and I'll get to ya!