The fun of a scope is in the preparation. Said no one, ever. My scope is scheduled for a Tuesday morning (thank goodness for morning appointments!) but my preparation of my bowel starts the Saturday before; three days prior. On this day I start my low residue diet. Anyone with IBD will tell you they follow a low residue diet – a diet consisting on very little fibre, because that…
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Pulling myself apart
Slowly but surely I am getting there. It’s the eve of my scope prep starting and I am hungry. I keep thinking this is the last time I will do a colonoscopy because I might not have a colon in a couple months. And boy is that surreal. I keep pulling myself between feeling super-duper positive about things and how I am happy this is finally happening after all the…
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Just… *exhales and sighs*
I feel rotten today. I spent Tuesday afternoon onwards at my boyfriends house. I don’t spend alot of time there because of recent problems I’ve had with my Crohn’s, its easier to be at home. But we had a night and a day off together so decided to spend it together. And even though we have been together for almost 4 years now, I still don’t feel comfortable enough to…
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Pre-Scope Assessment – 26.02.16
What is a pre assessment appointment? “Patients attending for a Colonoscopy procedure are seen by a pre assessment nurse prior to the date of their procedure. At this appointment the pre assessment nurse takes information from you and advises you how to prepare for the procedure. He / she will also give you the bowel cleansing medication and discuss your consent. At this appointment you are able to ask questions concerning…
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GI Clinic – 23.02.16
Never did I think I would be without any real plan. Never did I see my job being taken away from me from taking “too many” sick days. So you can understand my frustration can’t you? *** So I went into this appointment with very mixed emotions. Needing answers to my questions. Wanting a plan to fixed in place following my scope next month. Leaving feeling reassured that I am…
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Clinical Trial vs Surgery
With each step of my disease, I’ve become more and more like a squirrel. I’ve become the hoarder of information. Gathering all the relevant nuggets of advice I can in order to make the best and well informed decision I can. This is no truer that it is right now. I’m having to decide between enrolling on a clinic trial and having a surgery to help aid my Crohn’s disease. I’ve…
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Navigating the ‘Chronic’
Some people would hide away. Some people would happily live denying what’s happening. Some people would keep it all inside. Some people would rather talk about anything but this. And what is “this” when its highlighted, bold, italicised and underlined? A life with a chronic illness. When I was first diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, I was told to not call it chronic. Why? Maybe because at that point, my health…
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This time last year…
.. I was experiencing my first really serious bout of “on-medication-but-feeling-as-if-I’m-going-without”. I had just completed my first year of Infliximab and I’d made it through Christmas. Boyfriend and I had plans to get away for the February break and picked Cornwall for a week’s holiday. I would have my infusion at the start of Feb and that would usually keep me going for at least a month. Oh how foolish…
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XOXO
We sat in the car, driving to the hospital. Nothing unusual in that; we often drive to the hospital. But I sat there wondering why he was so okay with taking me there. When did it become so normal for us to be going there because I had an appointment, needed blood taking, was having a medication given or needed to collect something from my IBD team? When did my…