Tinea Versicolor and Vacation

(note this is a general photo of tinea versicolor)

So for about a month I had a rash/marks on my stomach/abdomen area. I didn't think this was too concerning as I didn't feel any pain nor did it hurt. At any rate I went to my dermatologist (it took about a month or so ago to get an appointment with him). After getting into the doctor's office I was seen quickly by someone who asked me basic questions about why I was seeing the doctor and then waited another 30 minutes to see the doctor.

The doctor came in and I took off my shirt and showed him the marks and right away he mentioned it was tinea versicolor which was fairly common and just an overgrowth of yeast on the skin (he was even able to provide me a brochure that discussed more about it). The disease is just when there I live in a fairly humid city and noticed the marks tended to get worse when it was hot or when I worked out. My doctor has mentioned that people also can get it in the winter since they wear multiple layers and still sweat. The doctor ordered a shampoo from a specialty pharmacy that will be shipped to me next week once I return from vacation. 

Also I will be on vacation this week so the marks/rash should be more calm and the weather I am currently vacationing will be much cooler than my hometown. In addition to this, I am hoping to rest and relax while on vacation and take in some of the local sights. It is always good to get a break after working so hard for most of the year.

Overall, my Crohn's still remains under control. I seem to have a little more cramping then usual but as I write this post I don't have any cramping and feel well rested. Hopefully this vacation and weather will be what I need to relax and calm down my tinea versicolor.

Grandma Passing, Stress, and Minor Cramping

This past week was a little stressful. My grandmother of 98 years passed away. She lived in a nursing home for many years. My grandfather had lived with her up until he passed away in 2007 (he was born in 1921). Both lived a very good life and were kind and generous people. In my grandmother's later years she suffered from dementia. When she was in the nursing home me and my family would visit her weekly. However, over time her mental conditions deteriorated and she didn't recognize who we were. Grandma would have entertaining stories about her 5 husbands and what they did. This is a far cry from the grandmother that I knew growing up that would make me french toast, cakes, go on trips with, and have Sunday dinners with throughout the 1990's. Honestly, I think if my grandmother knew the kind of condition she was in she wouldn't want to live like that (but that is another topic for another day).

I found out my grandmother has passed on Wednesday night while I had just got done working out. Throughout the day I had been cramping (really more of the blunt stabbing pain with Crohn's) but it seemed to get worse Thursday and I felt tired. Friday I felt better and I got some pretty good sleep and today I feel pretty decent.

My workout routine is still going strong. I typically workout for 1 and half hours 3 times a week. My workout consists of free weights, strength exercises (biceps, triceps, etc), walking on the treadmill, and then I finish with the elliptical. Overall, I feel in pretty good shape. I at one point did have a personal trainer but feel I wasn't get the value out of that and they always do the exercises I wanted. Although, I would say I felt really sore after I was probably in the best shape ever of my life. Currently, I feel in good shape and may have loss a little of muscle mass but am quite happy with it. My weight is around 160 lbs (within the past few days it had reached 163). Feeling fit is always nice in terms of being able to fit into clothes and knowing every once in a while you can have a little extra to eat.

Overall, my health is quite well and I am always in awe of how successful my remission has been with Crohn's and how much of a miracle drug Humira has been. I am scheduled to see my gastro doc in May for a checkup (he books up months in advance!). The only thing I don't like is my gastro doc had his practice purchased my a large hospital. Before it was easier to schedule an appointment and I could talk to the nurse. These days I have go through someone else to do that. Also according to my internist my GI has more of a 9-5 job now that he works for a hospital and if he has a patient after hours someone else will admit the patient to the hospital. My internist is in a group practice and they have a younger GI that looks promising (however I wouldn't switch/also my GI is getting up in age and I could see him retiring within the next 10 years). All in all he has done a great job with me and I am grateful for where he has gotten me to.

Mild Cramping, Energy, and Losing Weight, Working Out a Bunch

Well it has been a while since I have written a post (this is mainly because I have felt pretty well). Last evening, I had some loose bowel movements (this has been rare for me and I honestly can't remember the last time I had one). I wasn't alarmed at all as this from time to time. Honestly, if I ever have a non solid bowel movement it is the week before I take the Humira between a Thursday-Saturday.

Overall, though I don't feel too bad. Within the past 2 weeks I have felt more tired and somewhat fatigued. Some nights this past week I was in bed by 8:30 P.M. Also I have been doing my combination of hot showers and a cold pad on my stomach before bed. Before these past 2 weeks I had been working out quite a bit-with 2 hour workouts not being uncommon and probably felt the best I ever have felt in my life in terms of energy and fit. The other thing that has seemed to help my energy level is taking potassium chloride on a regular basis. Before I was taking it on and off and it really wasn't doing anything. When I switched to taking it on a regular I could definitely see a difference in my mood and energy levels.

My weight has declined steadily. Typically I am in the 163-165 pound range but recently dropped to 158 and currently hoovering around 160 pounds. Overall though I do like it as I look more trim and fit. When I lost weight I would add more and initially wasn't gaining weight but then eventually the weight came back all at once!

Concerned about the weight loss I went to my primary doctor and he said he couldn't really point to anything but said it could be a temporary virus or something that could pass. Usually I am pretty proactive if I am not feeling well. This weekend I plan to get some good sleep and just relax. Work has been fairly busy but I am not stressed as I have been at times before.

Hopefully, this cramping is a temporary thing. I have seen this many times before and honestly lucky and happy I have been in remission for so long (since June 2012). If there are any other developments that come from this I will be sure to post them on my blog.

In The Bathroom Last Night: Stress, Potassium Chloride, and Desserts

Well last evening (Friday night) or this morning depending on how you want to look at it was quite busy for my bowels. For dinner I had some pasta with garlic cheesy bread which was quite tasty and then around 10:30 P.M. I got a craving for some desserts since: I had been tired from the previous week at work, hadn't had dessert in a while, and had worked out earlier in the evening. Typically I have some dessert places I go to but I went to Buccee's last night for an assortment of different goodies (the best way to describe the place is if you mixed a Wal-Mart supercenter with a convenience store. I checked out some desserts and settled on a mini pecan pie, a chocolate chip cookie, and some walnut fudge. I ate the chocolate chip cookie and the walnut fudge and was in dessert heaven feeling quite a high (yes they were that good). Heading into bed I feel this extreme pressure in my stomach that I knew wasn't good (there wasn't much pain more of cramping). Then a few hours later I was in bathroom having multiple bowel movements. At first they started off solid and about an hour or so later they were pretty loose. In my mind I kept wondering when it would end. Well around 2:00 A.M. my bowels were finally empty and I felt amazing with no pain or cramping and was able to go to sleep.

Now the question is what caused this? Honestly it has been many months since I have had a single episode of diarrhea (which I view as quite a significant accomplishment). If I do ever get diarrhea it typically is the week before I take Humira (which this was). This past week at work has been quite busy and I honestly can't remember having as many meetings as I did as this past week. The last item that I believe may have caused the issue was beginning to take potassium chloride. In my last physical my internist mentioned my potassium levels were low and that I either could eat more potassium foods to increase this. However, I tried that and was more open to fill the prescription. Going to my local pharmacy I got my prescription and noticed the prescription for potassium chloride was cheap (it as a generic of course). One thing I did notice was "not to lie down for 30 minutes" on which honestly I thought was interesting since I honestly can't say I have seen that ever written on a prescription. After starting to take the prescription I noticed cramping (which is a side effect that is reported) for many days. On the flip side I was noticing much more energy and felt quite good. I asked my doctor about this (I also had my ears flushed with water to remove wax-it was an all encompassing day) and he mentioned that the generic drug doesn't have as sophisticated delivery system of a time delay release so the medicine will released over time which reduces the burden on the bowels. When I went to refill my prescription for the second time it appears I again got the generic version (this was frustrating). Next week I plan to call my doctor and ask if they can get the name brand or maybe I have to call my insurance company for this.

Today (Saturday) has been pretty relaxing. I had some minor cramping but nothing compared to last night (early this morning). It was surprising today too since I didn't have any bowel movements. The cramping today has been more in the background which isn't too bad. Also I haven't been too hungry either. At any rate it would be good to get the cramp free version of potassium chloride since it does give me more energy than I usually have which can make a big difference.

Cramping/Work Stress and Sleep

Well it seems as if the holidays are quickly approaching. Currently, I just wrapped up my last day of work for the year and am looking forward to a nice break off (I head back to work after the New Year). I am looking forward to relaxing and enjoying the free time off. Tomorrow I head to my doctor for my annual physical results.

Recently, I have not been able to sleep that well. For no apparent reason I would wake up multiple times in the middle of the night and maybe get something to eat or drink water and then right back to bed. Sunday night is the worst night for sleep since my body is used to staying up late on the weekends plus wondering about what I have at work the next day. Speaking of work it seems this time of year is usually stressful (I work in the financial industry where year end and tax time are stressful). I honestly felt like I was worry about so much and that is what caused me to wake up in the middle of the night for no reason. My sleep has been improving the past couple of nights. However, I still feel tired. Hopefully this nice little vacation will cure that. Also I haven't been working out as well and have gained a little weight and look forward to getting back to that (starting this evening!) 

Most likely due to the lack of sleep I developed some cramping last weekend but it has vanished as I have slept better. The cramping was the typical blunt pain that I have had before and usually would come around night time. 

All and all I am in good shape and just a little tired but am sure that this nice long vacation will help out! 

Crohn's and Shingles Week 4: Thanksgiving and Itching

Well my shingles has slowly been subsiding.  As you can see the red marks on my body are gradually fading. I attached a picture to show how it looks. When I told people I had shingles they are said "Oh that must be pretty painful". Honestly, the whole process hasn't been too bad. The only thing that bothers me is lifting up my shirt and seeing all this redness on the left side of my stomach. Over time I would thing the marks will fade and could possibly leave some scarring. I have been using Mederma scar cream to reduce the possible effects of scarring and seen a little bit of improvement with that. The only thing that is a pain is there is one spot on my stomach that sometimes itches at night which is a pain. I put some calamine lotion on it which helps a little bit in terms of stopping the itching. I might pay a visit to my dermatologist to see if there is anything I can do do reduce the redness of my skin.

I had a pretty good Thanksgiving (ate way too much-but it was all delicious!). I am honestly thankful for being in remission with Crohn's and not having to worry about pains in my stomach or going to the bathroom. It is nice to be able to live an active and healthy life. Although, I have been feeling tired for the past few weeks with work, family issues, and just year end always seems busy. I noticed I had gained some wait and have been working out recently and dropped a few pounds. My weight has been running around 168 (of course this was before Thanksgiving).

All in all I am glad the shingles is slowly fading away and think it will continue to improve. I was worried that I would have pain for longer than I did. The only annoying thing still is the itching on the one part of my stomach but that seems to have been reduced some. Honestly, I have so much to be thankful for this holiday season.

Crohn's and Shingles Week 2

This week my shingles seems to be improving. The skin has seemed to crust over and starting to peel away. I am curious to see what it will look like once it is all gone. At this point the shingles are either a dark red color or have faded. Earlier in the week I had minor pain near my left breast. It felt tender and warm (somewhat like a sunburn). I also had some minor pain in my lower back but that has seemed to resolve itself quickly as the shingles as faded away.

I have my annual physical scheduled for later this month and my doctor will evaluate my status. I will be curious to see how my doctor thinks my skin is progressing. Also I noticed I lost some weight during the shingles. Right now I weigh roughly 170 pounds.

Never in a million years did I think I would get shingles at 31 years old. Then again I never thought I would be diagnosed with Crohn's either. I think life is a reminder of how unusual, random, and interesting things can be. However, I believe the adversity has made me a stronger person overall.

5 Year Humira Anniversary Still in Remission

Well I have more than passed the 5 year mark for taking Humira for my Crohn's disease. My first injection was back in June 6, 2012 which honestly at the time I thought Humira would help somewhat with the stabbing pain I was feeling in my stomach. After taking 4 original doses for the starter pack I noticed a noticeable difference within the first couple of weeks. Back in May 2012 I was feeling awful and had this shooting pain in my stomach. I remember helping my parents move to a new home and just moving simple things felt like a struggle. It got worse when I would be up late at night throwing up and thinking how is this happening. My GI then put me on Humira after using prednisone as a backstop. I started blogging about my experience with Humira after 3 months on it here.  When I got c difficle back in 2013 which I believed caused a flare up my GI increased my dosage from every other week to once a week temporary and I was back on track. Back in June 2014 I blogged about my 2 year anniversary on Humira. My most recent post on Humira was why I don't rotate my shots.

In 5 years I never missed a Humira shot either (this coming from a guy who only missed 1 day of school from kindergarten to senior year of high school). Generally I take my shot on Saturday evening. I have a couple of times taken it on Sunday or at the latest Monday. There were times I did have some leakage in the shot which is frustrating but honestly I couldn't tell any drastic differences in my health for that. My advice would be make sure you take your Humira shot! Yes we are human and forget things but you if you have to add a reminder to not only take take your shot but also reorder it. Up until age 26 I was on my parent's health insurance plan because it offered great coverage and my employer didn't have a plan. A few years ago the company I worked for added a health insurance plan. The old plan I use to have made it less of a pain in ordering Humira (they would give you 4  shots of Humira. My current orders only allow me 2 shots at a time (which means I have to call every couple of weeks).

If someone had told me 5 years ago that I could take a drug that would leave me with little to no stomach pain I would have thought they were crazy. I am glad my GI identified taking this drug early on in my Crohn's diagnosis. I have been to CCFA meetings where patients try all different types of things (Prednisone, Remicade, and others) and nothing seems to work. I feel truly lucky and amazed at how well Humira has worked for me. I know in the future my health may have ups and downs but I believe more progress will be made in future regarding the treatment of Crohn's disease. 

Friday Afternoon Cramping

This morning I woke up with some pain in my stomach, It was a dull stabbing pain/mix with a bloated type of feeling. All this took place around 5 A.M. Today I had a meeting scheduled with a client as well and didn't want to miss it so I told myself I would try to sleep it off and get some more rest before I woke up. Well this didn't exactly happen as I was kept up by the blunt pain and just went on my computer for a little bit before heading back to bed. I called my internist and his wife answered the phone and said he was in the shower but he called me back and told me I could see him that day if things got worse. The pain was still there and I got into the shower and made the decision to go to work. Throughout today I was feeling pretty tired and had pain near my belly button it seemed like.

Honestly this episode was similar to the pain I had last Thanksgiving that I blogged about here. I don't have any other symptoms like diarrhea or anything else. In an odd way the pain feels like IBS. Before I had Crohn's my GI thought I had IBS and I took some anti spasm medication that relieved it. The best thing for me to do is just rest. The last time this happened I just slept and felt better.

Mini-Flare, Tired, Ice Pack Burn, Studying, and Stress

So I honestly have not written on the blog for quite some time. Work has been pretty busy and honestly my Crohn's has been very good (no complaints). I honestly haven't had any issues. Today however was a different story. The day started out pretty good and I even worked out for almost an hour. However, tonight after dinner when I was watching T.V. with the family I had to make some runs to the bathroom. At first the bowel movements were solid and then by the 3rd time I had to go to the bathroom they started to become looser. Now honestly this does happen on occasion so it isn't too surprising. Typically if it does occur it is on a Thursday night or Saturday night on the week before I take my Humira (I take Humira on Saturdays). Anyways, I went to the store to pick up some things I was feeling pretty tired and got some fluids to re hydrate. I also had to get some bandages as well (more on this in a bit). As I write this now by body has come back to normal and really no pain.

Stress has been a factor in my life recently. I am due to take a board exam not this Sunday but the following Sunday. Honestly, I have been preparing for this exam for a couple of years (I feel like the pressure is on). I have been studying roughly 6 hours or so a day. Of course this can ware after a while. I went to a review course the week before last and that was 8 hours per day sitting in a chair learning material. So this stress as been on me as well. The exam I take is 7 hours total. I get a 40 minute break but hope I don't have to use any of it on bathroom time. The thing I worry more about is my energy level. Staying concentrated for 6 hours for anyone is not easy.  My game plan this week is to get plenty of rest and still maintain a reasonable study schedule before I take the exam. I hope I do pass so I don't have to worry about ever taking this exam again.

As I mentioned before I had to pick up some bandages at the store. Last night I had some cramping at about midnight or so decided to stick a cold compress on my stomach. Now the problem was I put it directly to the skin which is a big no no. I woke up today and took a shower and after I showered realized it was there. I researched how to get rid of it and the advice was to warm up the skin and there might possibly be some blistering and burns (in addition to the bandages I got antibacterial ointment as well). I plan to "heat" up  my skin again to see if it goes away. The skin area around my skin looks a tad better.

Overall, I am a little tired and had a mini flare. History with me as shown this is usually temporary and disappears within 28-48 hours. I plan to gets lot of sleep this week as well to prepare for my exam. Speaking of sleep and time it is also time to set the clock ahead an hour for daylight savings time. If things changes I will post an updated post.

5 Year Crohn's Anniversary, Thanksgiving, Cramping, Feeling A Little Tired

So this past week I was on vacation from work and really enjoyed a break for once (I rarely take vacation-even when I do I only take a day or so which seems enough for me). In December I am due for another week vacation break however I have to prepare for a board exam in March 2017.  At any rate I was feeling pretty good and I had a review of my annual physical on Wednesday with my doctor and we were discussing how incredible it was that in that same week back in 2011 I was in terrible condition losing weight and very dehydrated. It was nice to look back and see how much progress I had made. Perhaps I spoke too soon...

When I woke up Thanksgiving morning around 7 a.m. I felt very tired and my whole stomach felt like it had a block of cement in it with some blunt pain. Now my bowel movements were perfectly normal however I just felt this major cramping and pain. I have my doctor's cell phone just in case and I felt that this pain warranted a call. I called him and he picked up immediately and asked me for my symptoms I told him I had some serious pain in my stomach, felt nauseated, and could barely move. He told me to see how things progress but call him back if I did vomit. I then returned to bed and slept a few more hours (I have mentioned in previous posts how I believe sleep can do wonders if you have Crohn's). Also he told me not to eat anything heavy like gravy and honestly I wasn't in the mood even to eat (more on eating later). After I got an extra few hours I felt much better (still some minor pain but a world of difference). Throughout Thanksgiving dinner I felt pretty good just tired but was able to eat everything that I wanted.

For the past couple of days I have been eating a bunch and got my appetite back. I have gained a few pounds but feel I can now shed some off (my weight is about 173 pounds-without clothes on). I  have been working out too which for some odd reason improves how my stomach feels.

Honestly, looking back I can't believe it has been 5 years since I was in the hospital. Sometimes I wonder what has changed if I were hospitalized today. My doctor told me when I saw him that sometimes Crohn's patients do exhibit joint pain when they have flares. Also he mentioned that usually you won' have an immediate flare with Crohn's (typically it takes a while for flare symptoms to come into affect. All I can say is that I am grateful everyday I am in great health. If someone 5 years ago told me I would not have any symptoms after being diagnosed I would have told them they were out of their mind.

Foltx (Vitamin B) Causing Nausea for Crohn's?

Well I haven't blogged in a while (primarily since  I have been feeling good). My Fourth of July weekend went fairly well (I ate well too with a burger and some tasty Fourth of July cookies). This morning when I woke up I was fine. However, the rest of the day seemed to be a pain. Let me go back to last night when I was in bed and really didn't sleep well. I had to do something for a client this morning and kept waking up every 3 hours thinking I forgot to do something (even though the task I had to do was fairly simple). Sleep and Crohn's never mix. I honestly believe that high quality sleep causes less stomach pain/fatigue/symptoms. When I woke up though I really didn't have any pain. Around 10 A.M. I went to the dentist for a usual cleaning and that was fine. I was still doing okay. Maybe around lunch time is when I really noticed it and started holding my hand over my stomach massaging it. 

By the time I left work I felt so exhausted (my bowel movements all say were normal-however they were green which I have seen before). I was thinking to what in my life changed and I realized that I had taken Foltx the night before. One of the side effects of Foltx is nausea which is pretty much what I felt towards the late afternoon. I got off work and ordered some chicken noodle soup and a grilled chicken sandwich. After dinner I sat in a hot bath for a while and that seems to help. In a little bit I might go to CVS for a cooling pad for my stomach. Just before I put some ice on my stomach and it felt pretty good. I think this should be a temporary issue since I don't have any loose bowel movements or anything else going on.

My life recently has been stressful due the company I work for making a transition which is a promotion for me but make me much more involved. Also I am studying for a board exam toward year end as well which gives me very little downtime/social time/resting which can be a tad depressing. I know over time this will go away after I pass the exam and once I get use to my usual work duties. 

Tonight I plan to go to bed early and relax. I actually won't study for once which is nice. Stress has seemed to be in my life lately and I am trying to reduce it. Although even though I have this minor pain I am still glad I am still in remission and always am thankful for each wonderful day I am given. 

Minor Pains This Week and A Little Blood Too

I actually haven't blogged in a while (because I have been feeling relatively well-which is always a good thing). Yesterday, when I woke up and went to the bathroom before work I noticed some blood (and had an o'crap moment-no pun intended!). This past week I have felt a little worn down and tired. Also I noticed I made a few mistakes at work that I don't usually make (I guess from being tired/some blood in my bowels). Last night I got a decent amount of sleep but still not bad to normal. Not only have I been working a lot but I have also been studying for a board exam later in the year (so lots of stress). This past week I also drank a little bit (some wine) which can lead to flare ups as well. To help the situation I have been doing my hot baths which do add some benefit (I still remember when I had many bowel movement in one day and sat in a hot bath I felt as if I was cured-for the day of course).

I take my Humira shot tomorrow night. I can't believe June 6, 2016 will mark 4 years I have been on it! I am really surprised and lucky for how great the drug has worked. Recently I heard a GI say that the longest he has seen a patient last on Humira is about 12 years. This would mean I could have another possible 8 years. These days there are more options for treating Crohn's which is always a good thing. Hopefully the FDA will continue to approve drugs to treat Crohn's which will help so many people who are struggling often times in silence.

Prostate Issues/Crohn's and Sleep

Well not this past week but the week before I had some unusual symptoms (actually not Crohn's related). On Sunday night I kept having to get up to go to the bathroom which was pretty annoying. I didn't keep track of how many times I had to go but it was probably at least 6 or 7 (usually this is how many times some Crohn's patients have to go to the bathroom for other reasons). Anyways, I thought "well maybe I drank too much water" and let it pass. The next night the same thing happened. I was only able to sleep for maybe 4 hours and felt very tired at work (the day seems like 48 hours when you don't get your sleep). I called my internist who I was able to schedule an appointment with the next day (very efficient). I went in and explained my symptoms and his first reaction was a prostate infection. I thought this was somewhat off considering I was only 29 years old and never had this type of issue before (of course stranger things have occurred). So my doctor then did a rectal exam which I had one before in graduate school and passed out. The doctor actually did a good job after I assume the position and it wasn't invasive at all. The doctor then did some blood work and a urine sample (actually I learned that it is better to do a rectal exam before the urine test since then they can see if there is any bacterial is the urine). My symptoms have seemed to pass. I actually did have a similar issue like this back in December 2012 after taking an anti-fungal drug (frequent urination was a common side effect).

Well today is good Friday and I am off today and relaxing on vacation. I feel great and feel as if I got a good amount of sleep an will continue to do so this weekend. This time of year is busy at work with tax season but I think some rest is just what the doctor ordered (I haven't had an actual break since Christmas). Good sleep, eating light, and vitamin D seem to get me in super shape. Now all I have to do is resist the Easter candy.

Update: Feeling Better No Flare/Took Humira

So in my previous post and I talked about my mini flare that I had in the prior week. I have been doing better ever since. I had felt some cramping and had a few loose bowel movements but it tended to get better towards the end of the week. My sleep has been pretty good. What is really strange is that this morning I went to sleep at around 4 A.M. and woke up around 9 A.M. and felt a little tired but not as much as I usually do (or the abdominal cramping I have when I typically don't get my sleep. 

It looks like my mini-flare was thankfully was short lived. I haven't woken up in the middle of the night for any bowel movements. Tonight I took my Humira shot and thankfully nothing leaked. I would estimate that pretty rarely do my shots leak. Thankfully I am feeling good and intend to keep this up! 

Health Update: Flare Up Friday, Sleep, Stomach Pain, and Crohn's

Well this weekend is Memorial Day weekend. Yesterday (Friday) I felt pretty tired and had stomach pain throughout the day. What was interesting however is that I really didn't have any loose bowel movements (I had maybe one or two). Add in to this the fact that the night before I woke up because I heard some popping noises in my apartment. My sleep wasn't that great which I think lead to the stomach pain. I took my Vitamin D pill on Thursday which actually I think helped out on Friday but still I felt not too great on Friday. When I came home from work I immediately sat in the tub with hot water and felt a little better. Around 5 P.M. I felt so tired I actually put on my pajamas and went to bed for about an hour. Before I fell asleep I remember a stabbing stomach pain in my stomach. After about an hour of sleep the pain went away (still some but greatly reduced). Last night I decided to eat lightly and ordered a Whataburger grilled chicken salad and had it with some dressing. What is interesting though is my weight is around 164 pounds (I was 160 a few weeks ago). I really would like to get back to 160 in order to fit into my work pants a tad easier. 

This morning (Saturday) I woke up and felt pretty good. I am scheduled to take my Humira tonight and usually I feel pretty good a couple of days after taking that. Vitamin D seems to make me feel really good. I call taking Vitamin D living life in high definition.

Feeling stomach pain made me remember to my days when I was really ill and it is somewhat burdensome to go back to that. Every day I am lucky and grateful that I have  drug that makes me feel relatively little pain. I started taking Humira almost 3  years ago and haven't looked back since. 

Dealing With A Fistula for Crohn's: Hot Baths Are The Answer

So a few weeks ago I went to my GI and was having some issues with my bottom and I thought it was a hemorrhoid.  However, after an examination it seems as if I had an anal fistula which is what I was a little worried about. I never really felt bad during the whole process however my rear did hurt some when I tried to lay down to sleep. On a Monday while I work I had to go to the bathroom and felt some type of foreign substance seems to pass in my stool which turned out to be puss from the fistula. According to my GI (puss must pass). My backside was feeling a little weird but after that I was feeling pretty good (there was some blood as well). After I saw my GI had to call him within 48 hours and let him know how I was doing. I have a follow up with him this week.

After my GI told me I had a fistula I asked what the plan was. I had been taking hot baths which probably seem to help the most out of anything. He told me to continue taking hot baths and he prescribed two antibiotics (I quickly pointed out my history of c diff and he said to take a probiotic-in order to reduce the chances of c diff).  I still remember my meeting at the Mayo Clinic on the fecal transplants where they said they really didn't have anyone catch c diff who took a probiotic before they took an antibiotic. My doctor prescribed Flagyl and Levaquin (just a note Levaquin was one of the antibiotics I took right before I was diagnosed with Crohn's) . The only side effects I have noticed was feeling somewhat dizzy and a little tired. My backside feels great and I really don't even feel anything is wrong with me. Everything I have read seems to indicate the surgery may be required (I have been looking up colon and rectal surgeons online and have a few that I will ask my doctor about).

2015 Getting Off To A Good Start!

You probably thought I got hit by a bus due to the lack of posting on my blog. I am perfectly okay and doing well however have been so darn busy with work and a designation I am trying to get. Anyways, my health is still very good. The only slight annoyance is that I have blepharitis (which is an irritation of the eyelids). An ophthalmologist I saw gave me some antibiotic drops and some scrubs which seems to have helped. Today was the first day in a while I actually wore my contact lenses for the full day and really didn't seem to have any issues. Usually it takes a few days or so before my eyes get all red again. Anyways, that seems to be somewhat under control.

My Crohn's is really under control. A few weeks ago I took my Humira shot and didn't inject it properly I think because some liquid came out (more so than normal). My stomach had cramps for the next couple of days after but slowly went back to normal. The biggest thing I have noticed is that when get 8+ hours of sleep I feel amazing. Today while I was getting my car washed I read a Time magazine article about the important of sleep (not using an iPad, iPhone, or anything else that lights up before bed was mentioned). I do have a tendency to watch T.V. right before bed and sometimes look at my iPad (on top of the fact that I also work out around 7 P.M. which is a big no no. Anyways, sleep seems to still be beneficial. 

I have my regular update with my GI in April this year and as usual I will type out my list of questions and symptoms (to try to make his job a little easier). I really have no complaints. I switched over beginning January 1, 2015 to a new insurance (my father had a group plan policy from the company he retired with and due to COBRA rules I was able to stay on until this year). The policy seems to be okay so far. The Humira I order is still covered and they are still able to ship the produce from a specialty pharmacy to me. 

So I have stopped posting updates to new therapies in Crohn's because they now seem to happen all the time!! Every day it seems as if there is a new study, new drug in trial, or new insight that was not known before. The goal of this blog has always been to inform and educate people about current and new information related to Crohn's. I think down the road as I get more time I will post more Weekend Links of some good articles (sometimes those take a while to collect). It truly is amazing how the treatment for Crohn's continues to improve and the knowledge is rapidly expanding. Hopefully, one day we will find a cure and help people and families end the pain and suffering due to Crohn's disease (and ulcerative colitis). 

Ganglion Cyst and Herrmorids..It Isn't Even February Yet!

So this past week I notice it was hard to sit down without some pain. After I typed in some of my symptoms to Google (isn't it wonderful to have a semi-doctor at your fingertips?) it appears I could have a hemorrhoid i my backside. I have had this before (I believe) and it really seems as if working out, hot baths, and drinking lots of water seem to help. The most pain I probably feel is when I lay down I can feel discomfort in my tailbone area. Every day though this week the pain as slowly gone away. Today I feel the best I have in a while and seemed to get a reasonable amount of sleep last night. On Friday I was tired most of the day (not sure why). I was thinking yesterday I would have to call my GI but the issues continues to improve so I will continue to monitor it. I usually only call my GI when I feel things are not improving and I really need help. 

So yesterday I went to an orthopedic doctor (actually his specialty was in hand surgery) to look at a bump on my wrist. I actually have known for a while what this bump is (known as a ganglion cyst). I can still remember around 2008 going to a baseball game on a date and the girl asked me what it was (like it was some alien-form). This event made me a little self-conscious about it however I really have cared less over time. The past week or so the ganglion cyst did hurt some on and off with radiating pain but really not too bad. When I first came in the nurse said the we would have to take an x-ray (I thought this was a little odd since I knew what caused it). On a separate note when I filled out the paperwork they asked multiple times if this was work related or from worker's compensation (I am pretty sure the they way they bill this is very different from the regular people like me). So I went to get the x-ray taken and the technicians asked me my age and I told them 28 and they thought I was 20. I told them I get that all the time :-) (maybe Crohn's isn't so bad after all). Anyways, the x-ray was done very quickly and then I went back to the office and the doctor had the results right then and there. So the doctor explained to me I had three options. The first was to just wait and see, the second was to aspirate it with a needle, and the third was to cut it out. We both agreed that aspirating it with a needle would be fine. He told me if it comes back in another 5 years he could aspirate it again. He put some rubbing alcohol on it and then put some freezing chemicals on it (I really didn't feel much). Then the doctor stuck the needle in my cyst and some jelly like substance came out (if you YouTube ganglion cyst you will see some fools trying to do this themselves). The feeling was kinda neat because I could see everything coming out. The only issue is I wish he would have taken more out. After all this the doctor put a band-aid on my hand and wrapped up my hand and told me not to lift anything heavy for 10 days (I have been careful every since). This morning it looks like my cyst is a lot smaller but there may seem to be a little more left (I can wait some time for this). 

In other health news I continue to have minor eye issues (my left eye today had some redness even though I haven't worn my contacts for over a week). I am not sure if it is the lack of moisture of what. The eye doctor told me I should change my contacts to daily, however I am not sure how that would fix the issue if I am still having some redness if even after I take my contacts on. 

My Crohn's seems to be under control. It seems as if I have more health issue with non-related Crohn's things than Crohn's related things. I actually didn't believe I would still be taking Humira (I thought I would have to lost a response to it by now). I take every day with as a gift and am grateful that I have my health and always in the back of my mind remember those dark days when I was in the hospital with feeling pretty lousy. I still remember my GI telling me when I got out of the hospital that on a scale of 1-10 (10 being bad) that my intestines were a 10! I wonder what grade he would give my intestines these days. 

Current Update: 5 Bowel Movements in One Day (Solid), Waking Up At Night, Humira Leaking

So the past few days have be somewhat odd health wise. Let me start with Saturday. So Saturday night I took my Humira shot and there was more leakage than normal. It is somewhat hard to inject on the stomach (even though I do have some fat). I held the pen in for a while and didn't pull away (the key is pulling it out once the color changes to yellow). Speaking of which I switched insurance companies and my GI has to pre-authorize my Humira so tomorrow I have to get him to call the company that delivers it to refill my prescription. I always get a little sad when I don't get my full Humira injection since I know the Humira is blocking the pain. Anyways most of Saturday I was pretty tired and a little irritated (I usually am this way when I don't get my sleep). Also I worked out over the weekend trying to shed some pounds. Right now I am about 169 pounds (I would prefer to be closer to 165).

Since I was tired Saturday I got some high quality sleep on Saturday night. I went to bed around midnight and woke up around 10 A.M. All I can say after this is wow what a difference! My body felt relaxed and in the zone the whole day and I really felt good.

This bring us to today. So at about 3 A.M. I woke up for no apparent reason and was wide awake. I first tried having a snack and that didn't work. After the snack I tried watching T.V. and that oddly enough did work (even though they tell you  not to watch to TV or look at your iPad before bed). Anyways I watched T.V. for about an hour and then passed out and woke up at around 8 A.M. thinking wow that sleep was way too short. It was odd though because when I woke up I strangely felt I had enough energy to last me throughout the day. While at work today I noticed the urge of having to pass gas and also having many bowel movements. Usually I track how many I have but I haven't done that in a while since I usually only have about 1-2 per day. Well today I would estimate I had about 5 bowel movements. What is interesting though is that they were all solid and seemed to be in shorts spurts. After the end of the day I felt a little light headed (I guess from all the dehydration). I felt I had lost a few pounds in the bathroom but when I weighted myself tonight it was basically no change.

My theory is that the Humira does work when I take it properly. Also sleep seems to play a role in my Crohn's as well. When I get 9+ hours (which is rare) my stomach is great but when I don't get a great rest it feels as if someone is very gently attacking it. If my symptoms continue I may go to my GI. Usually these things (especially if there is no diarrhea) come and go.

In other health news my parents think I need to get my lymp nodes checked out around my neck-I keep playing with them.