Finding the Humor In It...

So I told my husband "Babe, we need a funny line for our team t-shirts for the Take Steps-Walk for Crohn's and Colitis."

And he came up with a bunch! He's so good to me! I picked the two that made me laugh the hardest, drew an intestine with a black sharpie marker and ...for your enjoyment, here are the final products. The front and back of our team t-shirts!

Some people would think walking around in a t-shirt showcasing a small bowel may be odd...not my family!

For all you IBD peeps out there- here is another story to make you laugh. Last Friday I had my second colonoscopy in two months. I remember nothing about the first one except going in. I was totally out of it! When I woke up I had a full blown convo with my Doc, yet I couldn't recall a thing later on- good thing my hubby was there to talk to the doctor so he could dictate to me what was discussed!

The same thing happened last week... but it gets better! I went in at 6:30AM, was out of the colonoscopy by 8:00AM, home asleep by 8:30AM. Since my hubby works until 4:00AM- he also went to sleep.

Then I wake up an hour later in a FULL BLOWN PANIC! "Honey, we missed the colonoscopy! What are we going to do?!? Wake up! Wake up! Oh my god!" Tears in my eyes. Had I done the crappy prep the night before all for nothing?!? It took a good five minutes for him to talk me down and convince me we had already gone to the procedure and come home....awesome.

Super Fast Digestive Tract!

I have found that my commitment to my disease is cyclical. When I got diagnosed I read everything, did everything I could...and then over time, it just became an inconvenient disease that took away my activities and landed me in the loo. And then it comes back to haunt you if you have not been carefully monitoring your system or perhaps, like in my case, you attempt to go off all of your meds (for personal or financial reasons) and then it bites you in the bum.

So, all of the sudden I am 25 yrs old, want a family, and should not even be attempting to get pregnant because I have active Crohn's and it is spiraling out of control. So I am back in the game! My GI says to me "You know you have to go back on medicine, right?" And I just tear up... I loved removing those toxins from my body. But it will not do me or my future babies any good to start off in the heat of the flareup. You start collecting more information, being open-minded about alternative treatments and start putting your trust back in your doctors. Back to Step 1.

Step 1:

Admit there is something wrong with your digestive system and make a significant effort to determine what is going on so that you can move on with your life.

If it helps- visualize!

Sad, ulcerated small bowel: Now you know why it hurts!

Happy, healthy duodenum

Step 2:

Seek out the advice and consultation of experts. This step involves a number of invasive and horrific tasting tests. (But nothing a little flavor pack can't help:)

Step 3:

Play around with (in a safe and controlled environment) all the possible options to heal you.

What do these tests include? If you are new to Crohn's Disease, chances are you have a scheduled appointment for one of these tests just around the corner, or you just went through a slew of them! If you are old school Crohn's, you already know all this. Here are a few of the tests most commonly used to diagnose and monitor Crohn's Disease (from the perspective of a recent patient). If you have any thoughts or feedback on these tests or your own experiences, please share!

1. Blood tests: to search for elevated white cells which could mean infection/inflammation OR to search for decreased red cells which often means anemia; in addition, blood tests can helf identify nutritional deficiencies (ie. calcium, D, B12, etc.) A good blood witch can make all the difference!

2. Barium X-rays: the upper GI series includes drinking a chalky white barium shake, hopping up on the x-ray table and taking a series of x-ray shots as the liquid travels down from the stomach and into the small intestines. As explained by the technician on my last visit, most people take 1 photo every 30 minutes or so, as the liquid slowly progresses in your system and the tests lasts 2-3 hours. Superfast digestive tract- I was up on that table every 8 minutes!!! Done in 40 minutes! Phew! Warn them if you are fast or they might miss it and you will have to start over!!! Ewwwwwww...

Barium x-rays may also be administered through a barium enema, in which the doctor is looking for pictures of the colon, terminal illeum, etc.

What are they looking for? Ulcerations, fistulae, narrowing of the bowel, you know anything that isn't perfect, pink healthy tissue!

3. Colonoscopy (and/or Endoscopy): You prep the day before by drinking what you can only imagine as the worst jug of crap you will ever have to drink, although it is deceiving and looks like water. I believe it is 4 L total. Pat yourself on the back if you can get through 50%! Then you spend time on the toilet, catching up on your reading. The next morning you are admitted to the hospital and are sent to dreamland. The actual procedure is painless, done before you know it! Sometimes you will be groggy, slow-moving, but that is simply from being put to sleep. If you have an endoscopy, your throat may be a bit sensitive when you wake up.

What are they looking for? ulcers, areas of inflammation, questionable tissue to biopsy

Flexible viewing tubes allow digital video and photography to capture your insides at their best and worst. This procedure allows for a more detailed look, grabbing biopsies, and identifying the true degree of the disease. Note: Bring a friend- the doctor will follow up with you after the procedure and I guarantee you will not remember anything he/she says to you!

4. CT Scans: x-ray technique where you drink chalky barium substance again, lay down on a cold, hard surface and pass through a tube-like entrance, holding your breath whenever the technicians tell you to.

What are they looking for? A full view of the entire abdomen and pelvis.

To read more about these tests and why they are performed, check this Medicinenet article out.