Mariannes Motifs

Taking my Medecine

I have always been a person who dislikes taking pills.  So its pretty ironic that every day I take a big stack of pills. The colazal I take for crohn's disease is 3 big pills 3 times a day, so when I refill my prescription its this HUGE bottle.  Pretty funny!  It keeps me feeling alot better when I remember to faithfully take all my medications, however, so I am not going to let a bit of pride come between me and better health.  I feel like I owe it to my kids and family to do what I need to do to stay as healthy as I can.  And if that means taking a big stack of pills, then so be it.

At least when the pollen dies down I can stop taking my daily allergy meds - I only take those when warrented.  I don't think I'll be looking for drug rehabs anytime soon.   I would like to try acupuncture as an alternative to pain medication, however.  If I can find a good recommendation for an Atlanta acupuncturist I will give them a try.

Free Book - 100 Questions and Answers about Crohn's Disease

Abbot laboratories is giving away an informative book about Crohn's Disease called 100 Questions and Answers about Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis. Here is the link for the page to sign up to receive the free book from Abbot.

I ordered this book last year and read it from cover to cover. It is a good book, although it is not very new and therefore does not cover some of the newest biologic treatments such as Humira. But its still a great reference, especially for a family member who wants to know what its like for the person who has IBD.

A Migraine Day

I called in sick today with a terrible migraine.  I sort of wondered for a minute if maybe the earthquake in Illinois could have triggered it.  I think I am grasping at straws here.  (Well, they say animals act weird before an Earthquake...) Its more likely my allergies and the high pollen count irritating my sinuses.

I did the old standby of caffeine (capresso sounds good) plus migraine pills.  It did not help that my neighbors are doing some sort of construction on their house and were pounding hammers, sawing and generally making a racket all day.  Argh.  And it was not a good take to have to miss work as my boss and another key co-worker were out.  But hey I can't control these things.  Really.

Are migraines and crohn's disease related?

I'm not really sure if my migraine headaches and crohn's disease are related, but they do seem to hit me at the same time.  The doc said that although migraines are not a specific symptom of crohn's, it is quite possible that a migraine and crohn's flare could trigger each other.

At any rate, today is one of those days I want to go lay on a foam mattress all day and not handle reality.  Its one of those darn "sparkly clear blue sky" days that is a sure fire trigger for my migraines.  My mom gets headaches on clear blue sparkly sky days too.  I guess we just can't handle that garish yellow ball in the sky and need to go back in our CAVES where it is cool and dark.

Marianne's migraine treatment - coffee + maxalt and if necessary add a dose of percocet.   Turn off lights and try to sleep.  Curse reality and put on Bee Movie for the 46th time in the hopes that the kids will watch quietly.  Count blessings for wonderful husband who UNDERSTANDS and keeps things going when I have one of these days.

Oh by the way the Atlanta GA Pollen Count for today is

3243

Gorgeous Gold Medical Bracelet

I found a place online that sells beautiful gold and silver medical jewelry and they will engrave your condition on them included in the price.  They also include free shipping.  The store is called Jewel Elegance.    As a Crohn's disease sufferer, I have been thinking about wearing a medical alert bracelet. And Jin has type 2 diabetes and should be wearing one for that.

But I would want something really nice looking.  I mean really, if you are going to be wearing it all the time you want a nice piece of jewelery!  This store offers lots of choices in sterling silver and all different karats of gold, too.  I love me some yellow gold, peeps!  You know it.  (Hint hint, my birthday is coming up in June!) What do you think of this one?

                

14k yellow gold medical bracelet

Sharp looking yellow gold medical alert bracelet. Engrave your bracelet with your very own text to warn others in the event of an emergency.

They also have a section of Judaica Jewelry too, neat Jewish stuff.

Crohn's Disease Resources - Healing Well Forum

The Healing Well website is an informative resource about a whole range of chronic illness.  Here is a quote from the site.

HealingWell.com features health articles, medical news, video webcasts, community message boards and chat rooms, clinical healthcare resources, email, newsletters, books and reviews, and resource link directories on a wide range of diseases, disorders and chronic illness. Health content is contributed by reputable health organizations, including the National Institutes of Health, Mediwire, e-HealthSource, and Healthology Inc.

There are forums for diseases and syndromes ranging from Breast Cancer, Lyme Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Fibromyalgia, Migraines, etc.

As a Crohn's disease sufferer, one resource that I find very helpful is the web community on the Healing Well Crohn's Disease Forum. It can be very comforting to read other people's questions, answers, complaints, and experiences with dealing with their symptoms and lives.  Its been very informative, and I have learned that there is a huge range of symptoms and ways in which this disease presents itself for different people.   Each of us seems to have a different reaction to various foods, medicines, and treatments. 

What if...

I was watching the episode of "The Practice" where they had a patient diagnosed with crohns disease. No-one believed her symptoms were real, thought she had Munchhausen syndrome, anorexia, etc.

It got me thinking about my own life. I was diagnosed with crohns only in 2006 at 38 years old but I think I may have had the disease for a long time. In my high school and college years I had been diagnosed with depression and chronic fatigue syndrome. I was sent to the psychiatrist when no tests could show what was making me so tired and achey I could not get out of bed. Now - I am not sure that what I had was crohns or only crohns at that time because I did have some other symptoms such as swolen glands which are not a symptom of crohns.  I went through so much emotionally and physically. I always felt like I did not want to complain, and I think my stoicism and mental toughness hid the level of my suffering.

At the time I actually thought I was lazy and overly sensitive.   Now, I realize that I have been functioning on about 1/2 the level of what alot of strong healthy people are at! 

I wonder what if... I was diagnosed at that time when I was in college. I would have had better medications and ways to manage my illness. I would have saved myself alot of self-questioning and emotional turmoil. But at that same time, maybe not knowing and overcoming what I did was good for me in a way. I had to come to realizations about the limits of my own strength, and how sometimes there is no easy answer and you just have to tough through the hard times until things get better.

Well... if you made it this far thanks for reading this. Wishing all of you a happy and healthy holidays and New Year. ::::MWAH:::: kisses!