Sunday, December 6, 2015

Time to Catch Up


A friend of mine just texted me.  "Do you still have the Crohn's blog?" she asked.

I was about to text her, "Yes, I do."  But then I realized that I haven't posted in more than two years. Two years!

Why have I not graced the pages of this online journal with shit-stories and tales of my colon in over two years? Because I feel great!

Shortly after my last post, when I was suffering from chronic constipation, I was placed on another regimen of azathioprine, which is known as Imuran.

And it worked this time. Like a charm.

Currently, I am taking 100 mg of the Azathioprine (Imuran) plus 30 mg of Lansoprazole (Prevacid, for my GERD).

Although I still get constipated occasionally, I feel great overall.  There are some days I don't go---kind of like before the Crohn's diagnosis.  Some days I go more than once. Interestingly, that usually occurs on weekends. (Like today: 3 times!)

I have been tracking my bathroom habits with a great app called "G.I. Monitor." This handy smartphone app tracks progress, charts "quality of life," and allows you to document your bowel movements. This includes frequency, presence of blood, urgency and form.

Currently, my "Quality of Life" is at 9.9. Yeah, me!

My average BM for the week is 1.1.

There is a lot more this app can do, but I don't use the other features. Weight loss isn't a problem for me, as it is for some who have Crohn's. So I don't use that feature. Plus, I don't track my meds or my meals, either.

This is my BM frequency over the last 6 months:


As you can see, some days I go more, some days I go less. But I am nowhere near the levels I was years ago when I could go 12-15 times a day.

Don't get me wrong, I still have Crohn's. My last colonoscopy showed it. But the symptoms are not as severe.

For the time being, anyway.  And that's the thing with Crohn's: you never know when it will rear it's ugly head again.

Until next time.

BDJ