UC check up time....all good

Now, I don't know about you guys, but I'm an absolute shocker when it comes to getting blood tests done before an appointment with the gastro....and today's appointment was no exception....

As usual I didn't remember that I needed to get bloods done until last week...then I did made the usual excuses of "I'll do it tomorrow"..."plenty of time still left" etc...well no, I didn't have plenty of time ... time ran out, so this morning before breakfast and the daily dose of meds I finally made time for our local Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology collection office.  Most of the ladies there are friendly the majority of the time ... but I have had the rare instance where you get a cranky one who won't tick the bulk bill box and your stuck with a nice little out of pocket bill.  Anyway ... today I had lovely ladies ... I recognise them ... they recognise me as the patient with some weird different tests from 'normal' people ... normal is overrated :-D

So blood tests done and off the gastros at 1pm.  I love to to see my gastro when I'm feeling fine....it means she not going to want to have a little 'lookie' anywhere.  I've been seeing her now for 5 years and we have a friendly relationship..I ask her about her trip overseas at Christmas and we swap information on our kids...nothing major...just enough to be friendly.  First up..she wants to know my blood test results ... and I have to admit I only just went, so it will be another 2 weeks before she hears anything...yep..I knew that too...but she's not worried about the results ... all's looking good ... a year clear and the intestines are holding it together still with a little help from 3x imuran & 1 salazopyrin.  My gastro still can't believe that it's the little salazopyrin that could be making the difference.  She's never had anyone that 'worked' the meds and got a good result.  As I keep telling here .... we're all different and I got lucky with my combination.

I'm in and out in 10mins...a prescription and a blood test in my pocket for next time ... she wants to see me in 3 months...so of course I push it out to 4.  Can't help myself.

So those reading this who aren't in remission ... hang in there ... 2 years ago I gave up hope and felt doomed to a life where the toilet was my safe haven ... now I'm back to being able to do what I want, when I want.

I believe things happen in life and you're supposed to learn a lesson from it ... mine is not to take life for granted as mine was taken away from me and I had no choice but to be a slave to UC ... now I try to offer assistance / help to anyone that might need it ... some people I tell my story to ... some I don't ...

A year clear of symptons

For those of you who have followed my posts over the years, you'll know that lack of posts from me are a good thing ... it means I'm in remission and not thinking about UC all of the time....

Looking back 3 years ago I was in a mess with UC with no visibility to a pathway out.  I look back now and often wonder how and why it got such a hold of me.  My only answer is stress and how my mind played on that to keep me in the vicious cycle of UC.

I'm still on the same meds I started last Jan and still living the UC clear dream.  However I got to this point, I am eternally grateful for an ordinary life.

Relief - nothing there

I was supposed to have my colonoscopy on 26th July, but decided to bring it forward by 2 weeks as I just needed to get it over and done with.  Yep, you read me right...I brought it forward.  I just couldn't bear to have to sit and think and worry about it any longer, so I made the call about 4 weeks ago to bring the date forward to 12th July.  Yep, that was a few weeks ago now, so I'm done with it!

I do have to say though, the day before the procedure, I was cursing myself for bringing it forward.  Anyone who has done this procedure will know exactly what I mean.  I hate the prep drink.  This time I took the 'fleet' route.  My GI doesn't recommend it, but I'm quite stubborn now about what I will and won't do, so I got my own way and didn't have to drink 3 litres of that other crappy stuff.

Anyway, long story short, I had a little incident with blood pressure...I told them not to let me get cold...blood pressure drop, heart starting racing...they got a little worried..I came to and wondered what all the fuss was about.

Done and dusted now, no more colonoscopies for another 2 years.

Results showed nothing major....just the scaring which needs to be watched.

So I've now been in remission for 6 months.....

I'm happy with that.  It was a long time coming....

Colonoscopy time again - eeekkkk!

I hate the thought of having to have a colonoscopy and that time has just come around again!  July 26th to be precise.

The thought of the prep fills me with trepidation.  How long will it take to work? Then the constant back and forth to the bathroom!

I'm scared up to the point when they are just about to put you to sleep and then the fear of the results when you wake up.

Last came I came around, I saw my GI immediately and shouted across the room at her.."Do I have cancer?"...I couldn't help myself and up until that very point in time, I hadn't realised how scared I was.

This time around I feel even more scared about the results.  I fear the worst as thing have been 'normal' lately.  Good things always come to an end. 

Yes, sorry, I'm pretty negative about my future at the moment and I have no reason to be.

The power of positive thinking goes out the window in the lead up to the hospital visit.  

Any ideas on how to lift this dark cloud?

Amalgam Fillings and Ulcerative Colitis - Is there a link?

"Mercury is one of the most toxic substances on the earth, surpassed only by plutonium, according to Dr. Paul Gilbert of the Academy of General Dentistry. Mercury amalgam dental fillings have been used in the United States and UK since 1833 and 50 percent of their composition is toxic liquid mercury. Mercury poisoning is pervasive, affecting the entire body, according to well-known advocate of amalgam removal, Dr. Hal Huggins. Recovery from mercury poisoning is long and tedious."

So my question is to all you UC suffers....Do you have amalgam fillings? 


I know mercury is extremely dangerous but hadn't actually made the link between UC and mercury fillings before until 2 days ago when I went to see Greg Emerson who specialises in Nutritional and Environmental Medicine.


I'd just about sat down in the chair for the 1hr long consultation when I was asked to open my mouth so Greg could have a look in.  He started counting my amalgam filling and given the fact I grew up in the 70's in the UK, I have a mouth full of amalgam fillings - 10 in total of which I'd say 5 are really big fillings.


So to cut a long story short, he basically said I needed to have all the mercury fillings removed before he could treat me any further.  Apparently Root Canals also pose issues for your health.


Greg Emerson showed me the following video - Smoking Teeth = Poison Gas - and based on this, I have decided to proceed with having my fillings removed in the hope it will cure my UC for ever.  I also have a gold crown that needs to be looked at as it may contain mercury and as you may have seen in the video - gold and mercury is a big no no! 


I have found a Holistic dentist to remove my 'silver' fillings as a "normal" dentist may expose me to more mercury when he drills out my teeth. Yes, of course it's going to cost me a fortune to have all this work done, but I have actually been thinking about having these fillings changed for quite a while now and if I do manage to rid myself of colitis, what a miracle that would be.  Yes, you are hearing the skepticism now, as how many times have I thought I might have found the cure, only to be disappointed.  But for me, this could be a win win situation.  I have had these fillings in my mouth for the last 25 - 30 years and they have been leaking into my body and maybe this is what is causing me all my problems and ulcerating my colon.  It does kind of make sense!  What have I got to loose?  Yes cash, but at least I'll have a nice white mouth.


I hate dentists with a passion, as some of you may have read in my previous blogs, but I'm going to do this.  My first consultant is on 4/4 so I'll let you know how it goes.  If anyone has heard of the mercury / UC link or of has any theories, please let me know.


And finally, here's a link to another story I found - Amalgam Removal Ends Colitis.  Again I'll be the skeptic until proof is supplied...unfortunately, previous experience shows that people trying to sell you something are out to make a quick buck.  But here's hoping!

Summer is nearly over

Time really does fly.... thats us nearly half way through February already!  I honestly do think, the older we get the quicker time goes and I do wonder if I really appreciate my life enough.  I remember my Dad saying a few years back, that although he was 75, in his mind he felt in his 20s-30s, but his damn body was the thing letting him down.

Maybe that is why I was given this crappy disease to try and make me appreciate life to the full instead of squandering it away.  In times of remission (even if short) I certainly do appreciate being able to go places and not having to panic too much if I can't see a toilet straight away.  That doesn't mean I don't find out where the toilets are...just in case!

I also wish I could make travel plans for the future without first panicking over whether I'll be ok to do a plane ride or not.  I want to go back to Canada skiing again next winter and I'd love to spend some time in New York, all I need is the courage to book the flights and accommodation.

I'm getting there though.  If I can just keep this UC at bay for most of the time I might just make that trip next year!

I don't think I've mentioned this before, but I'm going to see a guy in Brisbane called Dr Greg Emerson - http://www.drgregemerson.com/ - he's quite famous in his field apparently.  His waiting list is 7 months long, so I'm hoping for a cancellation by Easter.  If any of you have heard about him, please let me know either way as he's very expensive and I hate to be wasting money on a lost cause.

How much would you give for a 'normal' life?

5 years into this crappy disease, I often wonder what it would be like to be 'normal' like everyone else again. But what is normal anyway and is it all really only a facade? People put on such false faces all the time and why, just to look better in front of other people or pretend they have more than they really have. What a lot of wasted effort. UC unfortunately teaches us all about humility. I don't even know how many little 'accidents' I have had in the last few years, but each time it happens in public I deal with it and clean myself up and deal with the pity others show for me. How humiliating but with it comes inner strength. So maybe I'm richer for my own type of 'normal' life but no, I wouldn't wish it anyone else.

Update on life :D

As I sit here typing I have the unfortunate pleasure of listening to Duff-Duff music from a teenagers party next door on a working week night close to 11pm !!  My brain is saying "Shut the F@$! Up your little shits as I need to be up at 6am, but my heart says let them have fun...they are young..their parents (one an ex MP) are away and it's summer holiday time here....come 1am though my head will be telling me to just call the police the get them to be quiet if it's still going!!

Oh good god..we've now switch to Dexy's Midnight Runners and "Come on Eileen"..well at least the DUFF DUFF has gone.

I had my GI appointment yesterday and still no mention of the dreaded Colonoscopy procedure...so I'm sorry...but I'm not asking for that procedure ... she'll have to tell me it's time!  'Chicken' - I know, 'Get it over and done with' - I know, 'See how everything is hanging in there' - it hasn't been!  It's angry and inflamed.

I did however tell the GI the facts as things stand right now and we're making a few med changes just to see what happens over the next 5 weeks.  I can still work though and I'm getting through the days without too many 'OMG...run!'

Life isn't that bad really....it could be worse I could be a spotty teenager going through all that hormonal stuff again!

Happy New Year to all that read it.

........ and just in case your the same age as me and have had the memories of your teenage years brought back by the thoughts of Dexy...here's the link to the tune :D - Dexy's Midnight Runner - Come on Eileen

but here are links to some of my favourite songs from the 1980's and the good old days :D

Visage - Fade to Grey
Icehouse - Hey Little Girl
Ultravox - Vienna
The Human League - Don't You Want Me  - I grew a rat's tail because of them too!!!! :D
The Boomtown Rats - I Don't Like Mondays

there's plenty more...but you go find your own :D .... ah...the 80's ....when boys wore makeup and had perms and nobody thought that was strange .... I loved the 80's!!!

On the edge

You know when your on the precipice ...and you really don't want to fall over it...well that's me and my UC on my 6 months anniversary of using Imuran.  I was actually hoping I would be symptom free by now, but maybe that just me asking for the world again.

So here's the state of affairs after 6 months on Imuran

• Months 1 to3 - slowly the tables started to take affect and I was able to get off the pred after 2 long years being on it and loosing half my hair
• Months 4 and 5 - looked like things were on the up...no symptoms
• Month 6 - Some bleeding, occasional urgency - bugger...was hoping that all had gone

The good news is that it's not gotten any worse as I would have expected by now, so I'm hoping the meds are sort-off holding it in check and it's my current stress levels and lack of sleep causing me to slightly digress.

So what to do now...we'll I'm going to do a version of the SCD diet again to see if 2 things will happen.  The first being a get rid of the blood and the second is to loose some weight.  Now that I've been better gut wise, that means weight gain and with Christmas and summer just around the corner, I need to loose some weight within the next 6 weeks or I'm going to be disappointed with my self and my lack of discipline chocolate and chip wise!

I've got an appointment with my GI on Wednesday and I'm really hoping she'll not bring up the dreaded colonoscopy just yet...but I know it's coming soon...it's only a matter of time now.  I know I shouldn't put it off and yes, she really does need to have a look there soon...but please just don't ask me to do it just yet as I've already decided I can't say no and offer up a lame excuse.

Hope you guys are all hanging in there and life isn't too bad.  If we can't beat the bugger, let's not let it pull us down! 

FINALLY!!!!

Yep, it's been a while since I posted, but with work and the kids and coming home, it's been busy busy busy.

What a few months! Landed a great job in a great team. Kids doing well back in school. House back to nearly normal. Just UC to deal with.

On the UC side of things, I can't believe it. I think I'm finally back into remission after a long 2 years on Pred. My saviour (with some side affects) is Imuran. I'll risk the side affects if my life is back to semi normal. You still get the odd "OMG toilet run" moment, but that for me seems to be down to eating food that does not agree with me...a bit of IBS I think.

I was reflecting with my husband my UC life and he reminded me of the time just before UC when I went through a very angry period. Looking back I wonder if this was part of the UC. Did something change chemically in my body with kicked off a chain of events that lead to UC 2 years later? There were various UC initial symptoms from about a year before the big UC attack.

Anyway, if any of you can remember a very angry period in your life before the onset of UC, please can you let me know. I'm going to talk to my GI next week about this to see if she has heard it from anyone else who had an initial angry stage before UC onset.

We all go through so many stages with UC. I'm just happy I made it back to this stage no matter how long it lasts! I need this time just to feel semi normal again and no matter what happens next I know I can cope!

A day off work and hitting hippy country :D

Hi all - I'm back to reality with a bump, but life is good in Brisbane. Got a job fairly quickly (too quickly for my liking really!!!) and normality reigns again.

Winter here is brilliant with average day time temps of 20C. For most 'Brits' here it's the best time of the year. Lovely clear blue skies and dry.

So today we took a drive to Byron Beach as I have 2 days off work and the kids are on holiday. Saw no whales heading north to the warmer waters, but great day out. Played pétanque (french boules) on the beach and took a trip up to the light-house.

Byron Beach is the most easterly point of Australia. The longboarders arrived there in the 1960s. This was the beginning of Byron Bay as a tourist destination, and by 1973, when the Aquarius Festival was held in Nimbin, its reputation as a hippy, happy, alternative town was established. It still has some of that charm, but as with everything, the 'rich' folks have also discovered it and things have moved on from being laid back to a more commercial. Still a nice place to visit though.

UC wise I'm now on Imuran. Yep there's side effects and it can take 3-6 months to fully work. I'm 2 months in and seeing some improvement, but we'll wait and see if remission is achieved once the preds are stopped for good in a few week. Tried to get off them 2 weeks back and ended up in a bit of trouble so I restarted them and I'm not down to 10mg a day.

I'll post again within the next 2 months as by then I should know if this latest drug is working. Fingers crossed again.

Nicotine gum - a possible lead to remission?

So I used to be a smoker way back in 2000 and quit to start trying for a baby. Quitting was relatively easy for me as I fell pregnant very quickly, so restarting smoking was not an option.

I wasn't what you'd call a heavy smoker, but would have between 5 - 10, 1mg cigarettes a day with 10 being a night on the town fuelled with beer and champagne. (Oh for those days pre kids and a mortgage...oops I digress)

All up I'd say it really took me about 7 years to really get over the addition. Often when people smoked I'd want one, but I never allowed myself to give me, so me starting nicorette gum to try to get my UC into remission comes as a bit of a surprise and was not a decision I took lightly.

I actually read a couple of articles last year about the possible benefits of nicotine and Ulcerative Colitis, but the thought of restarting smoking was not something I was willing to consider.

The nicotine thing sat in the back burner of my mind until this week, when after a "little accident" on my first week back to work, the sudden idea of giving nicorette gum a go came to me.

So on Friday 6th May, I started my trial with just 1 piece of 4mg gum. From then, my daily dosage will then be 2 x 4mg nicotine gum (once about 1 hr after breakfast and once in the afternoon) for the next 3 weeks. After that I'm not sure. I do intend to reduce the mg as I do release this can not be used for ongoing maintenance without varies other side affects kicking in.

The scary thing is that this might actually work. In just over 2 days I have seen a change, but be warned I have seen changes before with other things I have tried, only to see them fail within a week. This one I am a bit more confident about, but we'll see....I'm for ever the optimistic pessimist.

I'm not advocating anyone use nicorette gum to see if they can get their UC under control, I just want to share what I am doing. It may or may not help me in the longer time to gain remission, but I have to give it a go just in case. I'll keep you posted. In the meantime, please read the health warning below as you need to be aware of possible side effects if you do decide to try it.

If anyone has tried this approach whether successful or not, please let me know.

P.S. Just rejoined the workforce this week after a 2 year sabbatical....now that was a hard week. Oh to win the lottery!

How do I use NICORETTE^® Gum?

As per - http://www.nicorette.com.au/product-range/gum/

NICORETTE® Gum is not an ordinary gum so you should not chew it constantly. To make sure you get the most from your NICORETTE® Gum, use the NICORETTE®chewing technique.

Health effects of nicotine

As per Wiki - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicotine_gum

Nicotine is a vasoconstrictor; it constricts arteries, making it harder for the heart to pump blood through the body. Repeated nicotine exposure contributes to accelerated coronary artery disease, acute cardiac ischemic events, andhypertension Additionally, studies have shown that nicotine exposure contributes to stroke, peptic ulcer disease, and oesophageal reflux. Further, nicotine may cause wounds to heal more slowly and may be associated with reproductive toxicity. Moreover, nicotine can cause the body to release its stores of fat and cholesterol into the blood.

Nicotine replacement therapies, such as nicotine gum, that were used for long periods of time may be associated with an increased risk of contracting oral cancer among people who have a specific gene mutation in their mouth, according to a study done at University of London.

Muscle control

Two unpleasant symptoms which affect some new users, and existing users who make excessive use of nicotine gum, are hiccups and a perceived constriction of the throat muscles, as accidental swallowing of saliva containing high amounts of nicotine may cause irritation.

Gum disease

Prolonged nicotine chewing gum use may also cause gum disease. Nicotine constricts blood vessels, including those of the gums, which has led to speculation that long-term use of nicotine gum may contribute to risk for gum disease. However, one clinical study has found no connection between 15 weeks of nicotine gum use and oral health.

I'm home

Well, it's been a long 2 years. I've had my ups and I've had my downs in France, especially trying to deal with Ulcerative Colitis, but I've survived and now I'm back home in Australia.

So medicine wise I'm down to 15mg Pred. I'm trying to get it down as low as possible with loosing bowel control. There's still bleeding, not a lot, just a tiny bit. This time around I never really got totally rid of the bleeding, except when I was on 50mg. I'm not keen to go up that high for a while at least anyway.

I've been back in Oz for 2 weeks now, so I'm hoping that the stress of the move and everything else will start to lesson as life get back to normal. This in turn I hope will make my bowel start to behave a bit better. Time will tell. Fingers crossed (again!!!).

It's funny, being back home. It's like 2 years in France never happened. You know when you come back from holiday, sometimes it hard to believe that you were ever away...like a dream...very strange. I never thought that 2 years overseas would feel like that. I also can't believe that it went by that fast.

Don't hold your breath though if you think that now I'm home I'll stop whinging about UC. If anything I might get worse as I know the doctors and specialist know exactly what I'm saying :D

OMG!!! ...now hair loss

So this is something that I have just noticed...you may remember form previous posts that way back on Sept 09 when I went for my first French haircut, that she basically cut my hair a lot shorter than I'm used to an since then I have been trying to grow my hair back to the longer length it was. For the past 18 months though my hair has been really dry and I put that down to the climate here. Because of that I got it regularly trimmed and keep it in a short bob up until December 2010 when I decided it was time to grown it longer again in readiness for going home where it often in a ponytail due to the heat and humidity in summer.

Well, imagine my surprise a few weeks ago when I tried to put it into a ponytail and finally realised that I have probably lost over 1/3 of my hair. I always had loads of the stuff, to the point were I used to ask the hairdresser to thin it out. I have no idea exactly when this started happening and have only just come across an article last night which seems to suggest predisolne is the cause. Didn't know of that little side effect!!

I restarted Pred again last December, but that also coincided with a trip to the hairdressers that wrecked a heap of hair due to over processing, so I didn't make the connection with predisolne until now. It's been over 3 months and the hair I had expected to grow back hasn't.

So a little research last night lead me to discover this...some people lost about 1/3 of their hair over the course of 6 weeks while tapering down on pred. When their hair grew back, it grew back curly instead of straight and the texture was different.

OMG!!!

Well, I'm tapering down...although I severely doubt I'll get off Pred as I'm bleeding already at 30mg and have been since I tried to drop to 40mg. Once I get back to Australia I have an appointment with my GI, but that isn't until 10th May. A long wait time. Oh well, what can you do?

Another thing I've read is that in general medicines can affect hair loss. Maybe it is Pred, maybe it's not, but I'm missing a heap of hair!!! .... hopefully it will grow back soon...we're leaving here on Friday, so hopefully by 7.30pm on Saturday night, I'll be about to arrive back on home soil :D ....maybe I'll even get back into remission after 2 years of hell...well a girl can dream :D

Ever started an e-mail with "Bullshit"?

Ever started an e-mail with "Bullshit"? ... well I hadn't until the other day:D

So here's what happened.... I put an onine order in for 5 magnet fridge magnets...just 12cm x 4cm..plastic..not heavy...you get the gist? They came to a total of $34.75 (USA dollars) and along with that I paid an additional $12 (USA dollars) for postage to France. That's a fair enough postal cost I reckon. I paid for this on a debit card and only put enough money onto the account to cover costs. I do payments this way when I haven't done business before with overseas companies I'm ordering from. Previously I've had to cancel credit cards as funds have been deducted without my approval and for me this is the easiest way to handle it now.

So here's the e-mail I got 2 weeks after I put in my order...

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Dear Paula,
Thank you for your order. It is ready to ship, but because of the size and weight, the cost to ship your order is $40.00 through Fed Ex or $35.54 through USPS. You have paid $12.00. Please let me know how you would like us to ship your order and if the additional amount is okay to add to your credit card.
Thanks,

Sommer Brant
Customer Service


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HHMMMMMM...well that wasn't the actual words I thought ....and here's my reply

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To: Sales
Subject: RE: New Order # 5200002165


BULLSHIT!
No I am not willing to pay extra when you advertise that for my cost of order the shipping cost is $12.00. Please explain how you think you have the right to charge me more! I have a copy of your website shipping costs advertising the price. Refund my money immediately as this is false advertising before I take further action!!



Paula

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In the mean time, I'd contacted my debit card company and asked them what I could do in situations like this and if there was any way of getting my money back, to which they replied yes and started the process for me. I did however get a reply back from the company, with an apology, but realistically, the damage was done.

As you can see from the e-mail below, they were able to reduce the size of the packaging. But the point is why couldn't they have done that in the beginning and saved all this hassle. Why would I pay more for postage than the actual cost of the contents?

I cancelled the order and got all my money back, including all bank charges.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
From: Dawn
Subject: New Order # 5200002165

Paula,
I apologize that you were contacted about paying more money for shipping. You are correct, our website does not say anything about charging more money for shipping. All shipping costs are based on the size and weight of the box. I took your package back to our shipping department and asked them to re-package it in a smaller box so it would be less expensive to ship. We were able to reduce it to about half the size of the original box. If you’d like to continue with your order at no additional shipping charge please let me know and we will ship it today via USPS otherwise we will cancel and refund your order.

Warm Regards,
Dawn
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Oh well, all's well that ends well and the debit card is the way to go.

What a month

Nearly time to go home :D - I'm so excited :D - 1 car and 1 house gone, just one more car to go next week. In less than 15 days I'll be back home in my own house in my own little suburb and life might get back to "normal" again. Well, as "normal" is to me :D

Like I said before (many, many times)...life in France has had a few downs, but there has been ups along the way. If only I hadn't have had UC to deal with...but heck...life might have been a bit boring then and I might never have gotten to appreciate certain things in life.

Do you ever wonder why were were given this crappy disease to cope with? Sometimes I reckon it's to make me a better person, but bloody hell, was I really that bad a person to begin with? Jez, I'd never want to inflict this disease on anyone, no matter how much I hated them! Hate isn't probably the right term...but you know what I mean!

But, without the UC, I would never have agreed to come to France ... without the UC, I would never have met some of the lovely people that I had ... without the UC, I would never have gotten to learn to drive like this mental French people in Provence, without the UC, I would never have learn't to curse in another language and without the UC, I would never have had such much fun there in the 'good' months. So yeah, I have a lot to be grateful to UC for. I still want rid of this damn disease though!! Can someone please "beam me down" a cure please!!

Spare a thought for someone else

I've been thinking all this week about all those poor people in Japan. My life is absolute bliss compared to the hell some of those people are going through right now.

The sad thing is that they have years of this ahead of them to deal those. All those villages along the coasts just wiped out and thousands of people died. How do the ones left recover from this?

So spare a thought for everyone worse off than you...because even with our crappy disease...we're a hell of a lot better off.

How do you know when it's time

How do you know when it's time to go get the op?

So I asked my neighbour this question last month and the answer was, "You just know". Well, I don't know.

How much pain do I need to be in? Should I wait until the doctor tells me its time? Should I wait for the first signs of cancer?

I'm hoping that I never have to have this operation, but reality is that I will at some stage. I want the miracle!! I don't want the op.

I was reading a story the other day about Freddie Mercury and it stated that is only Freddie could have survived another year, the advances in medicine and especially in the treatment of HIV and AIDS could have saved him.

I know UC is not on the same level as Aids, but I keep hoping that if I can survive with colon intact for a bit longer, then the medical world might actually have the break through that we need.

2 years on

I've learnt a lot about myself in 2 years ... some of which I'll never admit to publicly neither, but at least I know. I never was able to relax here in France ... too many things where against me ... but heck I did have fun when I was on the preds.

As long as I'm safe in my house in the flare-ups times then friends were always welcome to come over. We head home for a quick "sort the house out" trip in 2 weeks and life is certainly on the up. I got a doctor here to give me all the meds I wanted. Believe me I was truly surprised...I must of had that look on my face that scares the crap out of people when I get forceful. Doctors 0 - Paula 1 on this occasion :D ...

I only came out of remission when this whole trip started..so maybe stress is my trigger...let's see how I'm going come April when I'm home for good.

2 years is along time away from home...especially my home town of Brisbane...it got a bit wet last week, but in true Aussie spirit, Queenslanders don't stay down for long ... I wish I was at home to help out all those poor families though...so much loss and destruction.

Next time you are feeling down, just think to yourself, I'm still here and kicking and can do something about it.

Good News

Ah, maybe I will get lucky as today I had the best news and I got a working Apple Mac Pro back :D and I also got a new Ipad for Christmas as my husband felt bad for me the the really old laptop I was using.

It could be a sign that things are turning a corner for me. I'm into signs...always looking for them..good or bad :D

Christmas Day night saw a very bad case of UC..it was so awful I had forgotten the pain and the toilet running. I as up for hours. But thanks to my stash of preds, everything is again staying put and we'll see what the first real 'movement' is like maybe by tomorrow :D.

Can't say what kicked it off but it could be prawns, a tiny bit of champagne, a mince pie or some chocolate ice-cream. I had so many different things that I don't normally have now, that's it hard to tell for definite.

So I have discovered a couple of new things...I blame myself for everything that goes wrong, even if I don't cause it directly myself. So I'm going to try and work on that one. I realised today that I've been punishing myself since Oct over the broken Mac, maybe if I hadn't have done that, but I did, so there you go.

So what next for me for 2011..... well, try to be more positive and get this UC under control and get back to Oz and get a job :D