Friday, June 18, 2010

MS Has Got Nothing on UC!

If MS and UC (Ulcerative Colitis) were to get in a fight, UC would kick MS's ass...hands down. At least, that's the case in my world. The problem is, they aren't fighting each other. UC is fighting me and, for the last couple of weeks, it's been beating me up something terrible.

Thankfully, MS has been completely invisible. Maybe it's hiding in the corner reading a book like a good little chronic illness.

This isn't the place to bitch and moan about my UC, especially, when some of you are having your asses kicked by MS, but I just wanted to post a brief update on what's going on with me since I've been so silent for a while. Here are the highlights of my last three weeks--sans all the gross details:
  • I started having a UC flare a few weeks ago but had no GI doc to call because I am a non-compliant patient. Basically, because I've been flare free for years now, I ignore the fact that I have UC. I was diagnosed in 1994 and have never had symptoms as severe as what I'm dealing with lately. At times, I've been on GI meds and I've had a lot of luck in the past with acupuncture and Chinese herbs, but for the last several years, I've done squat.
  • After a week of symptoms, I sucked it up and called my primary care physician to ask for a referral to a gastroenterologist, explaining that I no longer had a connection to a GI doc and my insurance has changed a few times since then anyway. I saw the new GI doc who put me on meds that I've had success with in the past and scheduled a colonoscopy for next month. I managed to feign surprise that it has been more than 8 years since my last one. UC patients are supposed to have a colonoscopy every year.
  • Symptoms continued and worsened and the GI doc switched me to another med. Then, I got dehydrated. Then, I spent about 7 hours in the ER on Wednesday night getting IV fluids.
  • Tomorrow, I have to have more lab tests to rule out infectious diseases and, Monday, if things haven't improved, I'll be switching to the next phase of meds.
  • And so it goes.
So, forgive me if MS is not at the forefront of my mind these days. I'm thinking of starting a blog about the UC but, for obvious reasons, it will not be public. MS is so much cooler than an inflammatory bowel disease, don't you think?

Tuesday, June 08, 2010

An Injection Haiku

Belly, butt, or thigh?
Then heat, needle, ice, and bed.
Shots sure beat relapse.