IBD update

Today was the big day that I've been waiting for since November. I had my first appointment with the IBD clinic here in town. The appointment lasted an hour and a half because of all my paperwork, etc. The GI & I went over all my surgeries, meds, doses, labs, complications, basically everything from the last eight years of my life. And after the exam, the Doc said that my fistulas are very severe, but at least someone is acknowledging that now. Good news I suppose. He scheduled me for a colonoscopy, an appointment with a colo-rectal surgeon there, a MRI (to look at the fistulas), a follow up appointment in 10 weeks, and is starting me on Humira.

Apparently they have a pretty cool program in place where a nurse comes to your house and shows you how to give yourself the injections and such, so Doc is going to check with the insurance and set that up. He also wants to play around with my meds (his terminology). He wants me to stop taking 4 meds that help to slow down the gut function. I don't know how that is going to work out. Well, heck, I guess I do know how that is going to work, if the past actually is the best indicator of future behavior. If I don't take my pre-meds before eating, then I am confined to the bathroom. But the Doc feels that the one liquid med I am on is enough. That pretty much terrifies me. If I don't take them, I CANNOT function outside of the bathroom. Oh well, I just need to slow down. Once we get back the labs (all sorts of blood work as well as the Prometheus test), he wants to move my 6MP up. I told him that my liver panels come back problematic when I go over the 50mg dose of the 6MP or the Immuran. But he is the doc, right? So I'll try the Humira for 2 good months and see how that goes. Doc also brought up some kind of anti-rejection drug that we could try if the Humira doesn't work out. Tysabri is another option that he is considering though I need more research to sell me on that one.

The other options that I have are, of course, surgical. Doc wants me to consider another ostomy or a proctolectomy. It has been my experience that surgeries suck. They require a great deal of planning, recovery time, special medical supplies, money and pain. But if it works out then it is completely worth it. I'm getting ahead of myself I know, but I am a worrier. But that is that. Now that this appointment is over I will think happy thoughts to my guts and try to put my faith in this doc.

Maybe I will finally have some real relief from my current situation. No more vomiting or nausea, bleeding ulcers, horrid stomach spams and spending hours upon hours in the restroom. I am ready to embrace healthy guts with a good quality of life, not even great, just good would be nice. Crohn's disease has taken up too much of my life already, so I will take my life back!