Good morning! Happy Hump Day! I hope your day is off to a great start!
Murphy literally RAN back to bed after he ate his breakfast this morning. Apparently, he’s not a fan of Wednesdays.
Breakfast
This morning’s breakfast was an oldie, but goodie: Van’s waffles with Teddie peanut butter and banana slices. It hit the spot!
After I finished making my breakfast, I shared the peanut buttery knife with Murphy.
I hope it made his morning a little bit better!
Please note the peanut butter smeared all over his nose. Haha! So cute!
My Colonoscopy Results
Yesterday afternoon, I headed into Boston to meet with my GI doctor to go over the results of my colonoscopy. As soon as my doctor saw me, he gave me a hug and asked me how I was doing. I have never, in my nearly 33 years of life, been hugged by a doctor. Not that I’m complaining, but his gesture really surprised me. Obviously, it made me feel like he cared, but it instantly calmed my nerves about hearing the results of my colonoscopy. I told Mal about this when I got home later that afternoon, and he replied, āWell, you guys are like butt buddies.āĀ Haha! Obviously.
So, my colonoscopy resultsāĀ¦ are you ready for this? My doctor told me my colon looked ācompletely healthyāĀ and even āperfect.āĀ He didn’t see any ulceration or inflammation. Hooray!!!
Ok, you’re probably wondering: HOW can that be? Mal asked the same question last night, so let me explain.
My colon started bleeding again in early January, so I’ve been on some pretty sweet drugs since then that mellow out my immune system (Prednisone aka steroids) and decrease the inflammation in my colon (Colazal and Canasa). These drugs have had about 14 weeks to work their magic, so now my colon is looking and acting great, which means I’ve felt completely healthy for many weeks now.
Unfortunately, I can’t stay on Prednisone forever (it has some really terrible side effects), so I’ve been slowly weaning myself off for weeks now. I’m down to 5mg, which means I’ll be totally off steroids in less than 2 weeks. The last time I went off Prednisone in December, my colon spazzed out and I started bleeding again. My doctor prescribed me a new drug (Apriso), which acts differently in the colon (than Colazal), so, HOPEFULLY, I will stop taking the steroids and this new drug will keep my colon happy. If not, there are some scary drugs on the horizon, but I’m staying POSITIVE that the new drug will work.
Limited Edition BIC Bands
If you’re looking for a way to support the families of those who suffered in the Boston Marathon tragedy last week, BIC Bands has created a limited edition headband. The entire purchase will go directly to The One Fund.
#ZOOMANation Meetup at Lululemon Georgetown
For those of you in the Georgetown area, ZOOMA is hosting a meetup this weekend on Saturday, April 27th!
For locals and out-of-towners alike, this is an opportunity to grab some swag, talk running, and hang out with fellow ZOOMA lovers. Check out giveaways from Muscle Milk Light, ZOOMA, Lululemon, and possibly more!
More details here.
Question of the Day
What do you think of your doctor?
Has your doctor ever gone above and beyond to make you feel comfortable?
100 Comments
Your positive attitude and outlook on your condition is so inspiring. I’m sure a lot of people with ulcerative colitis are benefiting from your healthy approach! Glad to hear that your colonoscopy had great results š
I think I barely visited the same doctor twice, since thank God I never have serious issues and I was moving so much in last 4 years (4 countries, 5 cities) that when the check up time comes ,I am already moved. Nowdays, the best that a doctor in Germany can do to make me comfortable is to speak English š
Back in March my gyn had given me some surprising results which shook me up quite a bit, as I didn’t expect them. When I was able to calm myself and leave the examine room, she gave me a hug and told me everything would be fine. Last week she called me and confirmed that everything in fact was fine…but boy, that hug back in March made all the difference!
Tina!!!! I’m on Apriso right now!! I’ve been on it since January since I was diagnosed with mild Crohn’s & seriously, it is a life saver. I have not experienced any negative side effects & it’s amazing the difference it’s made on my colon health. I went from constant bathroom trips to almost complete regularity. Of course I still have a few problems, but overall, I think Apriso is great!! I hope that you have the same luck & I’m glad that you’re feeling better!!! š
Congratulations, Tina! š
So happy to hear that your colon is healthy! I too, suffered from UC, and know how miserable it can be. I’m sure your healthy lifestyle is helpful to keep inflammation down. It’s great you haven’t had negative effects from prednisone, it can be really nasty. I had a horrible moon face from it, but was on a high dose (probably 40-50mg) at the time. Ugh! Unfortunately, I had to go to those scary drugs that you mentioned and although they worked great for me for a while, eventually they stopped working š I had to have a total colectomy in Jan 2011. It was a really rough road for all of 2011 but I’m doing much better now – and am 5 months pregnant! I agree on how important it is to have doctors who care – my GI is out of MGH and my surgeon was at the Lahey and I love them both so much, and have gotten many hugs from them! It makes all the difference! All the best to you for your continued good health!
You too! And congrats on your pregnancy! š
My doctor is HOT and it’s a handicap. I could never talk about any type of embarrassing issue because he’s youngish and gorgeous. Being French helps too. š He is a fantastic, thorough doc. Things work a little differently here and you don’t always get anything to cover up with for chest xrays (for my residency card), so I’m always confused about the etiquette on what to take off. Last visit, I had a pulled back muscle and he tells me to take my shirts off. I had three layers, so I was like “Well, how many of my shirts?” Totally serious question. Guess he meant all? He just tucked my tank top into my bra and smiled after I left that one on. Prude American! Glad your test results were normal!
Haha! š
I love my doctor because she also always makes me feel so comfortable! I feel like I can ask her whatever I want. I think that is key for a good doctor.
I was in Florida for my babymoon (I was twelve weeks pregnant). Well, everything was great until I ended up having a miscarriage. I was rushed to the ER and then spent several additional days in Florida for follow-up visits. My OB in Florida was absolutely amazing and instantly put me at ease. He was very compassionate and sincere. I truly adored him! I ended up writing him a thank you card for being so caring during one of the most difficult times in my life.
I loved my OB-GYN. I had to have an emergency c-section with my first child and was scared out of my mind. The next day she did a routine check and I had my little one in the room with me. First thing- she apologized and gave me a huge hug that I had such a traumatic first birthing experiance and the second really suprised me, my daughter was dirty and she changed her diaper. I have never saw this before and it literally brought tears to my eyes.
@Elizabeth: Wow, that’s a pretty cool story. Sounds like a great doctor (and person)!
That’s so great to hear! Congrats on your health!!
Thanks for posting about the ZOOMA meetup! I’m running in the DC half this weekend and one of my girlfriends wants to stop by lululemon before the race so this will probably be the one!
Glad to hear the good news! You have a great attitude about the situation. Keep positive. š
I used to have the best doctor but now I live on the other side of the country and I’m nervous about finding a new one, I’m glad you found one that makes you feel comfortable!
I’m so happy your results were great! I hope the transition off the meds goes well.
Oddly enough, I had a gynocologist that I absolutely adored. He would hug me every visit, ask about my family (my mom had the same dr), he would even eat dinner at a restaurant where I used to hostess. I actually cried when I moved to Florida for a new position!
I hope your colon stays HEALTHY!! Fingers crossed!!
Glad your colon is doing better. I just want to comment that the other drugs are not “scary”. I’m on those drugs and I’d refer to them as LIFESAVERS. They cannot be scary when they are your last resort, they heal you, and give you your life back.
š
That’s great news, you have to be so relieved! Hopefully your colon won’t spazz out again once you start the new medicine.
Sounds like good news from your doctor, hopefully everything stays nice and healthy!
I need one of those bic bands!
CONGRATSSSS!
That’s awesome news about your colonoscopy results! Keeping my fingers crossed that you won’t need scary drugs.
I don’t go to a regular doctor (I know. Bad, but I only go if I feel sick), but I go to a chiropractor pretty frequently, and this man is wonderful. He and his wife run the clinic, and they’re the nicest people you’ll ever meet. They treat every last client like family, and I only go in for an adjustment every three weeks, but they always ask me about something that I told them practically a month before (like two years ago, when I went to see Wicked!). And I get a hug every time. š
I’m glad things seem to be getting better with the UC. Hopefully they stay that way. As for my doctor, I LOVE him! He is very personable & doesn’t make me feel rushed when I’m there with him, he answers all of my questions & if he doesn’t know something, he tells me he needs to look it up instead of acting like he does know it. I even drive all the way across the city when there are many other clinics under the same company I could go to.
If my doctor suddenly welcomes me with open arms I would be freaked out not calmed. But anyway, everything is well with you so congrats on that. we all desire nothing more than to be healthy and happy
Congratulations on a healthy colon! I just got a new primary care doctor about a year ago and I hate her, she is incredibly rude and disrespectful! But my Dad is a doctor and he gives me hopes that I can find a good one out there, he is kind, sincere, and his patients love him so much he comes home with gifts from them regularly it’s so cute!
I hope to be a doctor like that š
very happy about your colon! and Mal’s comment about butt buddies made me laugh so hard.
Have you thought about going on an anti-inflammatory diet (no grains or processed sugar)?
I ate a Paleo diet for many, many months with no improvements.
I have crohn’s and my GI’s in boston too and he’s amazing. I have been on all the scary drugs and it does take a toll on your body but at the same time sometimes it’s the only thing that helps. I hate the dreaded Prednisone, I was on it for 9 months at a high dose and gained 80 pounds and due to being dx with fibromyalgia, I’m having a hard time getting it off and its been 5 years. but I have started swimming 3 times a week and even though the weight’s not coming off like I would like I do feel better and it will come off at its on pace. the doctors in boston are some of the best and they have all the crohn’s and colitis centers.
I want to start off my saying I love your blog. Reading it has become part of my morning routine. I came across it just after being diagnosed with Crohn’s disease earlier this year. I’ve watched my younger brother suffer with it for 7 years now and seen the terrible symptoms and side effects from the medications. Fortunately, I have a mild form of the disease, but like anyone with Crohn’s or Ulcerative Colitis, I know that can change in the blink of an eye. It took years to find a doctor that could figure out what was wrong. Of course, once I found one I really liked, I ended up moving almost 2 hours away, so I’m currently transitioning between doctors (and praying I don’t have a flare in the meantime.) I noticed you are trying Apriso, which is what I’ve been taking since I was diagnosed, which was about 2 months ago. I started out on Entocort as well, and after a couple trials of getting off of that, I’m not doing really well with just the Apriso. I hope it helps you as well! Thank you for the inspiration you provide through your blog! I look forward to your future posts.
Thanks, Alyssa! š