A Writer's Life Interrupted #crohns #ibd #colitis

I'm slow this week. Between having to put my dog down and discovering a good friend will not be with me on Earth much longer, just sucks. I have a bit of a depression going on. Top that off with my very special bird migrating to wherever they migrate to is making me feel kinda lonely. I have no dog to greet me when I get home and no Boo the Blue Jay screaming at me from the back deck for food.

*sigh*

Where does the time go?

Sometimes all the make-up in the world can't disguise a person with Crohn's disease. I'm not one of them. I pack it on. I don't leave the house without make-up and eye drops. Drops to disguise the redness and make-up to hide the wrinkles, err, sallowness, err....... exhaustion.

I went to the docs today. He listened to my bowels---hyperactive. He listened to my chest---sounding good. He looked into my eyes---maybe you should increase your iron. Hum, that from looking at my eyeballs?

For first time readers, I have Crohn's disease and have been on Humira, a liquid injectable biologic that cripples the immune system in the hopes Crohn's will go into remission for about 30 months. I decided to go it alone after a pretty horrendous experience with gastritis, duodenitis, blah blah blah, that could have been caused by Crohn's OR Humira. At least that's what my specialty nurse told me.

So, I decided to go all natural. Right now, I''m sticking true to the SCD diet and doing pretty well. I've had to add Imodium to the group of meds I carry with me, but that's a small price to pay for stopping Humira. Still, I feel I'm on the right path. The horrendous stomach pains have, for the most part, stopped. While my stomach is still a little touchy, it is better. That licorice root really works. I highly recommend it. Of course, nothing with me is normal, it never is, not even when on the 'big guns' as my doctor calls the biologics. But for now, I'm not worried.

My hardest issue is keeping hydrated and after bragging about how the esophogeal spasms had stopped, I just had one while writing this. Well, this too shall pass. I know my experiement can be dangerous, but I have to try. Just once I have to see whether or not diet can control the beast.

But boy, do I miss chocolate.

Both my books, Shadowland and The Light and the Flame are over at CMP awaiting the editor's review. That always makes me a little jumpy, but you'd think I"d be used to that by now. I miss my dog. I still find it hard to believe he's gone. I know I did the right thing, but I still miss him. I will miss my friend, too. B


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