I received official word today that I am in remission! I wasn't expecting this at all. I've been feeling better but not great. I thought they would report that my capsule endoscopy showed improvement but not that it looked good!
Officially, Humira is working for me! My intestines have officially healed themselves! I am officially ecstatic!
I'm not perfect. The Humira is giving me headaches almost daily. My joints are still bothering me a bit and I still have some pain. I may have something else going on or maybe I'm just really out of shape. But, there is light at the end of my tunnel.
This is my first remission so I'm not sure what to expect. I don't know if I will physically ever be back to my old self. Anyone have any advice or insight into what happens next?
Showing posts with label Capsule Endoscopy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Capsule Endoscopy. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
PillCam
I am currently about seven hours into my second capsule endoscopy. My first was a little over a year ago - just enough time to forget the details.
I think the dr.'s office may have sent me the wrong prep (yikes!). I ate dinner last night then did half a jug of HalfLytely at 4:00 this morning. First of all, I don't think the HalfLytely did it's job. Secondly, the instructional paper the nurse gave me after I swallowed the pill said to do clear liquids after lunch the day before. No HalfLytely. Oops. I hope I don't have to do this again. It's $1,800 each time.
Anyway, I swallowed the PillCam at 8:30 this morning after I signed the consent form (which, by the way, stated that the incidence of bowel obstruction with the pill is 1 in 1,000 (yikes!)) and snapped a photo of the pill. I've been avoiding MRI machines and resting on the couch since then. I'm not particularly hungry or thirsty but I had a small snack and a few sips of water at 1:30.
I find it fascinating that there is a camera traveling through my body, transmitting images to a tiny monitor. This is easily the least uncomfortable test I've had and I don't mind it at all. Now, if they could figure out a way to skip the prep and a way to make the stickies easier to remove... oh yeah, and take care of the huge price tag.
I'm off to return my monitor.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Crohn's It Was and Crohn's It Is and Crohn's It Ever Shall Be
A few days after the capsule endoscopy I got the results from my doctor. He gave me a report with some amazing color pictures attached. I will have to figure out a way to post a picture or two. This is what the report said:
Reason For Referral:
Abdominal pain, rule out Crohn's Disease
Procedure Data:
Small bowel passage time: 2 hours 49 minutes
Procedure Info & Findings:
The patient swallowed the capsule without difficulty
-Found moderate to severe jejunitis and ileitis with relative sparing of the duodenum.
-Jejunal and ileal mucosa appear erythematous, edematous with multiple erosions and ulcers. -The capsule was seen passing into the cecum.
Summary & Recommendations:
Findings consistent with Crohn's enteritis
So Crohn's it was and Crohn's it is and Crohn's it ever shall be.
* From thefreedictionary.com
erythema- Redness of the skin caused by dilatation and congestion of the capillaries, often a sign of inflammation or infection.
edema - An excessive accumulation of serous fluid in tissue spaces or a body cavity.
Reason For Referral:
Abdominal pain, rule out Crohn's Disease
Procedure Data:
Small bowel passage time: 2 hours 49 minutes
Procedure Info & Findings:
The patient swallowed the capsule without difficulty
-Found moderate to severe jejunitis and ileitis with relative sparing of the duodenum.
-Jejunal and ileal mucosa appear erythematous, edematous with multiple erosions and ulcers. -The capsule was seen passing into the cecum.
Summary & Recommendations:
Findings consistent with Crohn's enteritis
So Crohn's it was and Crohn's it is and Crohn's it ever shall be.
* From thefreedictionary.com
erythema- Redness of the skin caused by dilatation and congestion of the capillaries, often a sign of inflammation or infection.
edema - An excessive accumulation of serous fluid in tissue spaces or a body cavity.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Capsule Endoscopy
After trying Pentasa and Entocort, my doctor thought it would be a good idea to have a capsule endoscopy.
The prep was much like a colonoscopy prep so I was up most of the night, you know, prepping. I went in to the office in the morning and they put a belt around my waist with a monitor attached to it. The nurse glued some sensors to my abdomen and turned the monitor on. She then activated the camera pill and made sure it was synced up to the monitor. I was a bit nervous about getting the pill down but I swallowed it with no problems.
I left the doctor's office and decided to go home instead of the office. I had been up all night and was exhausted. I was also nervous about getting on the subway - that monitor belt looked a little bit like a bomb, especially with the light that blinked in time with the flash on the camera pill. The nurse told me not to eat or drink anything for a while (I can't remember how long but it wasn't too bad). They also told me not to lie down as it inhibits the passage of the pill. As long as I didn't have any pain and the light kept blinking, I just had to come back to the office eight hours later to return the monitor.
The worst part of the whole experience was staying upright. I wanted to sleep so badly but I had to prop myself up on a stack of pillows and it just wasn't working out. I did experience some sharp pain high up on the left side of my abdomen several hours after I'd swallowed the pill but the pain wasn't enough to cause me much concern.
I returned the monitor eight hours after I had swallowed the camera pill and that was that. Aside from the prep, it was really easy. Like I said, the worst part was the damage it did to my nap time.
The prep was much like a colonoscopy prep so I was up most of the night, you know, prepping. I went in to the office in the morning and they put a belt around my waist with a monitor attached to it. The nurse glued some sensors to my abdomen and turned the monitor on. She then activated the camera pill and made sure it was synced up to the monitor. I was a bit nervous about getting the pill down but I swallowed it with no problems.
I left the doctor's office and decided to go home instead of the office. I had been up all night and was exhausted. I was also nervous about getting on the subway - that monitor belt looked a little bit like a bomb, especially with the light that blinked in time with the flash on the camera pill. The nurse told me not to eat or drink anything for a while (I can't remember how long but it wasn't too bad). They also told me not to lie down as it inhibits the passage of the pill. As long as I didn't have any pain and the light kept blinking, I just had to come back to the office eight hours later to return the monitor.
The worst part of the whole experience was staying upright. I wanted to sleep so badly but I had to prop myself up on a stack of pillows and it just wasn't working out. I did experience some sharp pain high up on the left side of my abdomen several hours after I'd swallowed the pill but the pain wasn't enough to cause me much concern.
I returned the monitor eight hours after I had swallowed the camera pill and that was that. Aside from the prep, it was really easy. Like I said, the worst part was the damage it did to my nap time.
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