Immunosuppressants

6-MP

The next step was to try to suppress my immune system and, hopefully, get the Crohn's under control. I started 6-MP aka Mercaptopurine aka Purinethol soon after the capsule endoscopy. About a month after I started I began to see improvements. If I ate three meals in one day I was in the bathroom four or five times instead of eight or nine. If I didn't eat three meals my bathroom trips were down to one or two. Best of all, there was one day every week or two when I wouldn't even make one trip to the bathroom.

I did not, however, see any improvements in my arthritis symptoms or fatigue. In fact, the fatigue became significantly worse. I didn't realize it at the time but I was in a fog for close to eight months. I don't know how I made it through. I woke up in the morning and was sometimes physically unable to find the strength to get out of my bed. My one-block walk to the subway left me drained and short of breath. I spent most of my day trying to gather up the energy to complete the simplest tasks at work. Getting to work and back home left me so exhausted that I couldn't do anything else. I spent at least one day each week sleeping. I was a zombie.

I was on 6-MP for eight months because it seemed to help in the beginning. At least I was seeing some results. We tried increasing my dose until I maxed out. Then we added Entocort and finally Pentasa. I guess neither I nor my doctor wanted to give up on it. Then I got sick.

I had a slightly sore throat Thursday evening. On Friday, I called my doctor. He told me to stop the 6-MP and call him on Monday if it didn't get any better. By Monday I couldn't talk. I took every cold medicine I could get my hands on and I still couldn't sleep. My throat was so raw that the mere act of inhaling made me cough. I started an antibiotic on Monday and felt better immediately.

The day after I finished the antibiotic the sore throat returned. Thankfully, I hadn't restarted my 6-MP. My doctor was on vacation and I was halfway across the country for a wedding. The day I returned to New York, I saw another doctor in the practice. He thought it would be a good idea to see an ear, nose and throat doctor just to make sure it was nothing to worry about. The specialist decided it was nothing to worry about. I finished a Z-Pak and all was well.

In fact, I was feeling so much better that I was thinking twice about restarting the 6-MP. Two weeks after I had gotten sick I breezed through a huge pile of work that had been accumulating on my desk for months. I could walk to the train without needing a nap. It was fantastic. Of course all of this new found energy came with a price - my Crohn's symptoms were as bad as ever. I put in a call to the doctor.