Merry Christmas Everyone & Happy New Year

[jodibelle352]

Hi Everyone:

I've completed all my crochet orders for Christmas and now I'm able to relax and let me poor tired fingers rest. LOL So instead of soaking my hands in nice warm water I'm typing a post to all here who may be feeling that I've forgotten all about you. Let me set you straight right now...............................NO WAY IN HECK have I forgotten any of you and NEVER WILL!

Did not become a millionaire by any means but I sure made lots of people smile and even shed a tear or two with my homemade gifts this year. Didn't do so well on Horsengoggle but what I didn't sell on line I let my Grandchildren pick out gifts for their teachers at school and pre-school. My 4 yr. old grand-daughter Bailey Elizabeth just had a ball shopping at Gramma's house. LOL So was all my work worth it..........YOU BET IT WAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Will I do again............probably will as I've come to the conclusion that if nobody wants to buy my crocheted items then I will GIVE THEM AWAY to my friends and family who will appreciate my time. LOL I had lots of orders for snowflakes and angels and it seems that I'm just going to have to start making things at my own leisure time and build up my inventory over the next few months. Will also ask God to give me more patience.

I've been feeling pretty well. Am down to 6mgs. of Entocort daily. Took Tex's advise a few weeks ago and decided to wait until after the holiday season before I reduced down to 3 mgs. daily. Didn't want to push my luck and end up being sick for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

My last weigh in was GREAT.....I've added a couple pounds and am up to 98 1/2 lbs. Am going to weigh in again after New Years and I'm determined to do "The Happy Dance" when my goal of 100lbs is reached. It doesn't take much to make me happy and reaching 100lbs. would be the best gift and miracle I could ever receive. Especially since it's been sooooooooooooooooooooooooo long since I've seen triple digits in my weight. LOL

Changes I've made in my LIFE has been very benificial to my emotional well being. STRESS is NOT my friend with my battle with CC and it plays a BIG part in many of my relapses with the Big D! I've learned to protect myself by wearing protection when I know I'm going out. I'm no longer looking at Depends as an enemy or a curse they are now an important part of my life to protect myself from any future imbarrassment.

I've made some changes in what medications I WILL and WILL NOT take at this particular time. I did some research on the interactions with certain medications I was taking. I have found that Tramadol/Ultram IS and addictive drug! I have also found that if taking with certain antidepressant medication can cause some VERY NASTY side effects which I feel caused my hospital stay a few months ago which I'm certain is because I over medicated myself. My autoimmune desease specialist isn't real happy with me right now because I've chosen NOT to subject myself to an agressive form of treatment for my osteoperosis. The treatment he's suggesting is very costly, the medication has some nasty side effects and it would subject me to taking injections each and every day for the next 2 years. This course of treatment was suggested after I had a very adverse reaction to taking Sally Fields medication of choice Boniva. After a very long discussion with my PP; Dr. McDougall it was desided that I would start taking Calcium, Vit. D and Vit.B-12 daily.Since starting on these Vit's I feel a real difference in my energy and feel it's because of being on the Vit's. I was prescribed Acephex for my acid reflux but have stopped taking it daily as prescribed. After taking advise from Tex who's knowledge, love and friendship I value dearly I have found that by only taking the Acephex when absolutely neccessary that I'm able to take the calcium now with no problems digesting it.

For all of you who are new to these boards you need to know and come to realization that each and everyone of us is different. Some things work for others and not for us. Just give yourself the chance to read as much as possible and there is nothing wrong with trying something different that your dr's may suggest because some still have their heads up their butts when it comes to LC, MC, CC and other related deseases.

I have found that the love and friendships I've made on these boards has giving me back my "spirit" as well as my "spunk". My self esteem which was completely flushed down the toilet each and everytime I had a bout of the Big D is now coming back full force. Even my depression has eased to the point where I'm not hiding from the world anymore. Do I have times where depression kicks me in the butt and turns me into a pile of mush! You bet I do because depression is part of this desease. I just am NOT in a cloud of depression 24/7 anymore. I'm having more good days and am able to help myself out of the cloudy/nasty days.

Well, I've taking up so much of your time as it is. Hope 2009 is extra special in every way and here's to seeing many more remissions for the coming year. I've not reached a complete remission yet but things are looking better and better each and everyday!

Love and God Bless:
Jodi

[Dee]

Great to read your post Jodi!!
I can feel the good, positive ((((((((VIBES))))) all the way to me in OHIO!!!
YIPPEE!!!!! For you!!!
I have suffered with clinical depression and GAD for many, many years so I can relate when someone speaks of or asks about it.
Now that you have all of your Christmas orders done & filled maybe you can take a break and just chill out for a bit!
So Happy For You!!!



Love
Dee~~~~~

[jodibelle352]

Thank You Dee:

Each day we all learn a little more about ourselves.

Do you ever get to the point where you would like to just hit someone right square in the kisser when they tell you how they admire you for being so strong, when you would actually like to curl up into a ball and hide.

I have so much to be "thankful" for and I'm so appreciative to everyone on these boards who help pull me up out of the holes I've found myself in at so many times.

Don't get me wrong, I know very well that I'm a long way from a remission but my bouts of the Big D are getting fewer each month and believe me when I decide I just have to have just an itsy bitsy teeny weeny bite of something that isn't GF then I deserve to sit my ass on the toilet! It's just like an addiction in a way, we've been able to eat this and that and all of a sudden we're DX's with; MC, CC, UC, LC etc. and this IS NOT going to just go away after a few days, weeks, months or even yrs. of taking a medication and POOF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You're cured!!!!!!!!!!!!! Reality 101 is this is for the rest of your life, sure you may or may not reach remission but those remissions may or may not be short lived if you don't change your eating habits. Right now I would give anything to have my husbands homemade nacho's and enchilada's. OMG!!!!!!!!!!! They are to die for. YUMMY!!!!!!!!!!!! But I can't have them unless I want to be on my knees or curled up into a ball on the couch for 3 or 4 days in pain.

I can't eat lettuce, and the skin on potatoes and all fruit skins MUST be removed before I can eat them. NOTHING with seeds. I can make things with V8 Juice but CAN NOT make anything with whole or stewed tomatoes of anykind. This past summer I want a BLT with homegrown tomatoes from Michigan and couldn't have it because my tummy just won't tolerate the tomatoes. Why, I think partially it's from diverticulous but my intestines just don't tolerate certain things.

When it comes to the BRAT diet (banana's, rice, applesauce and toast) I CAN NOT eat banana's. I develope so much gas that it's not a good time for me. The only spices I'm able to tolerate at this time is salt, pepper or Mrs. Dashes and Seasoning Salt. I wish I could use hot sauce, garlic and other hotter spices but I've never been able to handle really spices foods even before the CC and garlic just doesn't agree with me at all. That's why I mentioned in my post that each of us have different needs. But if we listen to the suggestions of others and we eliminate those things that we can not tolerate then each of these steps brings us even closer to our goal which is some sort of stability or possibly remission.

Hope your New Year with family is Awesome in each and every way. Take care because I care.

Love and God Bless:
Jodi

[Jan]

Jodi,

Thanks so much for sharing what you did. I sometimes find it hard to express myself and a lot of what you said hit it on the nail for me.

Good luck with starting your inventory early. I haven't crocheted in a long time. I now spend more of my time behind my sewing machine making quilts.

May your New Year be brighter.

Jan

[Dee]

I agree with Jan.
Some of your post could have come out of my own mouth.
See Jodi!!!
You are a blessing to us, too !!!

Love
Dee~~`

[jodibelle352]

Thank You Jan:

Sharing our experiences is what makes these boards so important. Sometimes we just need to vent and some of us need to learn as much as possible about our desease so that we can learn to LIVE with it not constantly expecting this miraculous cure that may or may not come.

When I first found this site and the family here I was in really BIG trouble. Emotionally, physically and medically I was in trouble with a capital T. I had started out approximately 18 months ago weighing 153lbs. When I started showing medical symptoms that something was wrong with me I overlooked many of them because at the time my husband David had been hospitalized several times after having major surger to repair a ruptured hernia so I just figured the D, weight loss, stomach problems and pain was brought on because of the stress of the situation.

It was partially my problem but I was in serious trouble and it took the doctors months to finally dx me with CC. They started running every test in the book on me starting a year ago this past Sept. 2006 and after having my gallbladder removed in Jan. of 2008 and I still continue with the D my doctor's really started scrambling for a reason and dx. Finally after having a colonoscopy in Feb.2007 I found out that I had CC. It didn't matter that I had given at least 10 or 15 stool samples with NO results because with CC the only way it is dx is by having a colonoscopy. It can not be dx through a stool sample. Anyway IOW's by the time I finally found out what I did have I had gone from 153 down to 90 lbs.

Everything I put in my mouth came out my butt. I was in so much pain from the constant D that I was a total mess. Many on these boards have gone through and still are going the bouts of D. I was fortunate enough to find a GI who perscribed Entocort for me and within a very short time my D started improving. I was no longer having D 15, 20 and even 30 times each day. I reached a point where I hated the thoughts of even eating at all because the D and the pain was so severe that I ate very little so I continue to drop more weight.

I hope you find the help from these Charter Memebers that I've found and as I said before. Not all of us are the same, many of other medical issues other than the LC, MC, CC, UC etc they have other medical issues as is the case with myself, I have Lupus, Fibromyalgia and Osteoperosis. Now when you start combining certain medications that is supose to help one thing can create unfortunate results and much discomfort with one of the other illnesses. So we just have to take baby steps, one step at a time and see what works for us and NEVER give up hope because it will take awhile to find what you're body is able to tolerate.

Take care because I care!
Love and God Bless:
Jodi

[tex]

Jodi,

It's really great to learn that you're gaining weight, and feeling better, and it's a real pleasure to see you in such an upbeat mood.

I'm glad that you're able to cut back on the Acephex, and still keep the acid reflux under control. I'm pretty sure that most doctors recognize that the meds they prescribe could certainly make symptoms worse for other issues that patients are already being treated for, or need to be treated for, but they almost universally seem to just ignore that reality, and pretend that whatever condition they are treating at the moment, takes priority over all else. I totally disagree with that policy, (unless, of course, a life-threatening issue is at stake), and I believe that it's a prime reason why some patients end up with more symptoms than they started with, and they actually have to take certain meds, just to undo the problems caused by other meds. IOW, rather than to advise a patient to stop using a certain med, some doctors seem to prefer to prescribe another med, to counteract the first one, if they have a lot of faith in the first one.

Thanks for the inspiring posts, and I hope you continue to improve.

Love,
Tex

[jodibelle352]

Hi Tex:

Glad to hear from you tonight. It sure feels good being back on and leaving my crocheting alone.

I am doing quite well. I'm not where I want to be with my weight yet but I'm getting closer. Hey.................when I put my pants on now I don't have to use a draw string or belt to help keep them up. LOL OMG! I was getting so tired of them falling down my butt.

As for decreasing the dosage again on my Entocort I've decided to go down to 3mgs daily after New Years. Keep your fingers crossed that I'm strong enough now to handle the decrease.

I've been working so hard to finally take control of what med's I will and will no longer take. My PP is not giving me any slack or back talking running around with what I'm doing but my autoimmune specialist isn't happy with me at this time. My GI just gives me a strange look as if to say,"I'm the one with the medical license, not you." Well, I've gained just enough self esteem back that I have one heck of an evil look that I can give in responce that is NOT a happy face but yet it tells the one receiving the look NOT to push me any further. LOL

Hope your Holiday's were great and now that I'm back, watch out for my Amazing Grace Lectures to continue.

Love and God Bless:
Jodi

[Gloria]

I'm impressed with how you've been able to determine which foods cause you problems. You certainly sound like someone on the road to recovery! I'm keeping my that you'll do fine on 3 mg. of Entocort per day.

Gloria

[jodibelle352]

Thank you Gloria:

I'm hoping that I still maintain going down to 3mgs daily as it's been a long wait getting to this place where I am right now. Sure things are not perfect but I've been so blessed without the continuous bouts of D on a daily bases.

I'm really doing my best to take control of my life and my body back and when things don't feel right to me I'm not allowing myself to be pressured into taking medications that truly are creating other medical issues for me. I know in my heart and because of researching drug interactions that when I was hospitalized that it was because of all the medications I was taking. One thing I know for certain is that being on Zoloft and combining it with Tramadol for my muscle and joint pain is asking for TROUBLE! Plus my GI perscribed Xanax for me when I would have severe anxiety. Well it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out once all the cobbed webs are cleared from the corners that I was a walking and ticking time bomb.

I'm still trying to find out what I can take to releave my muscle and joint pain but right now I'm not taking anymore Tramadol for it. I'm taking long showers or baths to relax and ease my pain as well as doing some meditating when things get really bad. I just don't want to end up 6ft. under because I took too many med's.

Thank You for your support.

Love and God Bless:
Jodi

[Carol Arnett]

Good going, Jodi. I am very happy for you in all your successes.
Hugs, Carol

[starfire]

Loved reading your upbeat posts!! I'm so proud of you and pleased for you the way you have grabbed on and won't let go. Good for you!!

Love, Shirley

[Jan]

Jodi,

You might want to do some research on Lyrica. I have been fighting muscle and joint aches for over a year. Went to two rheumotologists and an alternative medical Dr. Finally the last rheumotologist said that as near as he could tell these symptoms were caused by my MC. I have not been diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I am on 50 mg (way below the starting dose) once a day. This has taken away about 75% of the aches and pain. With the exception of bursitis in one hip I am doing so much better and am finally able to spend time behind my sewing machine.

I have to agree with what you said about some things work on one person and not another. I fought that with my GI when he would prescribe stuff and say it worked on all his other patients and I would be sicker on it than before.

Keep those fingers flying with the hook.

Jan

[jodibelle352]

Hi Jan:

I've written down the medication you suggested as well as one called Fosamax. The Fosamax is supose to slow down the bone density deterioration that I've been experiencing I don't think it has anything to do with eliminating or lessoning the pain.

Recently I was told after having a bone density test that I know longer have osteopenia but full blown osteoperosis and that is why I'm experiencing pain in my lower back and hips. I was dx with Lupus in 1995 and was also dx with Fibromyalgia which cause severe muscle pain. Sometimes even getting a hug hurts. However, I'm not about to pull away from any hug given by my grandchildren.

I maybe wrong about over medicating myself causing an ambulance ride as well as a hospital visit but something tells me I'm not wrong. Something tells me that when some of us have several different medical issues to deal with that as Tex said;"They give you medications for one thing and if your body reacts badly they'll give you something to relieve that symptom." So what I've done is illiminate any and all pain killers from my list especially if they are addictive. I don't need to become dependant on pain killers. With the pain that we all experience from time to time with or LC, MC, CC, UC etc. we don't need to overdose on pain medication.

Thank You for your support and I am going to check out the posibility of taking Lyrica.

Love and God Bless:
Jodi

[JLH]

So great to see you posting again. Congrats on your weight gain. Thats wonderful news.

I have a DEXA (bone test) next month that I'm afraid I'll flunk. I haven't been taking my Fosamax for a while because of LC. (Just wanted to go easy on myself.) My doc had let me go off it but my oncologist disagreed.

Interesting to hear about your treatment, Dee.