Odds Are [Perhaps] In My Favor

A couple of days ago, I mentioned that I love my Doctor.  Well, I guess I sort of said it in a brighter way with that great picture of fireworks.  Anyway, after my Colonoscopy last week, I had an appointment with her to go over my treatment options.  She seemed pretty amped that I was listening [because everyone that I work with in this knows how reluctant I am to use drugs in general], but she was totally responsive to my questions, and as always, was informative in a REAL way-- Not in the typical bullshit physician, 'Holier Than Thou' sense that I have seen too many times before meeting this wonderful woman.

We talked about

-Remicade

-6MP

-Cimzia

Side effects are always risky.  I'll let you search them out yourselves, it's tricky and you need to do a lot of digging to actually find the information that you should before making an informed decision about the route that you take.  To each their own.

I tearfully responded to these options with one of my own.

"I want to stay on Prednisone and incorporate an anti-inflammatory [Mesalamine]."

Is this risky?  Yes.

Could it turn out to be a huge mistake?  Yes.

Possible bowel perforation is extremely dangerous.

Our main concern is that the walls of my intestines where the ulcers are will continue to be eaten away, causing such a catastrophe.

Will I feel better knowing that I tried this first, before signing on to intravenous treatments every 8 weeks for an undeclared amount of time or a drug that's also used for chemo treatment?  You bet your ass. 

Because I do my research. 

Dr. Flier looked at me, sighed, and said that she wasn't quite sure that it would work.  My ulceration is heinous.  But I am having very little pain, and the first time that I became sick, my ulceration was horrifyingly worse, infecting much more of my colon.  I reminded her that I remained on Prednisone for a period of about 9 months with an anti-inflammatory to aid in the healing.  I was then in remission for years.

And while Prednisone is just as dangerous, I have history with it.  I know what to expect in terms of long term side effects, not to mention that my body doesn't have the greatest track record with responding to new drugs nicely. 

[My negative reaction list is growing.]

Supplements are so important in the duration of your Prednisone adventure.  It depletes important vitamins from your body and can rob you of much needed nutrients.

If I can taper with a steroid and add a low-risk drug to the mix, which I have done in the past, and come out on top, I want to.  I have never been this happy in my entire life, and despite the given treatment options, I believe that maintaining a stress-free lifestyle will combat against flares.  I just do.  I feel it in my gut, something I have learned to trust very much over the years.

I will take these drugs and taper them to see if in a number of months I will be heading to remission.  If not, I will revisit Remicade research.

Until then, it's a great diet of no wheat, gluten, added sugar, or cow's dairy.

I'd say FML, but I think that LOVING my life is a tad more appropriate right now.

Because I intend to save it.