The Name Game – A Contest

I’m asking all my creative Friends to help me find a new name for my blog.  I’ve been writing about my adrenal disease for years, but have really avoided discussions about my digestive issues. It can be embarrassing to talk about “poop”, but let’s face it…everybody poops!   Crohn’s Disease can be debilitating and often harder to deal with than my other illness.  My adrenals have been behaving, more or less, so I have nothing to complain about….except my poop problems. I want my blog’s name to reflect my challenge with both Crohn’s and Addison’s Disease.

So here goes.  Whoever comes up with a great name……wins! The winner will receive a box of cheesy Chicago memorabilia straight from Walgreen’s and the Dollar Store…..we have good junk here in the Windy City.

Submit your idea in a comment…..asap….and I will pick a worthy name and send out your prize!

Another day

My hubby Joe has been home since Friday doing some DIY work.  Because he has been spending so much time in the house he has been re-aquainted with the unpredictability of my day to day activities.  He has dealt with my illnesses along with me since 2001, and has been there through everything.  He understands that my energy level can change quickly.  He understands that I cannot leave the house if my Crohn’s monsters are visiting.  He understand that I might spend the morning sleeping, and then still need to rest in the afternoon.  He understands that my pain levels can be minimal for days and then be doubled over with cramping and spasms with no warning.  He knows that planning something doesn’t mean it will really happen.

Today I am totally exhausted.  I changed the sheets on the bed and it knocked me out.  I am pissed at my body today.

Judgement Day

Judge not, lest you be judged

I have a friend that has cerebral Palsy.  He is in a wheelchair, and he is hard to understand.  He sells newspapers at my church.  Many people just put the money on the table and take their paper.  No eye contact, no greeting. 

I have a nephew that has tattoos.  A bunch of tattoos, both arms.  They call them “full sleeve”.  He has some on his neck and on his legs.  He also has some piercings on his face.  He hides them by wearing long sleeves at family gatherings, because some people don’t like them.    You would be surprised at what he does for a living, and how tender he is with his nieces and nephews.

I know a girl who  used to dress with clothes from Salvation Army.  The wilder the more outrageous  the better for her.  Sometimes her hair was pink, other times blue.  She had piercings on her face, and enough holes in her ears to wear dozens of earrings.  I love her.

I have a friend who is a priest.  He is funny.  He doesn’t preach.  He has come to parties at my house, and people thought he was just a family friend.  He drinks beer, has gone camping and hiking with my husband all over the country.  He is the best friend my Husband has ever had.

I know a young man who is deaf.  He reads lips, and speaks quite clearly unless he tries to talk too fast.  I have seen people avoid his gaze and walk away because they don’t want to bother taking the time to have a conversation with him.

I know a woman who is blind.  Her kids went to school with my kids.  Other Mom’s would walk right past her, maybe they were put off by her gaze because she didn’t wear sunglasses.  I see her every so often, and I always stop and talk to her.  She is a wonderful Mom and woman. 

I know a young man who is severely dyslexic.  His whole life people have assumed that he was “dumb” because he had such a hard time in school.  You would be surprised at his IQ.

I know a woman who is sick.  She has a disease that no one has heard of.  They look it up on the internet and think….well, it’s not fatal if she takes care of herself.  People cannot understand how she could be so sick for so long.  People don’t understand that  there are “lifelong” conditions.  That they will never go away. 

“Normals”  don’t want to hear or think about sick people, or people who are different.  I guess it is easier to ignore people than try to understand them.  

Don’t turn your head, don’t walk the other way.  Do not judge.

You’ve Got What?

 

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This is a repost from a closed blog.

 

Starting in 1985, I had one medical problem after another.  Two babies, an ectopic pregnancy, a miscarriage, 9 surgeries for gallbladder, cysts, hysterectomy and a bowel resection…but nothing could have prepared me for what happened to me in 2001.

 

I was so sick I couldn’t get out of bed.  I was exhausted, weak, I couldn’t eat, I was confused all the time, and all I did was sleep.   I had debilitating fatigue, muscle weakness, cramping,  low potassium, and nausea.  The doctors kept attributing all my problems to my Crohns.  But I knew it was something else.

 

After several ER visits due to extreme weakness, I was finally admitted to the hospital by my Gastroenterologist.   You know those doctors that tell you they ran every test in the book and didn’t find anything?  Well this guy DID run EVERY test in the book, and he solved the big mystery

 

ADRENAL INSUFFICIENCY.

 I had never heard of it.  Adrenal insufficiency?  What does that mean?  Where are your adrenal glands and what the heck do they do?  What does the pituitary gland have to do with all of this?  What is cortisol? ACTH? DHEA?

 

And the biggest question “why didn’t someone figure out sooner what the hell was wrong with me?”

 

 

 I saw my Sister’s  endocrinologist, I went to the University of Chicago Hospital, and I took a trip to Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.  None of these doctors could make me well.  I was told to take my meds and I should feel better.  How many of us have heard that line?   

 

 Because my endocrine system is shot ( pituitary, adrenals, thyroid and ovaries) I am a hot mess. 

The most important hormone the adrenals release is cortisol. Cortisol is the “flight or fight” hormone, it helps you handle stress.  Major stress, such as injury or illness, dehydration, low potassium levels, vomiting, fever or an infection can throw you into an Addisonian crisis, which requires immediate medical attention. 

 I have had many trips to the ER in an ambulance and too many hospital stays to remember.  When a person goes in crisis, IV steroids must to given to keep the patient from going into shock. This can all happen very fast. I keep a supply of steroid injections on hand so if needed, I can give myself a shot before I head to the hospital.  Because I take steroids everyday, infection or illness can be easily masked.  Just as people take steroids to help with inflammation from allergies, asthma or rashes, my steroids can hide a problem until you are very sick or in pain.  In 2005 I had a severe diverticulitis attack without even knowing what was going on.  The steroids kept the inflammation at bay and the infection hidden so I didn’t have pain. One morning I woke up in terrible pain and I ended up in the ER.  An MRI showed a mass in my colon and I needed emergency surgery to remove and repair the damage. 

 

There are so many side effects for a person on daily steroid therapy.  It  can damage bones, the lining of the stomach, weaken  your immune system, can cause cataracts, depression and insomnia.  Even GOOD stress can land me in the ER. 

 

   It doesn’t have to be something bad to affect your stress level, and with no cortisol, an Addisonian is in big trouble. Many times my family noticed I was in trouble and got me to the ER. Confusion is one of the first symptoms for me, and then I just get stupid.  I don’t even realize what’s happening to me. 

I have to wear a medic alert bracelet, and I keep a list of all my meds in my wallet, as does each of my family members.  

 

My life has been forever altered by this disease.  Days, weeks, months and years have been robbed from me because of my inability to function.  From one day to the next I never know how I am going to feel.  Sadly, I have more bad days than good.  My family has been there for me always, and for that I am thankful.