update April 19 2009

This will be a mish mosh sort of update -

All went well at the GI doctor. Although I still have a little blood he is not concerned with that. I did unfortunately have an abscess on my groin which required very minor surgery, which I got Friday. I am very lucky to already have access to a home health care nurse who can clean and dress it. It is sensitive to touch but it doesn't really hurt anymore, and the nurse says it's healing nicely. On the crohn's front, it is most likely I will go on a new drug called remicade, which I understand is administered through an IV. Apparently, I will get this, along with whatever chemotherapy treatment and bone density treatment I get, through my IV port. When I know the details, I'll pass them along.

In general I'm feeling quite a bit better. The sandostatin doesn't seem to be affecting me at all, which I'm glad about; but to be honest I am on so many different drugs right now I couldn't tell you which one is causing what side effect, and they all have similar side effects. I found that I can manage the anxiety and irritability caused from the steroids by taking a small amount of xanex along with my morning dose. This makes me a bit tired but not tired enough not to function. I am monitoring my blood sugar and giving myself insulin 4 times a day, which can be a bit tedious. It is beginning to become routine, though, and I suspect I won't even think about it after a while. I have also changed my diet. I was eating quite a bit of sugar because the chemotherapy completely destroyed my appetite and I was basically encouraged to eat whatever I wanted. I'm currently not doing chemotherapy, and since my blood sugar is affected by the drugs I'm taking, I have had to switch to a diabetic way of eating. It's boring, but it's boring by my choice. I certainly could spice it up, but I find that my asperger rigidness is a real help here because I don't mind eating the same things every day. As I feel more comfortable, I am sure I will experiment more; but for now, boring works.

Lawrence came over last night to watch the Phillies - Padres game with me. It's the first time I've seen him in about two months and we had a nice time. I really have lost touch with many of my friends as I have gone through this rough patch and I need to make an effort to reconnect with them.

In closing I want to again say how thankful I am to my family, friends, and support people who have helped me so much since I got out of the hospital. I am an incredibly lucky person to have so many people who care, including those of you who read this blog.