Getting Back to Normal

It has been a big couple of weeks for us. I started back at work, celebrated our children turning 4 and 1! (what?!) and had my 6 week post op check up.
I got a good report and so far so good! Everything has healed well and the pain that I was feeling has gone!
Rewind 6 weeks and I was prepping for yet another colonoscopy. If you have ever had one you will know the preparation is SOOO much worse than the procedure. 3 litres of lemony, salty, disgusting, gagging crap, a low fibre diet and copious amounts bowel motions, all for a 15 minute procedure.
I was admitted for this and had my surgery the following day.
I donned my paper undies and was wheeled into the operating room feeling very nervous...or maybe it was just hunger. 3 days of nothing but clear fluids plus 8 hours fasting!
I remember feeling how cold the room was, saying a quick hello to my surgeon and then waking up in recovery with the itchiest nose I have ever had. Apparently it can be due to the anaesthetic and oxygen tubes.
I had a visit from my family that night. To see my children was the best. And thank goodness for my new friend- PCPR (patient controlled pain relief). I couldn't feel my body and it felt wonderful!  The days that followed were certainly uncomfortable but manageable with hot packs and pain relief.
My surgeon checked on me each day and was happy with how it all went. He took about 30cm of bowel that was causing the pain and obstruction.
There is still plenty of disease left and I will more than likely see my surgeon in the future to have more bowel taken as needed. But for now we will just watch the natural progression of the disease.
I am enjoying this pain-free business that's for sure! And getting back to our normal level of everyday craziness. Let's hope it sticks around for awhile. 
x

A visit from my children-best medicine

Chop Chop!

I turned the Big 30 this year. I actually enjoyed it and am embracing my new age. These types of birthdays really make you reflect on your life. Things you've done, haven't done, yet to do... wished you hadn't.  I feel content with our little life. A wonderful husband, 2 amazing little people we made, 2 feline friends, a tail wagging dog and our first home.  Sure we haven't seen the world but my world is right here and that's the way I like it.
I also realised that it's been 20 years since my diagnosis. Holy Cow.
I realise how lucky I've been with my treatment up until now and the fact that I haven't had any surgery.  But after my recent week in hospital I'll now be heading under the knife for a bowel resection.  That week in was hard. I felt shit and looked it. My best friend told me so on one of her visits. I know I can rely on her to be honest. Hardest though was to be away from my family and still breastfeeding, so I was pumping to keep up my supply.  I felt like a drug dealer. Nick would bring an inconspicuous esky each day and smuggle my ziplocked bags of milk out!
After consuming enough Buscapan to sink a small ship in the space of an hour, an MRE scan has shown that there are new areas of disease and lesions in the bowel that are causing a lot of my pain and discomfort.
After another course of Prednisone and consultation with the Gastro Surgeon, I will soon be saying farewell to my small bowel. He has told me I won't really miss it. So if it means quality time with my family and a lot less pain then I am ready for it to happen. 
For now I am resting and continuing to lower my dosage in order to have a great recovery, as Prednisone increases the chance of leaking and infection from the surgery.
And now I say good night! x

A Year and a Half in Time

Hellooo.....?
I am slinking back to my blog space with somewhat of a tail between my legs guilt sensation for stopping the blogging when things started going so well.
I think I found this as an outlet when things were 'bad' for me and not going the way that I wanted or hoped. But things turned around in a wonderful way and I guess I didn't want to get hung up on my disease.
Yes I have Crohn's but it is only 1% of who I am. I didn't want to end up with a daily blog of poo charts, toilet paper bargins and excessive gas!

I left you about a year and a half ago. There wasn't a real plan in place for my treatment. I had received 2 liver infections from infusions which had in previous years been my saviour. So I was left to continue with my daily dose of 6MP and see how I go.

Well a few short weeks later we got the best news! Our family of 3 was going to become 4! That in itself was incredible. We had been trying for a little over a year to expand our family and lost one little one along the way. But what is also incredible is what pregnancy can do to my Crohn's.
It's like it doesn't even exist! All those happy, glowy pregnancy hormones pump something amazing through me that supresses all bad belly activity. I found the cure people!!! I LOVE being pregnant and everything that comes with it. The leniency on muffin tops, the 'I'm eating for two', feeling that growing human wriggle around inside its little nest and the 'this must be what a normal bowel does' feeling!

With our first baby I lasted until he was 8 months old then things started going poo-shaped. This time around I lasted until our baby was almost 10 months old before I knew that things were getting past my control. So I have just spent a week in hospital and am spending my days recouping on the couch.

We are so lucky to have such wonderful support from our family and friends. Our kids were loved and cared for by our mums which meant that Mr P was still able to work and our freezer is full of home-made love from the Jamie Olivers in my life.
I honestly don't expect people to visit when I am hospital. It feels like too much of common occurrence for me. People have their own busy crazy lives. But they did visit. And message. And Call. And bring food. And mags and flowers. And Love. And for that I am so thankful. Your faces and gestures always make me smile.

A friend told me the other day that her husband received his diagnosis the day I wrote my first blog. Maybe knowing that he was not the only one was a small comfort to him and his family. So thankyou. I will try my best to keep this blog updated...and the toilet humour to a minimum. xx






Our darling girl arrived in May 2013