My Medical Therapy Report Card

Medical Therapy	Grade	Comments
Immuran	D	·          Student consistently took the medication, however did not seem to benefit much from it ·        Student complained of hair loss ·         She could improve by being increasingly patient waiting for results that will never come
Prednisone	B-	·       Student was successful in eating her parents out of house and home ·       She successfully stayed up very late and lived on little sleep ·       Student showed fantastic improvement in energy levels and bowel symptoms ·       However, due to mania induced by this medication the student was an absolute nutter
Cirpro/Flagyl	D	·       Student’s body failed to meet the criteria of success on this therapy ·       In this area she showed little improvement in her bowels and energy levels ·       We advise she drop this course.
Naso-Gastric Tube Feeding	A+	·       Student was successful in achieving weight gain ·       She also successfully completed a musical while on this therapy, singing despite the tube in her throat ·       For this we congratulate her.
Salofalk	C-	·       Student failed to show much improvement ·       Our standards are that the student improves and takes every dose of medication ·       The student said that the huge number of horse pills were “too difficult” to keep up with ·       Maybe you as a parent can talk to her
Remmicade	A	·       Student showed excellent performance with this treatment. ·         Bowels and energy levels became normalized and on par with her peers ·       She is no longer behind her class in this section
Humira	A-	·       Student showed a continuation of already established strengths. ·       Keep up the good work.
FK-506	A-	·       Student maintained already decent status. ·       However, our concern is that if not every assignment is completed, student will fall behind after only one.

A Different Fear of Flying

"I'm going on vacation with my family" "I hope you're feeling 100% by then!"

This WILL be my family. Awww.

I fear travelling and I blame it on my Crohn's disease. I love being in new places, seeing new things, experiencing a different culture (ok, I'm going to the states from Canada, but you'd be surprised by the difference). But constantly being in fear of getting sick or, even more pressingly, needing to be by a bathroom at all times in a foreign place makes me beyond anxious. We've been planning our family vacation to the south for about 10 months, and I've been having anxiety dreams about it for the last 4 of those. 

There are the regular travel stresses: airport security, packing, just getting where you need to be when you need to be there. But when you have an illness you have a TON of other things to be concerned about. 

This is pretty much me. 

I have to make sure all your meds are in their original containers and they take up a LOT of space in your carry on so you have to account for that.

I have to be careful about metal detectors if you have anything not quite human inside you, i.e. my portacath. I get searched just about every time I fly. 

I am fearful of all the germs and recycled air that stays on the plane. I can't remember the last time I flew and didn't pick up a virus. 

I just got a new medic alert bracelet so that if I faint or something in the land of the free whoever attends to me will know what's all going on. 

I acquired anxiety medication for the flight because being in a situation with limited bathroom access pretty much makes me panic.

 I won't eat before going on the plane. I'm probably going to settle in for about 6 hours without food, which sounds bad, but is SO much better than awakening the beastly colon. 

Except put the meds in original containers.

It's just funny because I'm afraid of flying, but for totally different reasons than the normal person. 

Alternative Therapies

"Have you ever tried meditation? A friend of mine has Crohn's and he meditates a lot" 

As a person with a chronic illness in the Western world, I'm all for traditional medicine. Perscribe me an idea, write me a script and gimme those pills. My Crohn's disease. however, has been uncooperative and typically unresponsive to most treatment plans, much like a resistant toddler to the idea of toilet training. I do not know the number of medications and treatment plans I've been on, but it must be more than 30 (not all at once, just over the course of my time with Crohn's). 

So naturally, a couple of alternative therapies have been recommended to me even by my traditional doctors. I've tried quite a few of them, all with mixed results, I think the key is to try and find the good in any treatment. 

Below I've listed some of alternative therapies that I've tried:

1. Probiotics             

• Taken in capsule form, the idea is that these probiotics balance the bacteria in your gut, therefore reducing symptoms of your IBD. Truthfully, I didn't notice any difference in my symptoms, and the probiotics weren't covered by my insurance and were expensive. Not worth it. 

     2.   Meditation

• The idea of harnessing your inner healing power, to help control your disease is a little far fetched in my opinion. However, I do think the idea of taking time to clear your mind, free of stimulation, to reduce stress IS beneficial for your health. My problem is that I suck at clearing my mind. Like, REALLY suck. Maybe I just need to practice more. 

     3.  Therapeutic Massage

• Therapeutic massage targets the muscles in the body, reducing the stress around them and can be effective in managing MANY types of pain. This happens to be my favourite alternative therapy that I have tried, I've been getting them for almost 5 years. Many insurance companies cover a finite number of massages per year and many salons do direct billing. I don't know how much of it is stress relief, how much of it is the reduction in my back pain from working on my muscles, and how much of it is just the wonderful feeling of getting pampered, but I have to say, I'm a fan.  

    4.  Acupuncture 

• This method of alternative medicine originating back to ancient China involves sticking teeny tiny needles into very precise spots on your body to stimulate your nerves and brain and neurological feedback responses to control pain. I tried it. I didn't like it. I'm not a fan of needles, so it wasn't my preferred method of *alternative* treatment. Not to mention it was generally ineffective for me. My pain comes in waves, very intense pain, but it doesn't last very long. Acupuncture isn't really designed to target that kind of pain, so it isn't surprising that I didn't experience life changing results. 

Another thing that a lot of people with chronic illnesses use to ease their condition are herbal supplements. I personally haven't tried anything like that. No teas, no oils, nothing like that. Personally, I know how powerful some herbs can be, and I'm a little afraid to try them. I mean, what if they interacted with the meds that I'm already on and messed them up?  My doctors have never recommended them (not that they would), but they did say if I was considering taking them to check with them first, which I think anyone should do. 

My concern with the supplements directed by naturopaths and homeopaths is that it seems like a big cash grab. I've know people that were pouring absurd amounts of money into these herbs and didn't see a huge benefit. I'm talking like $60+ per container of capsules. Yikes.

My attitude towards treatment is always keep an open mind, but ALWAYS consult your doctor before starting any alternative therapy. 

Top 10 Things to Bring to the Emergency Room

"Honey, I think I need to take you to the ER." "No, please, can we wait just a little bit longer?"

I've had my fair share of trips to the ER. Never for the normal reasons that someone ends up in a paediatric emergency room like a fall off a bike, reckless play fighting, or a scary cough. No, I came in with fevers, abdominal pain, and fainting. I resist going to the ER with every fibre of my being. I put off walking through those doors as long as I can for several reasons: the long wait, the uncomfortable beds, the procedures, but mostly I detest having to work with a new health care professional on account of my medical history being so complicated and specific. The poor ER doctors have to learn a LOT about in a very short period of time, and sometimes when I'm too sick, that can prove to be difficult.

Regardless, after all my trips I've learned to pack like an expert, to make the experience a little more bearable.

These are my top 10 items to bring to a visit to the emergency room, in no particular order:

1.  Comfortable Clothing
• Once, I fainted white volunteering as a research assistant and got taken to the ER via ambulance. I was wearing a dress and heels. WORST ER TRIP EVER. Your best bet is to wear comfy clothes like sweat pants, yoga pants, tank tops and bring a sweater that zips up (easy IV access). This will keep you from getting uncomfortable during your visit.
2. Cell Phone Charger
• Lots of hospital rooms have extra outlets designed for medical machines, but if they're not in use, save your battery and plug it in. You want to be able to text or call people when you find things out. 
3. List of Medications/Therapies
• This should be saved in your wallet, or even better as a list on your phone. It should include medication names, dosages, and how long you have been taking it. That way when the fourth person asks for your medications, you can just rattle them off like a skilled auctioneer. 
4. Lip balm/Lotion
• Hospital air is super dry from air conditioning, heat, and purification. You may not be allowed to drink water, so lotion and lip balm are often a saviour in those parched conditions.
5. Clean Underwear
• Sometimes, you just need to feel fresh after hours of sitting or lying in one spot. Not to mention I'd be lying if I said I'd never lost a pair of panties in the hustle and bustle of a health care centre. 
6. Slip On Shoes
• If you need tests done, sometimes you're asked to go to them. Quickly. Slip on shoes like clogs, sandals, or moccasins make it easy for you to get up and go, so you can get well and get out. 
7. Book
• You can only play so many levels of Angry Birds before you go a little crazy. A book provides non-repetitive entertainment. Chances are if you're a student, you will have readings for class to do, if not, just read for please. It's fun. 
8. Headphones
• Whether it's to tune out your room mate's incessant cough or to put on a relaxation app, headphones provide a tiny little world for your mind to go into when the ER becomes too much to handle. Just make sure its not so loud that when a nurse or doctor comes in to talk to you, you can still hear them. 
9. Hair Elastics
• A number of medical procedures and tests will have you in the most odd positions. "Lie this way, now flip over, move your leg here, we're going to put you upside down". If you're a lady with long locks (like myself) go for a topknot on your head. It keeps your hair out of your way and if you're on your back won't painfully dig into your head.
10. Patience
• Try to be patient. ER trips can be really long (I've waited for 8 hours before). Just remember that you're there for a reason, and the more helpful you are to the medical staff, the more helpful they will be to you. It's very difficult, but in the long run it will be the best option.