Katie's Health Update #9

So my last health update was only a few a weeks ago here but since then I have a few things to update you all on.

COLITIS
Yesterday I had an appointment at the hospital for a check up and instead of the appointment being under the Gastroenterology clinic, it was under the general surgery clinic which I didn't understand why to be honest and nor did the Doctor. Luckily the doctor I saw is someone I have been under for nearly 3 years now so she knew my history and what was going on. She looked at my report from my last colonoscopy and explained where my Colitis is and told me a lot more than I ever have been told. I explained to her how I don't think Asacol are doing much for me anymore and my flare up is so unbearable at the moment. She wrote me out a prescription for Steroids (not sure what they called) and has put me under the Gastroenterology department and for them to see me urgent/in few weeks time. I took my Mother with me and I am glad to be honest as it is always different from a doctor explaining my condition rather than me. So although my flare up is bad at the moment, my fatigue is horrible, still loosing weight and eyes are being affected but I felt like finally the hospital are doing something about it. 

ARTHRITIS
My Gabapentin medication have been upped to 300mg and the side effects from the 200mg was affecting me a lot so now it is higher the side effects are worse. The side effects are worth it to be honest as the medication itself does help with my back pain. I get  days where my back is in bits and then days where it is manageable with painkillers but never a day where I am not in pain. Over the past few weeks the pain has been going back of bum, legs and near my hips which happens every now and then. When the weather gets cold my Arthritis plays up a lot so although I love the cold weather, I am not looking forward to it.
  
ANXIETY/DEPRESSION/PANIC ATTACKS
My depression hasn't been good to be honest, I've had more down days than up days this month. My GP has upped my Sertraline to 200mg and have referred me to an Psychiatrist. My GP explained that because he has upped my dose of Antidepressants and I haven't heard back from Therapy than he feels that me being seen by an Psychiatrist will be more helpful than waiting for an Therapist appointment. I told him how the more pain I get with both of my illnesses that the more depressed I feel and as I can't control any of my illnesses/they wont get cured that I feel like I need to learn how to control my depression ASAP. As for my Anxiety that is always there in the back on my mind in some way or another. Whether if I am not in an anxious place, I will always feel on edge. I wrote a post HERE about fear and Guilt of an Chronic Illness and in this post I explained what fear I have lately and part of that is feeling anxious. As for my Panic Attacks, I haven't really been in any panicky environment to make me panic lately. I went to Essex at the beginning of August and obviously I've mentioned how I used to have a fear of trains ect and that is where my panic attacks started but I have gotten over the fear but I still do panic as I think it would be totally impossible of me to stop panicking while I am on the tube/train. My Brother picked me up on the way there and on the way back I got the tube and train back and luckily the tube was there quick and so was the train so I didn't have any time to panic.

OTHER
I wrote a post HERE about my Eye dramas over the past few weeks so read that if you want to know what happened. I am still on eye drops and to be honest the eye pain has gone but both of my eyes are still so red. The eye Doctor did explain how he was worried as people with Colitis/Ankylosing Spondylitis do get bad eyes so he did say he was going to send me to an specialist so I guess I shall have to wait for that appointment letter to come through. That's pretty much it for my health this month and I have no more appointments left for this month. In September I have Dietician which is to do with my Colitis as I am struggling with what to eat lately and then I have my Monthly GP app middle of the month.

I shall keep you all posted on how I get on with the Steroids for my Colitis which I haven't got yet as the chemist had to order them in. Also touch wood my eyes start to get better.

Love Katie xx  

Katie's Health Update #7

I didn't realize my last health update post was in March!! OPPS. I did write some health update HERE in May in a life lately post but I haven't really gone into detail about everything health wise.

image from pinterest 

COLITIS
I haven't really got any updates on my Colitis as I am still waiting on having another appointment with my specialist. I'm on Asacol 400mg twice a day which have been working but in the past two months I have been having flare ups more often than I was before. My symptoms of this is abdominal pain, blood loss when passing stools and loss of appetite. I feel sort of stuck as in March I was diagnosed put on medication and that is it, I am still waiting for a follow up to get more answers. 

AS/ARTHRITIS
It's been over a year since I was diagnosed with Ankylosin Spondylitis which I wrote about HERE and to be honest I have literally only just been able to learnt to cope with it. My symptoms are back pain, stiffness, joint pain with most recent being my right write and fatigue which makes me have zero energy. I'm on Co-codamol 30mg/500mg  x 2 three times a day, Tramadol 50mg x 2 twice a day and my latest medication is called Gabapentin 100mg x 2 three times a day and also Voltarol Gel which I apply to my back every night before bed and also on any joints which aches/when needed. It is alot to remember and I'm forever going back and forwards to the doctors and chemist but touch wood this medication routine is doing the best it can do. That isn't to say it don't hurt because it bloody hurts so much but I think I am getting better at dealing with the pain. I wake up every morning stiff without doubt and it takes about anything between a hour to two hours before I'm not stiff. Hot water bottles are my best friend when I'm having a bad flare up but also a good old cry helps haha. The fatigue and lack of energy has been the biggest thing to deal with lately. Although my insomnia has gone which means I am getting a good amount of sleep and waking up at 8 am every morning without fail, I am feeling so tired and no energy during the day and lately I have been making myself stay awake and do something because before I was going up to my bed and falling asleep and not waking up til early hours of morning which was making me crazy. 


Other illnesses stuff.. I will do another post on my depression, anxiety and panic attacks otherwise this post will be so long ha. Although it has been a few months since my last health update, not much has changed to be honest. Apart from one new medication, colitis getting worse and pain in wrist. I have an health assessment next month which I am very worried about to be honest, even though I know I'm clearly not well to work but I panic sooooo much. If anyone has had or have any tips on this assessment please let me know. This no energy is meaning I am taking double the time to do simple tasks so a normal few hours of basic housework lately is taking me a whole day. Once my morning Tramadol kicks in I literally try and do some housework and literally soon as I feel the painkillers wearing off I will stop and try and rest but some days the painkillers don't do their job. Another example is this post, now this would usually not take me long but I started at lunch time, had to sit down for over an hour then I have to sit up and down and so on and now it is 4pm so 4 hours to do this post grrrrr. I promise I will not leave my next health update for so long next time :)


Love Katie x 

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Katie's Health Update #4

Can't believe it is nearly a month since I done my last health update here. Alot has happened in terms of health wise since. So I was meant to have an operation on 24th December 2014 then it got moved to 7th January then on 18th December the hospital rang me saying they have an cancellation on the 22nd December but in another hospital but I accepted the date and was nervously worrying. Also Bella wasn't born then so I was praying and hoping she would be before my operation and luckily she was :) 


so I arrived at Wexham Park Hospital at 7am which I have been many times before but they have changed the way they do things so I was in the Females ward and you basically sit down in a waiting room, no family allowed to stay and your called one by one to see the nurse, doctor then anesthetist. It was weird because my other operation you are put into an ward and have own bed and get into gown asap but this was different. It was so busy and I  had visions on being last on the list but I was one of the first to be called to the nurse who check my blood pressure ect and the I saw doctors who talked me through the operation then sent back to wait, I thought Oh god here we go, I will be waiting forever so I got my notepad out and starting writing and then the anesthetist called me. Then back to waiting room, and again I was called quickly to measure for stocking ( so unattractive looking haha) then into my gown and dressing gown and told someone would be down soon to collect me. It all happened so quick I can't even remember what time I went down to surgery it was all a blur but after two hours in Recovery I was discharged and home by 1 pm which I was so impressed by.   

Sexy stockings//OUCHH//Home and cuddles with Buster

I was very sleepy and weak over the next few days to be honest. The Anesthetic takes a few days to get out of my body and generally felt sooooo tired. This operation was to do with my Bowel so I had alot of tummy ache and not being allowed to eat certain food which I still can't eat. When I finally started to feel okay it was Christmas day and I planned to stay at home but there was an extra place at the meal my Family was going to so I went to get out and I felt okay considering it was the first time out since operation. Although I couldn't eat most food and the glass of rose made me feel sick, I had a good time. We all went back to my Nan's house after then back home to watch Eastenders and back into bed. It wasn't til few days after I realised I've eaten all the wrong foods and done too much as I felt so ill and stomach killed. While all of this was going on I still had and suffered with back pain and I STILL haven't heard from specialist GRRRR.


So the operation itself went okay and done what was meant to do but they found bleeding which they don't know is coming from and think it might be my upper stomach. On 27th December I found out I had to have another operation ASAP and a blood test. I had the blood test on Monday just gone and got the operation on 29th January so not long. This operation is abit different and recovery is alot different and worse so Im not looking forward one bit to be honest. I didn't expect to even have this other operation as I thought the one on 22nd December would be it for along time. I've gone past the angry stage and now just am preparing myself for it. 



I wish I had a good update lol but things have been put back now. But there is nothing I can do than just wait and hope this operation finds out where and why Im bleeding ect. I shall of course do another health update maybe after or just before my operation. Im seeing my GP on Monday to talk about some medication ect. Shall as always keep you update :) 


Love Katie xx  

Katie's Health Update #3

I'm so sorry I haven't been doing my health update weekly. Life and routine went abit pear shape if you read our blog update here you will understand abit more. 

My health has defiantly got alot worse lately and getting very frustrated with still not hearing from the pshyio and also my specialist who was meant to contact me about a new medication to put me on as I was taken off Amitriptyline well over a month ago now so am purely just on painkillers. Obviously painkillers have alot of impact on your body so November wasn't a great month. I had alot of flare ups and also alot of bad days of awful neck pain. I invested in a neck pillow a week ago and its been like heaven. Another random and new thing is that Im suffering so much with INSOMNIA since November. Its getting too much now and Im going to the doctors soon to see if they can help. Im going days without any sleep at all and days where I feel so unhuman its ridiculous. 

I found out last week that on 24th December (YES XMAS EVE) I have an operation which is for my bowels. I was kind of hoping it would be this year as I've been waiting ages but sooo soon to Christmas isn't idea. Luckily I have zero plans for Christmas day and have a massive phobia of Christmas its self so I didn't mind. The other date was late March next year but I wanted it out of the way and done with as the recovery isn't pleasant. I've had the same op last September and wasn't given the right advice and medication to heal and recover which is one of the reasons it needs re doing but I need to go on an soft food diet for at least 6/8 weeks after which last year I did stick to very well and cut out so many food but this year I slowly started eating the food again but I'm the person who can easily give up anything. So porridge, soap and lots of flavored water will be my best friend over the next few month. 

I'm actually due to see my Specialist anyways for an update I have every 6 months but haven't heard. Im going to see my GP next Monday for my normal update but He was pretty pissed off with my Specialist last time I went as he tried ages to even get through to her on the phone so next week I hope something can be sorted. Im sort of feeling like because Im young they aint taking this very serious. At the beginning I cant fault them as they was amazingly good but it is almost like they stuck me on certain meds and thought now do one. Obviously that certain med done sod all. I hate having to rely on Co Codamol and Tramadol!! And I would wish to have one night, morning or even a few hours of being pain free it would be amazing. I now dread days out where I know I will be walking alot as I spend the night in pain after, I dread car journeys and Im bloody dreading the operation not actually for the actual op but because I can't just get up and move whenever I feel pain and Im scared I wont get the meds I need. Arghhh!!

My Panic attacks and Anxiety levels are crazily high at the moment. I think because of current stuff happening lately and my health getting crap, my anxiety goes mental. Other day me and My mother went shopping, we got the bus there and I freaked out about everything, The busy shops, too many people around me and even getting panic about my Mother walking or being too close to me. Im getting easily and more stressed out over little things like my bedroom not being tidy and over Christmas pressie not being brought ect. 


Im very thankful for having my Mother around lately. She is currently not well so she is home most of the time so having her here helps alot. She does me hot water bottles, makes me lots of teas, dinner and keeps me company when Im down. I don't think she realizes how much of a help she is to me. I shall keep you all updated on my next GP visit and also my operation ekkkkkk nervous.


Love Katie 
xx