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| Auntie & Niece Selfie |
On 14th September I went to Essex to stay with Bethany for a week but that week turned into two weeks which I had the most amazing time but I pushed my limits in terms of my health. I didn't plan to go for two weeks so I only took enough tablets for a week with an extra few days of spare meds but I thought I would be okay without a few meds for few days but how wrong was I. Looking back I should of went to a walk in centre/hospital in Essex to get my medication but I didn't really think and was in a little bubble. When you have a chronic illness you try so hard for it not to rule your life but it does without you even realising and it is so out of your control.
I came home on 25th September and the train journey home was a nightmare and totally made me panic which I didn't have any medication for my panic attacks so I was literally alone trying to calm down with the help of texting Beth. I have no idea what I was sending to Beth or if it made any sense to be honest but she was doing her best in calming me down via imessage. Once I got some food and drink and got onto the train to Windsor I felt abit calm but the panic didn't really go. I was in pain with back, stomach cramps and as I am in a bad flare up at the moment I was constantly worrying how I was going to go to the toilet with all my bags and suitcase I had. I felt so alone, empty and scared. Alone that I didn't have any medication with me and that when it kicked in that my illnesses are controlling my life and I cannot do much about it at the moment.
With the constant toilet trips with diarrhoea, mucus and blood it makes me so exhausted, the lack of sleep due to back pains and then depression making everyday stuff feel worse than it probably is. My day to day routine is I get up early take my medication have breakfast and get ready like every other person but difference is after than I am exhausted I have no energy left and I don't really feel awake. The first week in Essex I was totally okay, I was eating the foods I am meant to be and I was sleeping good. Yes I was on toilet lots and in ALOT of pain but I was coping good with it but the second week totally knocked me for six. Beth and Tommy asked if I would like to stay for another week and I instantly said yes as I love being with my brother, Bethany and nieces. I hardly slept much in the second week, I was going from Ava's bed to the sofa to Beth parents bed (her parents were away on holiday, I was relying a lot on hot water bottles, gel for my back and what I had left of my medication but nothing was touching the pain. Two days with no medication apart from cocodamol which were the lowest dose literally broken me. When I got back home on Friday afternoon I went and took tramadol ASAP, laid in bed and took my usual meds and I felt abit better.
Basically these past two weeks was a massive learning curve. To never EVER go without my medications and ALWAYS take the box of meds instead of in the pill box. I think people just think Colitis symptoms are just belly related but its the fatigue and pain that make this illness so hard to do normal day to day stuff. Let alone the side effects from the medication I take which constantly leaves me feeling sick and lightheaded ect.
Apart from all that above, I did literally have the best time with Bethany and my Nieces. We all spent lovely quality time together. We baked cakes at 7am, took and picked up Ava from school, watched Celebrity Big Brother together, became obsessed with Desperate Housewives box set on sky, Costa/Tesco trips and much more fun. We all get on so much and constantly are laughing. The next time we get to spend together is in an months time when it is Bethany's Birthday and we are off to Harry Potter Tour woooo.
Has anyone with a Chronic Illness or Colitis got any tips on how to cope when you're away from home? Let me know :)
Love Katie x
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
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.
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| 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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