Day One - Steroids and Immunosuppressants

 Well here I am. 47 years old in the year 2020. Right now it is obvious to the world that this particular year will forever be known as the collective months of dumpster fire events that started with the most wide spread and destructive fires beautiful Australia has ever seen. We thought that was the worst of it, but the smoke cleared and February saw the little virus in Wuhan, China, take a grip and quickly escalate into a pandemic. 

As of right now, 7th of December 2020 (Australian time), close to 68.5 million people have been infected and 1.5 million have died. This is something we need to keep in perspective as it is not over, even with a vaccine being imminent. 

So what did 2020 deliver for me personally? Well in January I believed that I had picked up a bug on the island of Gili Air in Lombok, Indonesia. My husband recovered from the gruelling vomiting and frequent toilet "runs",  but after several weeks I hadn't. Thus started the hunt for answers to what ever the hell shell of a human I had become, and some answers as to why my previously fit and trim self was becoming a fat hot mess as quickly as positive cases of COVID19 leached around the world. This whole year I chased a theory on giardia, thyroid dysfunction (I only have half a thyroid left), coeliac (I am DNA positive for this), multiple sclerosis, colitis and then finally I was told Crohn's Disease.

Today I have started medication for Crohn's, an incurable auto-immune disease where my body plays Russian roulette with healthy cells in my digestive system, any where from my mouth to my butt hole. My inflammation is confined to the large bowel, that is great news really. But the drugs I have to take...well despite talking to others and finding reassurance amongst the Crohn Crew, which I am so thankful for, I am still in disbelief that these are the meds I need to be on. Firstly the steroid Budesonide, but also the chemotherapy drug Puri-Nethol. The scientific name is Mercatopurine. Google that shit...I broke down in tears this afternoon.

Despite copious amounts of alcohol consumed over the years, this stuff was next level. I am trying to be healthy and it seems counter productive to put this shit in my system...but here is the catch...if I want access to the 'preferred' treatment I have to fail on this first. I mean what the fuck? 

So here I sit with my first tablets down in my belly supposedly doing their thing, and over the coming months. or lets be real, years...I need somewhere to put my thoughts and feelings and this is it. It most likely wont always be about Crohn's, I have lots of other stuff to chat about. I have always been told I should write and I would prefer that it isn't so dark as I like to be a funny bitch for the most part, but there will be times I know that I will possibly be SO over the whole thing. In that I hope to share my journey, to not only help myself express thoughts and feelings to stay sane, but to also bring awareness to this silent disease that will be part of my life for the rest of my days.