I have received a lot of e-mails from people asking me about how I am doing and I apologize if I have not replied to everyone. I am actually doing better, recovering slowly. I met my surgeon last Wednesday and he told me that the full recovery would really take 6 weeks.

I have started using Imodium now and I think I’ll be good to go right around the time 2007 starts. I did make a more detailed post a week or so back in the Crohn’s Disease Newsletter - click here to read it…

I’ll have a more detailed update soon!

12 December 2006 | Personal | No Comments

hahaha…you’ll have to excuse if I sound a bit “cookiee” today, I’m 100% tripped out on diladed and other pain killers right now. I thought I would give everyone an update on my surgery and recovery.

I do plan on publishing a much more in-depth experience and recovery guide later on the site, but for now I just wanted to say “wow…it’s a much harder recovery than I initially anticipated or maybe was led to believe.”

I had the surgery Friday morning, it is now Thursday and I still am waiting for the bowel to really turn on. The surgeon and his team have said that I must pass some gas before they can start getting me on a liquid diet.

So, yes, that’s right - I have now not eaten a THING or even drank WATER for a little over a week! But they have me on liquids and electrolytes through an I.V, but boy am I hungry.

Today I saw some potential good signs, so I may have good stuff to report tomorrow, but for now, I’m stll waiting and getting picked and probbed

A lot of you have sent mails in the dozens wishing me the best and I truly REALLY appreciate that, sorry if I have not had a chance to respond to everyone individually.

But, after having been through this, I think there is a lot more I can talk about in the near future to help everyone understand this type of surgery and what YOU can do to improve your health should you ever need to go through it.

23 November 2006 | Crohnee Stories | No Comments

Reports from Scotsman.com News say that scientists in Scotland have successfuly tested a VACCINE for Crohn’s Disease!

Britain’s leading researcher on Crohn’s Disease has long blamed milk for the wide-spread rapid growth of Crohn’s.

Now John Hermon-Taylor, professor of surgery at St George’s Hospital in London, believes he has made the breakthrough that could spell the end of the incapacitating disease.

The professor has conducted a testing round on mice that has shown no adverse reactions.  Even more importantly for those who HAVE Crohn’s Disease is that  the professor is saying that the vaccine will be highly effective in not only stopping Crohn’s from ever happening, but also in helping TREAT Crohn’s Disease!

“It was statistically highly significant both as an attenuation of pre-existing infection and protection against subsequent infection. Such a double-dip effect would be very, very useful in humans.”

The professor is linking this again to the MAP theory (a theory getting a lot more attention as of recent).

For the full article, please visit here… 

16 November 2006 | Crohn's Disease, Crohn's Treatments, Crohn's Research | 6 Comments

Having a hard time taking Remicade?

Remicade is actually known to have patients build allergic reactions to if they take it enough or if they take a long break between shots. My doctors give me a lot of Prednisone, benadryl and tylenol before my shot to avoid reactions (I had one before).

Although I am now able to take Remicade without a problem (after getting drugged up). A recent study showed that there may be a good alternative to the life-interferring 1 long infusion every 6-8 weeks (a.k.a Remicade).

Humira, which is a 1 time a week subcutaneous, self-delivered, shot seems to be showing very promising results in recent studies against placebos.

A recently article in SpiritIndia talks more about this.

The data is being presented simultaneously at the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) annual meeting in Las Vegas and the United European Gastroenterology Week (UEGW) in Berlin.

16 November 2006 | Crohn's Disease, Crohn's Treatments, Crohn's Research | 1 Comment

I have surgery this Friday to get my temporary illiostomy reversed - yes, I’m very excited. But, in all honesty, a bit nervous as well. I mean, the last few months have been great in the sense that I’ve been eating whatever I want. My energy is back, I’m working, I feel on top of the world.

Now, after this reversal, my diet will be very restricted for weeks, I have to go through recovery and I also run many risks again - sigh…

Anyways, as I am now meeting doctors and hearing about it, I figured I would keep everyone reading up-to-date as well as to what I am expecting and experiencing.

1. I cannot eat the day before
2. The procedure is pretty short - about 45 minutes to 60 minutes - They say they don’t have to make any major incisions, just connect me right from the stoma hole.
3. In the hospital for 5-7 days after procedure (waiting for the colon to start up again).
4. Light NO FIBER diet for 4-6 weeks post surgery.

They are saying that the area they reconnect has a tendency to get a bit swollen, narrowing the passageway, so nothing that could get blocked there.

Here are the risks I face:

- Infection (inside and where they close the stoma)
- Leakage (where they connect the intestines)
- Inflammation (Where they connect)
- Fistulas formation (where they connect)
- Blockage (food getting stuck where they connect)

All in all, my doctors are very confident. I have been very healthy the past months and I am hoping for the best! Wish me luck!

13 November 2006 | Crohn's Disease | 6 Comments

There has been a major finding linking a gene to inflammatory bowel diseases that scientists are saying is going to have a major impact on the future research and development of treatments for Crohn’s Disease…

Previous genetic studies uncovered a link between Crohn’s and variants of the gene CARD15 (also known as NOD2), but this gene plays a role in only some Crohn’s patients, and does not affect the risk for colitis. This new discovery, which involves a gene called the interleukin-23 (IL-23) receptor, has a much larger effect on these inflammatory diseases, and affects risk for both Crohn’s and colitis.

Scientists are saying that with this discovery and more information on this particular gene - they can make major improvements to existing drugs, not to mention the development of new ones.

Even if Crohn’s is not 100% linked to this gene (which is may very well not be), it does seem that this gene could shed more light and help us get closer…

You definitely should read more about this, visit:

CCFA.org - Major Genetic Link to Crohn’s and Colitis Found

8 November 2006 | Crohn's Disease, Crohn's Research | No Comments

The most recent question we also received was:

Are we going to have to take medication for the rest of our lives or eventually do we get to go off and if so how long till we get a flare up again.

Crohn’s Disease is a chronic disease and as of now there is no cure for the disease. Right now, yes, you are going to have to continue taking your medications regularly.

Not taking your medication can cause for Crohn’s Disease to relapse much sooner, however, each patient is different. Given how severe your disease is, it will relapse sooner and be worse.

11 October 2006 | Crohn's Disease, Crohn's Treatments | No Comments

A recent article is reporting that the occurance of Crohn’s Disease has doubled in children recently. Crohn’s Disease used to be a conditition that mostly impacted adults but it seems to be changing to children lately.

Parents who have an obcession to cleanliness might be causing this!

Experts believe children are being exposed to fewer germs these days and their immune systems are weaker as a result.

The full article can be found here: Rise in Crohn’s Disease blamed on cleanlines… 

Actually this is a theory that even Jordan Rubin talks about. It is because of this that he recommends we take more probiotics. He says that when we were children, we would play in the dirt and get dirty (used to end up eating dirt by mistake).

All these things made our immune systems stronger. However, now days, kids are staying inside and playing video games and parents are starting to worry even more about sterolizing their homes!

Being too clean seems to be dangerous!

10 October 2006 | Crohn's Disease, Crohn's Research | No Comments

Time again for another Crohnee question we got! This was a very good question, it was a two part question:

1. What country is doing the most research in Crohn’s Disease?
2. How many people have Crohn’s Disease?

What countries do the most research?

The 3 countries that are leading the pack on Crohn’s Disease research are:

• United States
• United Kingdom
• Australia

Following close behind are Canada and some other European countries. However, Crohn’s Disease is showing up much more in US, UK and Australia so these countries expend more research dollars on it as well.

Canada has become more active lately because it is growing rapidly there. We did a post about this - 1 in 300 Have Bowel Disease In Canada… 

How Many People Have Crohn’s Disease?

According to the latest numbers I have seen, Crohn’s Disease has reached about 500,000 people in the U.S. alone. Also, it is estimated that 1 in 300 people in Canada have SOME kind of bowel disease!

Unfortunately it is growing very rapidly so we need to spend much more time and money researching!

7 October 2006 | Crohn's Disease, Crohn's Research | No Comments

A recent story was published at StonyCreekNews.com about a woman who talks about her experiences with an ostomy bag and how the public reaction to it has changed in the past…

“It involves bodily functions. It’s not something people talk about at the dinner table. ‘So, how’s your ostomy working today?’ It’s perceived as dirty,” Ms. Paquet says.

“I think a lot of that perception comes from 30, 40 years ago, when the ostomy supplies weren’t as odour-proof. They were rubber and they were just awful. I think that’s where a lot of the stigma comes from, because they did smell. Nowadays, you wouldn’t know I had an ostomy unless I told you. It doesn’t smell, ever.”

I can speak from personal experience that this is true - no one even really ever finds out that you have an ostomy bag unless YOU decide to tell them!
Long story short, if you’re getting an ostomy bag, the world is a much better place for you now…

6 October 2006 | Crohn's Disease | No Comments