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Results of the X-Ray. Oh, boy.
Friday, 28 July 2006 19:36Someone answered my wish for instant gratification with the X-rays. Apparently, I forgot that the doc had put on his instructions that he wanted the X-rays ASAP. So, he got them today. And so I got the phone call shortly after 4 PM today:
Yeah. Something is definitely wrong. The x-rays had showed a nice inflammation in the small bowel (or in english, small intestine), right at the terminal ileum. This is the part of the intestine that marks the end of the intestine as it goes into the colon. Because of where it's located and also given the symptoms I have been having, one of the possible diagnoses is that I may have picked up a chronic illness called Crohn's disease.
Yes, I said chronic. Which means it will stay with me for the rest of my life if this diagnosis holds up. I show most of the typical symptoms associated with this: inflammed terminal ileum (though Crohn's disease can affect any part of the digestive system, it's most common right at the spot where the X-rays saw trouble), frequent random pain, varying fever symptoms, etc.
Because the diagnosis isn't confirmed, they are going to do a colonoscopy on me sometime in the next 2 weeks so that they can confirm a diagnosis. Maybe I don't have the disease and it's just some random thing going on.
However, if I do have Crohn's, this is one of those pesky diseases that won't kill me, but will be a nuisance at times. Crohn's is an auto-immune disease, which means that my antibodies, thinking that some part of my body is infected or sick, attacks it. Problem is, the organ under attack is really perfectly healthy, and my antibodies are unintentionally doing harm.
There is no confirmed way on how one contracts this disease--it's really one of those happy-go-lucky chronic illnesses that randomly affects people. It's genetic, but scientists don't know if it's hereditary. We do know that it most commonly hits young people in the late teens through their 20s. It's about a 1 in 300 shot in the US.
Again, there is no confirmed final diagnosis until they do the colonoscopy. However, they have begun me on medication--an anti-inflammatory called Prednisone, which is designed to ease the inflammation, and also my pains.
That's the latest update. From now until the colonoscopy, all I will think is Robin Williams. I'll become my own Discovery Channel special. When the time comes, I'll probably want to be knocked out for it. I don't want images of the inside of my colon burned into my brain.
Now I'm really glad I got the insurance.
Yeah. Something is definitely wrong. The x-rays had showed a nice inflammation in the small bowel (or in english, small intestine), right at the terminal ileum. This is the part of the intestine that marks the end of the intestine as it goes into the colon. Because of where it's located and also given the symptoms I have been having, one of the possible diagnoses is that I may have picked up a chronic illness called Crohn's disease.
Yes, I said chronic. Which means it will stay with me for the rest of my life if this diagnosis holds up. I show most of the typical symptoms associated with this: inflammed terminal ileum (though Crohn's disease can affect any part of the digestive system, it's most common right at the spot where the X-rays saw trouble), frequent random pain, varying fever symptoms, etc.
Because the diagnosis isn't confirmed, they are going to do a colonoscopy on me sometime in the next 2 weeks so that they can confirm a diagnosis. Maybe I don't have the disease and it's just some random thing going on.
However, if I do have Crohn's, this is one of those pesky diseases that won't kill me, but will be a nuisance at times. Crohn's is an auto-immune disease, which means that my antibodies, thinking that some part of my body is infected or sick, attacks it. Problem is, the organ under attack is really perfectly healthy, and my antibodies are unintentionally doing harm.
There is no confirmed way on how one contracts this disease--it's really one of those happy-go-lucky chronic illnesses that randomly affects people. It's genetic, but scientists don't know if it's hereditary. We do know that it most commonly hits young people in the late teens through their 20s. It's about a 1 in 300 shot in the US.
Again, there is no confirmed final diagnosis until they do the colonoscopy. However, they have begun me on medication--an anti-inflammatory called Prednisone, which is designed to ease the inflammation, and also my pains.
That's the latest update. From now until the colonoscopy, all I will think is Robin Williams. I'll become my own Discovery Channel special. When the time comes, I'll probably want to be knocked out for it. I don't want images of the inside of my colon burned into my brain.
Now I'm really glad I got the insurance.
