Typical Crohn's Pain and Night Sweats

Typical past few days and nights. Severe pain in the area of my Crohn's (terminal illieum) and big-time night sweats. It is likely a combination of the Crohn's and a crowded bed..whatever it is, it has me sweating. We got a new boxer puppy...He is 10 weeks old, and sleeps between my wife and me. Our 9 year old springer sleeps across our feet. It's a crowd, and last night I slept in the ever-desirable "fish hook" position. Fun times! Anyhow, my Crohn's always acts up during the holidays. I have been running again so maybe that will keep the Chron's Disease at bay. We will see. Good luck to all of you Crohn's disease sweaters out there.

Off Topic - My MySpace Page

Hey guys...I try to keep this blog Crohn's related...but if for some reason you want to know more about me as a person outside of our disease...check out my Myspace Page, here. Feel free to drop me a line there or friend request me!

Mike McCready of Pearl Jam - Crohn's and Remicade or Humira?

As many of you may know, guitarist Mike Mcready of Pearl Jam is a long time Crohn's Patient. You may not know that he is currently treating his Crohn's with Humira. Does anyone know what David Garrard (quarterback for the NFL's Jacksonville's Jaguars) is treating his Crohn's with?

Regarding Mike McCready of Pearl Jam (From Billboard):
However, the guitarist has now been in Crohn's remission since the spring of 2005, thanks to a largely carbohydrate-less diet and a new medicine, Humira, which is also used to treat arthritis. That combo allowed McCready to endure the extensive tour Pearl Jam set out on in support of its 2006 self-titled album for J Records."I've been out for shorter period of times that were 20 times as miserable, because I just couldn't manage it," he admits. "This was, in effect, a walk in the park. I just put the medication in the freezer or the refrigerator at the gig. It was a long tour, so I was lucky to be able to have this thing work."

Smoking and Crohns Disease

Hey Guys - I found some interesting new info on Smoking and Crohn's Disease. Alot of people ask me about the realtionship between smoking and Crohn's, so here you go ( from April 2007):

A new study in The American Journal of Gastroenterology suggests that smoking may determine which part of the intestinal tract is attacked in those who suffer from Crohn’s disease. Where the disease is located often determines whether the patient will eventually require surgical treatment.

“In patients who smoke, Crohn’s disease tends to appear more frequently in the small intestine, rather than the colon,” says study author Dr. Marian Aldhous. “Our data shows that when Crohn’s disease is located here, it tends to cause more penetrating or obstructive damage, which would have to be treated by surgery.”

The results of this study raise interesting questions about why smoking would affect different parts of the intestine in different ways.

“Fundamental differences in small and large bowel physiology may explain the differences in location of Crohn’s disease in smokers,” says Aldhous. “The effects of smoking should be further investigated, to understand why smoking has a differential effect on different parts of the bowel.”

Personally my worries skew more towards the link between alcohol and Crohn's!

Smoking and Crohns Disease

Hey Guys - I found some interesting new info on Smoking and Crohn's Disease. Alot of people ask me about the realtionship between smoking and Crohn's, so here you go ( from April 2007):

A new study in The American Journal of Gastroenterology suggests that smoking may determine which part of the intestinal tract is attacked in those who suffer from Crohn’s disease. Where the disease is located often determines whether the patient will eventually require surgical treatment.

“In patients who smoke, Crohn’s disease tends to appear more frequently in the small intestine, rather than the colon,” says study author Dr. Marian Aldhous. “Our data shows that when Crohn’s disease is located here, it tends to cause more penetrating or obstructive damage, which would have to be treated by surgery.”

The results of this study raise interesting questions about why smoking would affect different parts of the intestine in different ways.

“Fundamental differences in small and large bowel physiology may explain the differences in location of Crohn’s disease in smokers,” says Aldhous. “The effects of smoking should be further investigated, to understand why smoking has a differential effect on different parts of the bowel.”

Personally my worries skew more towards the link between alcohol and Crohn's!

Happy Thangsgiving to All you Chronies!

Tuesday was rough for me. B12 shot, blood drawn, Humira. Probably nothing compared to what some of you are going throuigh and what I have been through in the past.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all. Hope the Turkey treated you guys well and you could all eat at least some mashed potatoes. I felt well, ate twice and had a few beers with the family. Just a quick post. more later.
-Scott

Saw Dr. Shafran Today

I am staying the course and sticking with Humira, but we may up it to once a week instead of bi-weekly. I had blood drawn and got a B12 shot. While I am doing better than I was at this time last year, I am not out of the woods yet. It was so nice to see Dr. Shafran, Anita and the rest of the staff. He is such an awesome doctor. While I was there the Orlando Sentinel was there doing a story on Dr. Shafran and the photographer snapped pictures throughout my visit. Stay tuned for a link to the story on a new treatment Dr. Ira Shafran is presenting at a medical conference in Miami next week. I am excited for him. I got in a nice 3.4 mile run after my Doctor's appointment.

I read an obituary in the Orlando Sentinel for a man named Michael Cleary that died after a battle with Crohn's Disease. It definitely puts things in perspective and makes me want to get a handle on the stress and my Chrons. Anyways, Happy Thangsgiving to you all.

Don't sweat the small stuff.
- Scott Roy

Scott Roy is Going to See Dr. Shafran

Going to the good doctor Shafran in Winter Park on Wednesday afternoon. Maybe he can give me a miracle cure so I can chow down on Thanksgiving. This is the time of year that I had a big Crohn's Flare up that landed me in the hospital in 2006. Hopefully the Humira keeps me away from there but stress at the new job is begging to differ. I am doing OK...standard Crohn's cramps. I haven't been to Dr. Shafran and am curious to see what is new with my treatment as well as catch up with his wonderful staff!

Is Humira Really working for me? Worst Night Sweats Ever

After lining my side of the bed with towels and having pretty much the worst night sweats I have ever had...my wife challenged me this AM with a statement that went something like this "I know the Dr. is holding out alot of faith on this Humira working but I don't know if it really is." I paused to reflect and have to wonder myself. The pain has been getting worse and the night sweats are back. I am fresh off a shot Friday night too...so usually I am doing OK at this point.

About this time last year (before I started this Crohn's Blog), I had to go on a liquid diet and ended up not being able to eat at Thanksgiving or Christmas). I lost about 12 pounds...that might be the only good part.....and spent about 5 days in the hospital.

Anyways, crazy week at work. Just took on responsibility for all of our marketing (was just doing online portion) and am working on 2008 business plans and budgeting. Fun times!!

Enough bitching, lets all have a positive week. -Scott

Humira Shot for Crohn's Disease at 12:45 AM - Party Hard

Well i didn't get my Humira shot this week so after about 6 beers I got home just in time for Amy to poke a needle in my arm full of Humira. I felt like I was super relaxed but it really hurt for some reason. Oh well....2 more weeks until I get more Humira. We'll see how it goes. Keep your heads up gang...Things are going a bit better for me, but work stress and stress at home are still getting me good. Lets hope I avoid a flare-up

Tips for Dealing with a Crohn's Disease Flare Up - Crohn's Disease Blog

Below are some good tips for dealing with Crohn's Disease Flare ups...mine is last. Please feel free to add your own tips or talk about how YOU deal with a Crohn's disease flare-up.

From Aaron: The greatest advice I have for those with Crohn's or Colitis is to keep your chin up and stay positive. Believe it or not, attitude can play a major role in coping with IBD. Although I was formally diagnosed with Crone's disease this morning (after a colonoscopy), I have experienced many symptoms for nearly two years. While fighting through the physical pain has been extremely difficult at times, I constantly remind myself that I won't let the disease hold me back. Like many other sufferers, I am only 18 years old. And I have no intention of simply giving in and sulking in self-pity. So next time IBD gets you down, try to keep a positive frame of mind. Remember that you have your whole life ahead, and you won't let IBD stop you from making the most of it!!! Any questions, reactions, etc?

From Kimberly: This may sound strange, but it works! Read a book on pain management during labor and child birth. The breathing techniques and focusing method discussed are a great method! When the flare up starts I start doing the breathing and distraction just like I was having a contraction.

Heat1 says: I try to visualize myself in my favorite place. A little island in Florida. I imagine myself there and have fun. It helps but try to be in a quiet area or it can be more stressful and that is NOT what you need!! Hope this helps you!!

Beau says: I find that cuddling with my dog is one of the great ways to be happy, but if my dog is not available or if I just don't want to for some reason I follow my other passion, studying War history. I know it might sound lame but I can get so lost in it that I never realize what's going on. So my best advice would be to find a passion, and pursue it when your sick.

Elease says: When my aunt, who has had Chron's for about 30 years has a bad day, she reads or draws to stay quiet and take her mind off it...or she will call a friend from church or a family member and have a chat about non-Crohn's stuff to help her relax.

Amy says: Whenever I get a flare up the first thing I do is lay down and relax for a while...sometimes the stress is just to much for me. If that doesn't workthen I cut out the foods that might be a problem, and stick to liquids and bland foods. I haven't had any real bad flare ups since i really first got it and that was 2 years ago though. But I find just relaxing and taking my mind off of it usually does the trick.

Tyler says: When I have a flare-up I like to play my guitar, I find it takes my mind off of the pain.

Susan says: I recommend writing in a diary. It feels good to get the thoughts down on paper and get them out of your body.

Randy says: One way I get over the flare ups of Crohn's is hunching over my knees. This really lessens the pains. I know its happened to me many times.

Scott says (me) - I generally go on a liquid diet to ease the workload on my bowels. I think getting plenty of rest is key (but I don't). I lay on the floor on my back...seems to help..maybe it just gets the pressure and tension off of my gut. I also have a prescription to percocet which not only helps with the pain (it's the only thing that truly works for me) but tends to constipate normal people....and slows down diahreah (I still don't know how to spell that word) for me.

Crohn's Disease in NYC

Ahh, So I returned to the scene of my now infamous pants pooping site today. Unfortunately my favorite boxers weren't there (Click here if you have no idea what I am talking about). I was in New York City for ad:tech. My stomach was OK, but I am a bit worried about a blockage. I get my Humira shot in a few minutes. Thanks for all of your comments. I am teetering on the edge and somehow avoiding a flare up. I am determined to run a marathon in 2008 and am about to start training again. My goal is 8 miles by Jan 1 (at a 7:50/mile pace).