More... part1

Climbed by year and month

Climbed by year and month

So much has happened since the last time I updated the blog... my lack of attention was probably related to the enthusiasm I felt for what was happening.

Still, maybe I can laugh about it now. Hmmm or maybe not.

The colonoscopy results showed inflammation in my terminal ilium and illeacecal valve with possible stricturing. Coupled with being asymptomatic my gastroenterologist decreed it would be better to treat it seriously now, as to leave it and see what happens may allow nasty things to progress without us knowing about it until surgery is required. Which we rather want to avoid. So I reluctantly agreed to take Azathioprine.

The Azathioprine started out okay, although I felt tired quite a lot of the time, and completely wiped out and brain dead the rest. I went to my GP who prescribed me some iron tablets to see if they helped - my haemoglobin levels were marginally low. And they did, but after a few days made me feel nauseous and gave me gastritis. So I had another 'script for a heavy-duty antacid. After a few days off the iron I started to feel better. Great! I thought. Except within another couple of days the Azathioprine started making me feel unwell with nausea and stomach pains about 5 hours after taking each tablet. A call to my GE and I was off that and on to the metabolite directly: Mercaptopurine - sometimes referred to as 6-MP. Apparently most people tolerate it better, although it's more expensive to produce and hence the cost to the NHS. Can you see what is about to happen?....

You guessed correctly I assume! I didn't get on with 6MP really quite spectacularly. I don't like being sick. And I really really don't like throwing up multiple times, violently. Thanks though to CamDoc - our out-of-hours doctors for quickly sending someone out to give me a bum cheek full of anti-emetic!

Another call and visit to my GE and I was off that too.