The best laid plans

In my last blog the stage was set; I’d had a really positive consultation with a nutritionist We discussed my IBD journey and what I wanted to achieve over the course of the coming months, which for reference was to improve the fatigue I have on a daily basis, also to improve the bloating and discomfort I suffer. I excitedly took receipt of the supplements the nutritionist suggested to begin with. I’d also etched out in the calendar the week for me to begin the food reintroductions: Wild salmon, white fish and finally coconut yogurt.

However, this plan was not to be well executed, in fact, almost a month after my consultation, the ship has not left the metaphorical dock. The reason being that a fortnight ago, I began to feel the usual Crohn’s symptoms, gurgle tummy, mild nausea, nothing of note, then as the evening progressed I knew this was something very different. Within the hour I was projectile vomiting every five minutes along with torrents of diarrhea. It got so bad at one stage I actually thought I was going to pass out.

At any given point in an average day my mind is in Crohn’s overdrive however at this point my mind has gone to hyper drive setting. Was it something I ate? Am I having a flare up? How can it be a flare up? I’ve not gone off diet?  Has my stricture worsened? IS MY SMALL BOWEL ABOUT TO BURST OPEN RIGHT NOW? But then, with the speed of a freight train, my whole family began to succumb to what I now had established was a bug! Not some minor league bug, but full on norovirus …the premier league of bugs!

It was mildly comical as we each dealt with the symptoms of the bug. The comedic value soon wore off though as the night progressed. Over the course of the next couple of days my symptoms had slightly improved, although the visits to the toilet had slowed I had aches and pains all over my body, bouts of nausea and a general feeling of lethargy. I noted that the recovery time of my wife and children were dramatically different to mine; they were all back to normal within 48 hours of the virus.

Almost eight days later, I’m still suffering from the virus, I do feel slightly better day by day so it looks like my gut flora might be in a state of flux?  This is where IBDoc comes in, without IBDoc I would be in a constant conversation with myself; Am I back to normal? Has the virus severely increased the inflammation?

I guess this is a great example of how life gets in the way of Crohn’s. This disease is a challenge when the waters of life are calm and Norovirus, a holiday or a business trip as examples, does not disrupt the routine of daily life. I’m desperate to begin the nutritionist plan but I have to remain calm and patient and not base my strategy on how do I feel, but once again rely on what IBDoc is telling me. Just like all great tech that integrates seamlessly into our lives, I have come to totally rely on IBDoc and the reassurance it offers.

As soon as I get my results from IBDoc, and assuming the calprotectin level is within “normal” range, I can once again begin the nutritionist plan. I hope to discuss this in my next blog.