I've got soul but I'm not a soldier...

Universal truth: No matter what the weather is at any given moment someone is going to dislike it. This is all well and good, but there's really no point in complaining about it because there's nothing anyone can do to change it. Georgia (where I live) went through a drought a few years ago and water reserves were at an all time low. It was hot and dry and ridiculous and the state's leadership's answer was to tell everyone to "pray for rain".  Hint: It still didn't rain, at least not until the rainy season started. So I'd like to reiterate, there's nothing you can do so why complain? Or why even worry about it? Well, there ARE reasons to worry about the weather, particularly when the weather affects your body as much as it does mine...  I've been experiencing joint pain in my right elbow for as long as I can remember. I've had cortisone injections, used ice packs, heating pads, and topical creams. Nothing has really helped. About two...

Next week I will have my 4th Cimzia appointment. At my last appointment I received the blood work from after my first round of injections. Apparently my inflammation levels started dropping after the first shots! I'm feeling generally better. My joint pain has seriously decreased, and my stomach cramps are also getting better. My joints get a little twingy when it's super cold, but it's nothing like the intense bone ache from before. As far as symptoms or side effects go, there's nothing remarkable. I'm still not on a normal sleep schedule, sometimes I have a sore throat, and my hair is a bit thinner than it was a few years ago. However, anyone who has taken any of the 5-ASA drugs knows they cause your hair to thin and I've been on them for several years. I always have some intense fatigue for about 48 hours after the injections, but that is normal. So when I go into the office next week we will determine if I continue with injections every 2 weeks or ever...

Today is Christmas. But it hasn't "felt like Christmas". Cliché but true. I made candy, I did some shopping, I got my Starbucks in the red cup, and I even did 2 Holiday themed nail art pieces. I would post pics, but I have no pics. That will be explained later. I'm on week 5 of Cimzia. So far no negative side effects. The joint pain has been reduced drastically, and  stomach cramps are less frequent. However, I'm still experiencing some pain and intermittent nausea. The problem: I'm not sleeping. Here's the thing... I'm a sleeper. 10 hours a night and sometimes naps during the day. I can sleep like a pro. My body needs it to function. During the past two weeks I've been unable to sleep at night. I follow all the tips: No caffeine after 6 pm, only one caffeinated drink per day, no daytime naps, etc. I've even been getting up early when I can. When I wake up at 9 AM, I'm sometimes not going back to sleep until 5 AM. Sleep is sporadi...

So I haven't written anything about the bane of my existence in quite a while; Oh Crohn's Disease, how I wish I could forget you... In the past few months my Crohn's symptoms have been limited to stomach/intestinal cramps, nausea, dizziness, and fatigue. Despite sleeping 16 hours a day sometimes, and not leaving my couch for days at a time, I would say this is an improvement. It's been a year since my last fistula was removed and I don't have another one forming (that I know of). I've been living with this set of symptoms long enough that I've sort of gotten used to them. (Not that one can get used to swirling carpet patterns or asking your friends to take you home because of sudden onset sickness...) However, I know it could get better. In the past two or three weeks however the phantom joint pain has returned. I say phantom because it disappears and reappears in different places with no warning. Last summer my left hip was a huge problem. It would sw...