"And even if someone else has it much worse, that doesn't really change the fact that you have what you have"
—The Perks of Being a Wallflower
I remember when I first got out of the hospital and my mom took me to pick up my pills. There were so many bottles. The nurse had gone over all of the information with me and explained when to take them and what each of them was for. Before Crohn's I was never any good at taking pills. I hadn't learned how to swallow an Advil until I was thirteen and was terrible at keeping up with my allergy medicine. I would always forget to take my Claritin in the morning or my Iron pills (I was anemic even before Crohn's) and now I was looking at a cabinet full of little pharmacy bottles each with their own specific time and function. It was intimidating.
So far I've been on top of my medicine. I mean, it's been a week out of the hospital and I've only missed one dose of Flagyl. That's pretty good for someone who used to abandon their nasal sprays two days after getting prescribed. The only worry I had was the effect these drugs would have on my body. I knew the intended effect of each drug they gave me and combined with my new High Protein, Low Reside, and Low Fiber diet I was and still am feeling better. I just joined a site called Crohnology, a site I definitely recommend to anyone dealing with Crohn's or any other Chronic Illness, and I've been reading people's questions and answers. There were times where I didn't even know I had a question till I saw it answered on this site, but my main concern was the Prednisone. So many people said that it worked but the side effects were terrible and I wasn't sure when I would start to experience them or if I already was.
Now, the tricky thing about Crohn's is that it affects everyone differently. Everyone has a different brand of the disease and so there is no solid answer for my questions, just general speculation and testimonial. But it still helped.
For me, the side effects started a week after I had been on the drug. The first ones I noticed were the insomnia and the inexplicable urge to eat everything in sight. One night in the hospital I remember asking my friend to just bring me one bag of everything from the little snack bar they had in the hall. I couldn't leave the room at the time because of the CDF and so I had to ask the nurses and my mom to bring me anything I needed. This was a very frustrating time for me because I'm a self reliant person by nature but I digress.
That night I pigged out on Ritz cheese crackers, cookies, gummies, and fruit roll ups and didn't fall asleep till about 1:00 in the morning.
Thankfully, I'm getting better at handling these cravings. Whenever I just want to eat I pop a banana or a melon (this week is Honeydew) and they hold me over till my next meal. Healthy and delicious. What more could you ask for?
This week is my second week and the next round of side effects have taken affect -the dreaded Moon face and the awful mood swings, but you can argue that the mood swings were the first to start. My mom pointed my face out this morning. She's been really worried about the steroids. I have a very round face to begin with and Moon face kind of makes it worse. It's not very pleasant, simply because it makes you look chubbier than you really are.
The mood swings are the weirdest though... One moment I'll be all happy and chatty for no reason then the next I'll just sag and be all quiet about nothing and just sleep or wander the internet. And I'll catch myself doing it too. This is the most confusing side effect for me. I never know if it's all in my head or if it's the medication. It does make for a nice scape goat though. If I snap at someone or if I'm so excited and I'm weirding them out I just blame it on the Prednisone. Paired with my anemia it's the most annoying as well. I get so tired so easily, but I have all this 'energy' so I can't rest. On nights that I can't sleep or when I sleep late I draw or I read till I'm tired. I actually draw the best late at night which is great. I might post some pictures later today.
So some good things come from this. I can't complain too much, I'm trying to keep on the bright side, taking it all in stride. The medicine is helping me so much and as annoying as it is I'm very grateful for it.
Keep Calm and Fight On
Anna
♥
“Too many people miss the silver lining because they are expecting gold.”
—Maurice Setter
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