Why Periodontal Disease is Linked to Crohn's Disease

 Periodontal (gum) disease in humans with Crohn's disease is common, with evidence suggesting a bidirectional relationship where both conditions exacerbate each other. Patients with Crohn's disease (CD) are roughly three times more likely to develop periodontal disease and often experience more severe periodontal breakdown, including deeper pockets, increased bone loss, and higher bleeding on probing compared to those without IBD. 

Why Periodontal Disease is Linked to Crohn's Disease

The connection between oral health and Crohn’s disease is based on a "gum-gut axis," where shared inflammatory pathways and bacteria interact: 

• Microbial Dysbiosis: The oral microbiome in CD patients is altered (dysbiosis), often showing an overgrowth of bacteria similar to those found in the inflamed gut, such as Fusobacteriaceae and Prevotella.
• Systemic Inflammation: Chronic inflammation in the mouth (periodontitis) can trigger systemic immune responses that exacerbate gut inflammation. Conversely, active Crohn’s flares can raise inflammatory markers, causing more damage to the gum tissue.
• Immune Dysfunction: Both diseases involve an abnormal, aggressive immune response, characterized by the overproduction of cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β) in both the gut and the mouth.
• "Oralization" of the Gut: Oral bacteria can be swallowed, leading to "oralization" of the gut microbiome, which disrupts the normal bacterial balance and contributes to intestinal flare-ups. 

Common Oral Manifestations of Crohn's Disease

Periodontal disease in CD patients often manifests alongside other oral issues, which can sometimes appear before intestinal symptoms: 

• Gingivitis and Periodontitis: General inflammation of the gums, which can progress to bone loss and tooth mobility.
• Oral Granulomatosis: Swelling of the lips or face (orofacial area).
• Cobblestone Mucosa: A bumpy, swelling appearance on the inside of the cheeks or lips.
• Aphthous Ulcers: Recurrent, painful canker sores.
• Mucosal Tags: Skin tag-like growths inside the mouth.
• Xerostomia (Dry Mouth): Reduced saliva production, often caused by medications, which increases the risk of tooth decay. 

Impact of Treatments and Symptoms

• Medication Side Effects: Corticosteroids and immunosuppressants, while managing CD, can increase susceptibility to oral infections and Candidiasis (yeast infection).
• Nutritional Deficiencies: Poor absorption of nutrients (like iron, calcium, and B vitamins) due to intestinal damage can weaken oral tissues and bone.
• Surgical Impact: Patients with CD who have undergone intestinal surgery may have higher plaque levels. 

Management and Recommendations

Timely and regular dental check-ups are crucial for individuals with Crohn’s disease. 

• Oral Hygiene: Rigorous daily oral hygiene (brushing 3+ times a day) can reduce the risk of CD exacerbation.
• Preventive Care: Frequent professional scaling and root planing are necessary to manage the increased risk of periodontitis.
• Waterpik/Interdental Brushes: Patients with joint pain (common in CD) may benefit from tools like a Waterpik to manage plaque.
• Multidisciplinary Care: Coordination between a dentist, gastroenterologist, and periodontist is necessary for comprehensive management. 

Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes based on research and does not constitute medical advice. Consult a healthcare professional for diagnosis and treatment.

When the world bites back.

OK, I think it was Wednesday when I got that bug bite on my right index finder. On the middle digit, it was red and only itched slightly.

Then Thursday morning comes along and we were looking at an entirely different ballgame. The itchiness of my finger was super intense and swelled up on the second and first digit almost to the knuckle. I drenched it under cold water after feeding my old cat and then I took my normal hot morning shower and it exploded with itchiness and pain. I gave myself what amounts to a Indian burn, gripping that right index finder and twisting it with my left hand back and forth until the itchiness subsided. Went to work, ran it under some cold water in the women's restroom longer than it would normally take for me to wash my hands for the times I had to go relieve myself and got through the way without too much distress. Came home and found mt Cortizone 10 cream and found it was not expired (yeah) slathered that right index finger with the cream and kind of babied it for the rest of the night.

Friday morning, I had swelling from the nailbed into the knuckle of the right index finger. The mid joint was so swollen front and back, I could not bend the finder without a considerable amount of pain. I decided this bug bite issue was getting worse, not better, so I better go to a walk-in clinic to see if they can help this situation along so we can IP it in the bud and to have it progress into something much worse. I read on the internet trying to look for answers that it could become infected, turn into sepsis/death. From a bug bite. I'm not having that.

So I was released from work two hours early on Friday due to the Labor Day Holiday weekend and I drove my sorry ass to the UCI Health Center where Dr Nguyen is (who takes Aetna-my health ins), but some to find out UCI Health does not so going to be seen there is considered "Out of Network" which made me mad, but at that point I just wanted to be seen. Which I was by a nurse practitioner. This place since it opened has been my go-to for care. They asked a lot of questions including ones about my mental health at which I'm still kind of creeped out about, but that's what they have to do these days. And then here's the new info that I really never thought of before. I has described what the bug bite looked like and progressed to and she examined what it looked like at the office, and she told me to take pictures of the affected area to ensure that it's getting better and not worse. She tried to prescribed predisone and I was oh no no, that makes me psychotic, I had it before when I has my last surgery for illitius and I had to stop using it because of the side effects, please something else. So she then prescribed keflex and a couple of different antihistamines and topical cortisone 2.5 cream ( my son called it "the good stuff" ) and I was sent on my way.

I went home, took a nap, and by that time after I had to reset my password for the CVS app, I found out that the prescriptions were ready for me to pick-up. No text. Grr. And I needed gas in my car, so I went to the new gas pumps at the little Costso in Tustin and they were busy busy busy on the Friday night before the big three-day holiday weekend. That fucking exit after you pump is an accident waiting to happen. They need to change that. And then made my way out of the Tustin Marketplace and drove on the 5 Freeway because going south was not stop and go mess like the northbound 5 was and got off two exits later at Jeffery. My preferred CVS is at Jeffery x Alton in Irvine.

I had to push the customer service button in order to buy non-drowsey claritin which was suggested by the doctor to help stop the histamine reaction in my body that's irritating the bug bite site. So I bought a 24 pack of that and found a bottle of my vitamins and bought those too and then I headed to the pharmacy counter to get my three prescriptions... the creme, the keflex and the other antihistimine that is so strong I was told it's going to make me drowsey and that I cannot drive using it which make me think I should maybe just take that one at night time.

So here we are. It's Saturday morning. I have taken my second dose of Keflex and just burnt my right thumb a little putting foil over the potatoes I just took out of the oven and I swear all of this jibber jabber was leading up to the photo of what my bug bitten index finger looks like this morning, 09/03/2022 at about 8AM. The skin is still red, the knuckle is swollen to the point where I cannot make a fist, but overall it's not as swollen and irritated as it was yesterday when I went to the doctor.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/rBChhXTTrMCATpAM6

https://photos.app.goo.gl/rBChhXTTrMCATpAM6 

Today is the Best Day

So along with the new job, I got new (better than Kaiser?) health insurance with Cigna and with encouragement from my new UCI doctor, I went and got a mammogram for the first time in a long time. That was October 12th. And they found the same spot as before and wanted to do more tests. I scheduled the tests before leaving the office that day not knowing if they would be able to locate my prior images.

This morning before heading off to work in the dark trying to beat the sunrise like a vampire, I talked to my grandma and grandpa's photo I placed next to my bed with some pebbles I painted. I said, " With the power of my grandma and grandpa, I know everything's gonna be all right." So I was scheduled to do those extra tests today, October 20th. 

This morning, I was starting the internal mental freakout self talk that nobody needs to hear themselves do. But the crux of it was, and what if it is cancer? Ok, so freaked out, I left my cellphone on the coffee table. The weight of the coins in my change purse made it seem as though it was there, but it wasn't.

I took a half-day off work for these tests. As I was walking to my car to go home for lunch, I felt the ever so slight feeling of nausea gently blow on me like a soft breeze, and then it was gone by the time I got to my car.

So I get home, and find the cell, plug it in to get a good charge and getting ready to go, I check the messages, and I get the alls clear. No extra tests. They found the prior images and compared the one's taken on October 12th and I do not have to take the extra tests today. And it was a relief.

Breakfast: Banana and Almond Milk Smoothie

The Nutritional Value of my Breakfast Shake

According to healthline.com, one medium-sized banana contains:

• Potassium: 9% of the RDI
• Vitamin B6: 33% of the RDI
• Vitamin C: 11% of the RDI
• Magnesium: 8% of the RDI
• Copper: 10% of the RDI
• Manganese: 14% of the RDI
• Net carbs: 24 grams
• Fiber: 3.1 grams
• Protein: 1.3 grams
• Fat: 0.4 grams

Each banana has only about 105 calories and consists almost exclusively of water and carbs. Bananas hold very little protein and almost no fat.

So if I make my breakfast shake with two bananas, that's 210 calories x2 of the above nutrients:

*Potassium: 18%

*Vitamin B6: 66%

*Vitamin C: 22%

*Magnesium: 16%

*Copper: 20%

*Manganese: 28%

*Net Carbs: 48 grams

*Fiber: 6.2 grams

*Protein: 2.6 grams

*Fat: .8 grams

Now, I add 1/8th of a cup of sugar to my breakfast shake to sweeten it up. That adds 97 calories and 25 carbs.

210 + 97 = 307 calories

48 + 25 = 73 grams of carbs

I add enough Califia Vanilla flavored Almond Milk to the 16 oz mark on my blender. Let's say I had 8 fluid ounces. This is the final product.

Calories = 357

Sodium = 160 mg or 7%

Fiber = 3.6 grams

Net Carbs = 51 grams

Fat = 3.8 grams

*Potassium: 18%
*Vitamin B6: 66%
*Vitamin C: 22%
*Magnesium: 16%
*Copper: 20%
*Manganese: 28%

Iron = 2%

The countdown begins. T-minus three days and counting...

Posted on a friend's Facebook page on 03/17/2020 because he's a coder in WA who's been virus sequestered by his employer and is now working from home until further notice:

Greetings from California! 
It's all doom and gloom at the federal contractor job having to be reminded of COVID-19, the need for ritualistic hand washing and social distancing (and here society thought that we internet nerds got social isolation all wrong-now it's a positive thing and considered self-preserving, HA!) on CDC signs posted every 6 feet or so. Today, my employer issued a proclamation that we can take 10 consecutive days off from work if we or a family member gets sick with no pay and without losing our jobs. I don't know if I should be happy or sad about that, to be honest, but I don't care all that much because Thursday is my last day. I start the new job Monday. Three-day weekend - here I come!

---end.

I like this photo I found on the internet of the path through the forest and the sunshine shining through. It reminds me to look forward and to stay positive because something better is coming on my journey through life.

I previously told my bosses boss, "I'm not staying for this (working on reports for less than I was making before and on a temp contract with no union safety net like the other clerks.) That temp contract ends on 5/02/2020 and I was not going to be one to be laid off yet again. I did two years as a federal contractor as of March 15th and it looks like that's maybe the end of the road for me there because having so many with tenure there precludes me from being retained. Whatever. It's not the end of the world for me and I'll be happy not having to deal with 430-some odd peoples germies all in the same office space every day handling their paperwork. It's literally an incubator of sickness waiting to develop at a moment's notice. Even though not protected from the coronavirus, I'm so glad that this past year was the first year I got the flu vaccine in September and I haven't got sick yet.

Was training two more clerks to work on the reports on the PM shift and one more on the morning shift. Was joking with the reports analyst, "So it appears that it will take three clerks to replace me." Heh. 

Turning Left or Right?

Driving towards Los Angeles, if you take the 22 West exit with the intention of going into Long Beach near Alamitos Bay, the first exit is Studebaker to the right and then you turn left. At the end of Studebaker, you come to 2nd Street. You can't drive forward anymore because there is no more road. It's a fenced-off field of scrub, weeds and random palm trees next to the San Gabriel River Wash that leads out to the Pacific. In order to continue your trip, you have to make a decision: turn left or right.

And I find this is kind of a parallel story to what my life is like right now. I worked in finance and in the mortgage industry. I  took a road that was different, working in the file room as a contractor/Supervisor for a year and a half at USCIS, but it was at the end of that organization's five- year contract, really due to no fault of my own and just shear decisions to retain those with the more tenure, I came to its intersection in the last week of  November of last year when I was laid off for a brief moment.  I have to think that it was my boss that saved me from the unemployment rolls temporarily for another 6 months due to others retiring and moving on to other more permanent roles at USCIS in Adjudication, Naturalization, and Asylum. (And I'm not convinced in the least that his subordinate was enthused about any of these changes/decisions in the least. Which is an entirely another discussion I won't get into now.) I thought I was going to go drive down a different road turning left or right which I was OK with, but I  also came to terms with the fact that I knew my health was paramount, so work gave me this shitty narrow path with a significant pay cut and what I find out now is crappier health insurance coverage (worse than I even had when I paid for it myself on the CA Healthcare Exchange) to keep traveling on their path. Don't think that I'm not grateful, I am, I just don't like what I've become at this point and I have no control over it. My boss does. Until the end of the contract or until I get a better job, whichever comes first.

It's the beginning of March and I want this to be over on my terms and not be laid off on May 2nd. I've been applying to jobs that pay more than what I'm earning now just to have the satisfaction and be able to say that," I'll be O.K... my new job pays more than this place", and to build up my self-confidence knowing that I've made changes mid-career and have come back from being jobless before and I can do it again.

At this point in my life though, I'm fairly cynical and retrospective about work which doesn't really help and the economy is one that has tamped down on hourly wages hard. I've sat on the other side of that hiring desk trying to figure out how well that candidate can fill the role. Do you pick someone with a degree who had never did the role before and train or do you hire someone with experience and pay for it? The decision is out of my hands.

And I'm wary about recruiters. The last time I got involved with one of those,  I took a job in Simi Valley as a federal contractor to Fannie Mae right after Countrywide defaulted and Bank of America was buying them but not before the credit crunch of Oct '08. It was a strange time to be where I was and watch it all happen.

I've been contacted by no less than three recruiters. None of the first two seem sustaining. The third one is intriguing, but can I make that hard left turn and continue on?

Santa Ana 12/09

I couldn't bring myself to drive further than home after having a sneezing/farting fit in my car at the Santa Ana Main Place Mall after dropping off my last pax.

As I was leaving the mall after relieving myself, I felt like my holiday sensibilities were assaulted. Too many different Christmas songs were playing and blending into each other as I walked through the southend. Too many sales signs, too much fake snow in the windows advertising cold weather gear in style for the next two minutes. All this marketing for 20-30 somethings with their kids. After all, Christmas is a commercial holiday for kids first and foremost.

Orange Julius is gone. Whatever restaurant I wrote about that used to be next to the restroom hall was gone. the FYE is now a Chico's. Change is good, right? If it's for the better, but change for change's sake may not be. We'll see.

I drove myself home and put myself to bed, but not after noting that I'm out of canned cat food and having some throat thing to the degree that my son was in my room asking how he could help. I drank the last of the lemonade I made earlier by the glass and fell fast asleep.

It's 2 AM and the cat is stirring. I watched the end of whatever Carson Daily show music something Bare Hand - shocked I even recognize who is playing but it's only due to the fact that one of the three XM Satellite radio stations I play frequently throughout my travels is an alternative station that plays this same band.

It's 3AM and now I'm stirring. Trying to find fresh meat and vegetables on sale in the digital ad that I clicked on from Grocery Outlet. And I can't. Not to the degree that I'm accustomed to in a full service supermarket. I look, again, and the two products that are most attractive in this ad are Pacific Natural Food Beef Broth and Amy's Chunky Vegetable soup with a runner up of maybe the Del Monte Whole Kernel Corn, but at $.69, that seems high. This Pacific brand I've seen for sale at my local Sprouts. I already bought two cans of the soup from my run there prior to Thanksgiving. That was 20 some-odd days ago?

It's 4AM and now the cat is giving me all of the tell tail signals that she is hungry and wants me to feel her canned cat food and we're out. The signal is the tongue to the upper lip. We trained her to do that and respond to the term numnums. And the stores around here don't open until 6AM. So I'm searching the internet trying to figure out where is the closest store to be that's open at this ungodly hour that would actually have the one and only variety of canned cat food she eats. I was sorely disappointed at the Walmart on Technology the other day because: 1) no canned car food she eats, and 2) I had to wait to go to the one restroom they have in the front. So I drove away feeling lighter, but with no cat food which was the day I should have bought it.

By 5AM, it's still darks but I'm resolved to obtain canned cat food before I turn into can food myself in the eyes of my cat. I have decided that the Anaheim Walmart that's open 24 hours is more attractive than anything else right now so I get ready and go. And I locate the pet aisle and the variety of canned cat food she eats and I purchase every can they have on the shelf. I am certainly not the cat lady of Tustin as my son likes to tease me about, because I only have one cat, but I feel like it buying all of these cans all at once. Screw what other people think.

There are very few times in your life where what other people think really matter. When you're tested, when you screw up, when someone is paying you to do something and maybe your parents to verify they've produced a compassionate, relatively happy, productive human being. I'm wearing denim jeans, sneakers, a grey v-neck t shirt and my big winter coat because that's what I feel a 5AM store run is supposed to look like from my perspective. And I drive in silence and I get home, grab the mail from the week and go feed the cat and them make me some tea to start my day.

I have to somehow make up for a shitty Friday night's pay for getting ill at around 6PM.

And then I was thinking... 02/16/16

They say the essentials we all need are food, shelter and clothing. [...and then the government taxes us for what they provide while we provide some sort of existence/life for our ourselves and our families. Paid taxes in 2015 for the first time in a while.]

But as I was walking back to my home after driving home from work, it hit me that these things are driven by money, emotions, and comfort.

One's ability to earn enough money could either raise or lower the emotional state resulting in a level of comfort in life. Personality and education back it up. Health, whether it be physical or mental is controllable to a certain extent, but for the most part, your health outcome is in the genes you get from your parents. You get what you get healthwise, from genetics, unless you smoke, drink, or take/abuse drugs and food and don't choose to move your body in vigorus ways to help build muscle and remove the toxins then the results or the lack thereof - you did to yourself and your genes did it to you. [Yes, I have Crohn's disease, but changing jobs has changed my commute and my stress level is down due to less of a commute, up to new surrounding and standards to get re-acquainted with on job tasks I'm already familiar with and working for a manager that actually cares to manage, but change is good.]

And then I was thinking, that,  "Isn't it enough to be a good person?" ...as I drive home on the "freeway" in this car, with this amazing horsepower as I grasp the steering wheel, this conveyance I'm seated in, that others, too, are seated in as we travel to our destinations and in my mind's eye/imagination- the exterior of the cars melted away and all people commuting on the freeway were seated floating in a dimly glowing interior blue light with powertrain and frame assuming the driving position with hands on their steering wheels, no upholstery with tires-this technology that really hasn't changed all that much in over 100 years [but to make it faster, safer, use less gas, or another fuel, but really at what cost to our environment if the power to make that alternate fuel was derived from fossil fuel?] and when we as humans end up using up all of the fossil fuels this world has, would we then need to worry about the need to expand our roadways or instead how they scarred the earth, contributed to global warming and how they'll need to be deconstructed?

No, it's not enough to be a good person if you're not exhibiting that goodness for someone else other than yourself to recognize, witness and benefit from. Hence we reward the leaders in their field - whatever they may be and punish those who don't meet society's expectations of what is good and right and true and sometimes - most of the time - logical.

If people were forced to work and live only within the areas that their feet could carry them, how many could? Could one's life be richer and still not have to worry financially?

And to think the fact that management tools are being rolled out to my team tomorrow. And I'm so excited, I can't sleep.

Dear Diary 03/06/2015

Dear Diary,

I don't think anyone really reads this blog unless they *really* know me or trip over it while scanning for something to read in general on Blogger being nosy and peaking into others lives or even living vicariously through them, so here it goes.

Yesterday was the last day of my physical therapy. It was twelve sessions of a routine structured by my physical therapist in order to gain back the flexibility and strength in my left wrist. My left hand is still weaker than the right one, always has been, but I've got full flexibility and can move with no pain which were the main goals.

So along with doing this routine, I have unexpectedly been getting to know my physical therapist.

On the first day, he seemed excited that he met me... a woman who was around the same general age he was and he started to talk about moving to Irvine and how bad-bad-bad the traffic is driving around LA. And then, whether he realized it or not, he insulted me and my decisions about morality. "What in the hell...", and "Where does he get off...", was the running through my mind as I was hooked up to the electric muscle stimulator/ice pack wrap for the next 20 minutes. I couldn't just walk out, I didn't want to create a scene in the therapy room by ripping off the pack and electrodes as I already did that online by writing a bitchy review on Yelp.com about deceitful practices, wait times and patient privacy in the clinic. In my mind, I knew I had a finite time for therapy and then I wouldn't have to deal with Mr. Insensitive ever again.

Most of the time when there were other patients in the PT room, I'd just sign in and do this routine: stretch on the tabletop both ways, twist the red rubber rod both ways, exercise my fingers to gain strength with devices that look like clothes pins, wrist rolls with 1 and then 2 lbs weights (100 reps each way, front, back, and vertical), wall push-ups, picking up and putting down a weighted wooden box, then 10 minutes on full body cycle. After other patients left, he'd talk to me more and more.

And like I stated before, yesterday, was the last day of therapy. He talked about his HAMP refinance, his interest rate, his sister, his parents, his friends marriage and how his wife doesn't cook or clean, snow in Utah, San Francisco, Texas, the bonus money he got by working in Texas, taxes and deductions, eventually moving to Seattle, his parents and the fact that he's working on Torrance per diem this weekend. I'm not a psychologist, I'm a human. If people feel the need to talk to me, I'm a good listener. I'm not sure if it sunk in that I'm not going to be coming to therapy anymore with this guy. I asked for a printout reflecting that I went to all of my therapy session so show my employer. And we said our goodbyes and he said he would see me on the 17th when I have my appointment with the Ortho doctor, which confused me. I asked if he'll be at the appointment, and he said he's be here.

With all of these discussions, I feel like I'm getting sized up for a bigger role in his life as though he he's interested in me and wants more than just the therapist/patient relationship, but hasn't directly expressed this to me. Why do guys send out signals like this?

Fractured

Dear Diary,

I fell off of the step ladder at work yesterday and in doing so, the Dr. thinks I fractured my left wrist. All I know is that it started to swell up almost immediately, which scared me, and it hurt like hell. One of my co-workers took me to urgent care (their workman's comp clinic) after I got with HR to get it checked out. Almost 3 hours later, after x-rays and an examination were done, I was sent home with a splint on my forearm, a cold pack and a bottle of Tramadol.

I was so uncomfortable last night and insomnia set in from the pain med, I only napped a few hours. I feel dopey and highly medicated and since Tramadol works by upping the serotonin; I feel like I can take on the world, but at the same time I'm frustrated by the pain if I move my arm certain ways and having the splint on it. Tried opening a child proof med bottle with one hand. Thinking how stupid it was for the Dr. to send me home with bottle cap like that-and feeling pain-frustrated-humorous all at the same time.

Girlie doesn't understand I'm in pain and still wants to cuddle up with me especially since I've absconded her pillow using it to rest the splint on it.

But hey, at least it was my left and not my right wrist, so I can drive, write and type. I have a follow-up appt on Monday. The Dr. had to send the x-rays out to a Radiologist to get a determination on my injury. I'm hoping this weekend's rest will be enough time to get the pain to subside enough so I can function without having to take the Tramadol and I can get back to work. My boss ordered a new step ladder for the mortgage vault. Merry Christmas?!

I will never do that again

OK, so the pharmasist recommend that I take the Imuran after I eat and before bed to avoid stomach upsets.  I forgot to take it last night,  so I took one this morning after eating a bowl of rice crispies cereal.  Oh my god, I had such a pain in my gut after taking that tiny little pill. I was cold, then I got hot. The room was spinning a bit and then I had this gigantic bowel movement before I could compose myself and then get ready for work.  I will never do that again.

I Wish This Was Someone Else

After being diagnosed with Crohn's Disease and having two resections in the past (1985 & 2000), it was only a matter of time when the disease would give me issues again. After getting a new doctor at the beginning of the year due to a change in insurance, in September, I decided it was time for me to get myself checked out. Feeling bad, I activated the referral I got from Dr. Misty to see a GI specialist.

He had me do this huge blood panel, a CAT scan and a colonoscopy and after last Friday, the GI doctor now believes that I actually have what I said I have had all along and taadaa - all that pain is because now I've got an ulcer. An ulcer! I didn't know people with Crohn's Disease could get ulcers. You know what? I remember that my dad had a ulcers at one time. Now I'm wondering if he had Crohn's Disease and was never really treated for it.

Perspective

At work, many of us have gone through Oz Principle training, myself included, and its true what they say how personal perspective colors our communications with others. I just experienced one of those ah ha moments with one of my cousins after I posted I was at urgent care for a swollen ear. She said it might be a sinus infection, and I commented back to say, I didn't know there was a sinus tract in my ear. Turns out she takes Sudafed to clear her sinus infection which was also bothering her ears. The only problem is, my nose is clear, but nice try by the Walmart pharmacy tech of the family.

Aunt Flo's Visit

Let's just say I wasn't a happy little camper this morning when I woke up to clean-up a bloody mess. I thought this BS menses business was OVER. June 2012 was the last one. And it's been a month since I took that high dose of vitamin D that made every muscle in me feel sore. I'm so irritated. And kaiser won't cover the ortho evra patches. FU kaiser. I'm just going to collect my B12shots and go to the next insurance carrier offered at work.

And even more info on Vitamin D:

http://thehealthyelements.com/vitamin-d-the-period-vitamin/

http://www.vitamindsociety.org/

http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/

http://www.bulletproofexec.com/bulletproof-your-sleep-with-vitamin-d/

I gotta what? The good, the bad, and the ugly of having a vitamin D deficiency.

The last time I went to Kaiser, my doctor ordered some blood tests that weren't the standard ones I usually get when they check for iron, b12, white and red blood cell counts and the results are in. My doctor said I was vitamin D deficient. I'm not surprised. I'm pale and always have been. I go to work when before sunrise and come home after sunset.  And if I don't leave the office for lunch, I'm hardly in the sun at all.

So he and/or his counterpart prescribed 50,000 IU and I read up on it and thought that at that level, it would be too much of a shock to my system, so I got 10,000 IU at The Vitamin Shoppe on Monday and had to read up on how to take it again because the doctors never seem to know. Vitamin D is a fat soluble one that should be taken with food, so for the past three days, I've taken it with my lunch since I don't eat breakfast.

For example, when I told my doctor that I worried about osteoporosis because I maintain a dairy-free diet due to Crohn's Disease diagnosed in 1985, he said to "take caltrate two times a day". This, in part, is right, but it's also wrong.
1. You can only take one pill per dose
2. Taking calcium gives you gas
3. Taking the enzyme found in "Beano" helps a great deal in combating the gas.

So I also started to take one Caltrate plus D chewables in the morning (preceded by two Beano) and at night along with my one Centrum chewable in the morning.

And yesterday at lunchtime, after talking to my gf at work about the general all-over muscle ache I thought was associated to the Vitamin D, my body decided to go into excessive urination mode. What is this all about??? And now I'm on the internet again trying to figure out the good, the bad and the ugly of it all. And I left my doctor a message about these new issues.

The good news is that adding calcium back into my diet, even in the form of supplements, has further lessened the effects of Crohn's Disease as long as I continue to restrict my diet of those foods that trigger an acute attack.

More on vitamin D:

From 2010, 5 Things You Need to Know about Vitamin D
"The IOM recommends that, in practically all individuals, the average blood levels of vitamin D be at least 20 mg per milliliter for good bone health. According to Dr. Kovaks, people who have a problem absorbing the vitamin may need to take 2,000 IUs a day to achieve the recommended blood levels.

But can you take too much? According to the IOM report, very high levels of vitamin D (above 10,000 IUs per day) are known to cause kidney and tissue damage, and there is some evidence that lower levels have risks. But anything below 4,000 IUs per day is considered safe.

The bottom line: every person is different, and you should talk to your doctor about the need for  vitamin supplements."

Catching up on my Heath

In 1985, my appendix ruptured and I didn't realize it for a month because I thought having pain in my gut was normal. After being in and out of the hospital for three months from complications of appendicitis (abscess plus my intestine was perforated by a surgeon), I was diagnosed with Crohn's during a resection surgery - parts of the large, small and colon were removed. I had such a senses of well-being after the surgery, but once I started to educate myself about the disease, I understood there is no cure, only the control of the symptoms. I found the specific carbohydrate diet (www.scdiet.org) and it's helped me a lot, but I still struggle with my diet everyday. *No dairy* Second resection in 2000 was just for a part of the small intestine which also gave me 'surgery induced' pernicious anemia, so I have to have B12 shots every other month for the rest of my life. 

After going through menopause last summer, I complained to my doctor of a general ache in my bones, but especially my right arm which I use the most. My diet has restricted foods that cause flares, but specifically dairy and after 30 years, I'm worried about osteoporosis. I started to take 2 Beano tablets & Calcium+D recently. I never knew taking calcium could give you gas, so I've found taking Beano with it helps. I'm afraid my third surgery will leave me with a colostomy. This disease afflicts both sides of my family, but we don't really talk about it all that much so online communities like these help a bit, but my experience dealing with the disease seems vastly different because I only use medication when I'm acutely ill and not for maintenance.

Back again this year - eczema. In the past, I've had a patch behind my right knee and on my right hand that I've treated with emu oil and it went away. Now I have a small round patch on my inner calf I'm treating with cortizone 10 because it itches frequently. I attribute it's occurrence to stress, but I find it strange that it pops up so infrequently and in such random places on my body.

Sadness

The last time I blogged here, little did I know that my Aunt Jane's fight for life was over due to the ravages of diabetes. This is the message I received on Facebook from my cousin Cate...

               "Judi... hopefully this will reach you...Your Aunt Jane has died. She had a stroke a 

                   week and a-half ago and slipped into a coma on the 26th. She was brain dead last

                   Friday (May 3rd), and they removed her feeding tube at that  time. She died 2AM 

                   Wednesday(May 8th)."

This is very much how my father died. And it bothers me that such a little thing as elevated blood sugar can do so much damage to the body. It bothered me so much that I talked to my new doctor when I had my initial consultation after I changed over to Kaiser health insurance. You know what he said after I discussed my family's history diabetes?

                                          "Don't get fat, don't get fat, don't get fat!" 

If it's as simple as that for most American's, why aren't we more vigilant about what we eat and staying active after 40?

When I got back to work after hearing the news, I told my manager who then said that I've got to go back to New York for the funeral and out of my mouth came, "It's my family, I've got to." After all, Aunt Jane made the effort to come to my mom's memorial, so I had to attend hers.

I flew into Newark Airport (EWR) on Sunday. It took two hours driving in the dark to get to Poughkeepsie. On Monday, I drove up to Red Hook to visit my mom's/grandparent's grave site and pulled the vines off of the headstones. I thought about collecting more photos of headstones, but I really wasn't into it on that day, so I left my camera in the car and headed back to the hotel, but not before going to the grocery store for provisions.

Tuesday was the funeral. I stayed downtown, so the funeral home wasn't too far from the hotel.  It was very Catholic and with the splashing of the holy water onto the corpse, her priest said a few poignant things plus verses from the Bible and then read what my cousin Tina wrote. After that, whomever wanted to follow the casket in the procession line to the cemetery did so, minding the traffic signals, but still driving behind the hurst with our emergency blinkers on. Aunt Jane is buried with Uncle Frank who passed in 2002 in section 24 in the back rows of St. Peter's Cemetery in Poughkeepsie, NY.

Wayne and Tina arrange for a meal at a local private boating club on the banks of the Hudson River. We stayed and talked a bit, but really I was kind of in a daze from the jet lag and time change