Life Update: My Unexpected Health Crisis

^^My new normal living situation—pills, pets, heating pads, pillows, pajamas, and blankets…

Hello…it’s been a while, hasn’t it? I’ve been mustering the mental and physical energy to write this blog post for a while, and want to start by apologizing for the complete lack of explanation for my sudden pause in blogging. The truth is that I’ve been dealing with a very sudden, completely unexpected health crisis behind the scenes, and have been physically incapable of even sitting down to type this post to share.

It’s unpleasant to talk about this and I don’t want to share too many details for privacy reasons, but I’ll do my best to explain the high points. I started experiencing symptoms of indigestion on October 6, which really concerned me. I had never had these types of stomach symptoms before and took it seriously from day one. That said, I really assumed that it would clear up on its own within a few days. I had gone out to lunch the day before, so maybe I had just eaten something bad? Anyway, I went about my work and projects for about three days before I knew something was really up and I made an appointment with my doctor.

Sadly, things went from bad to worse after talking with my doctor. I’ve been to the emergency room twice for internal bleeding and dehydration, and a CT scan during my second visit showed lefthand intestinal inflammation. After many, many other rounds of tests and blood work, my doctors have confirmed that I have (or had) a really bad case of Norovirus, but they also suspect that I may be in the early stages of a Crohn’s or Ulcerative Colitis diagnosis. See?! I told you it was unpleasant to talk about!

I have been bedridden and unable to leave the house for four weeks up to this point, and have lost a shocking amount of weight—something like 15 pounds. I feel like a shell of a human being, but was finally given antibiotics and steroids three weeks into my ordeal, which seem to be giving me my appetite and small amounts of strength back.

I don’t really know what’s going to happen from here on out, but I don’t mind admitting that I’m scared. I’ve never been this sick in my life, and it has impacted my friendships (many that were just getting going!), my work, and my mental health in addition to my physical wellbeing, of course. I can’t travel, can’t go to the pottery studio, and can only occasionally make it to the grocery store when I absolutely have to go. It has been hell on earth, but I know I’m not alone. If this is something like Crohn’s or UC, I know there are maintenance drugs I can go on and lifestyle changes I can make. But I have to get well enough to actually live before even thinking that far ahead.

A true diagnosis of those diseases is a ways off since local GI doctors are booked out through the new year, so in the meantime, I’m taking matters into my own hands by trying to eat less gluten and dairy, and eating small frequent meals so that my digestion can, hopefully, even out on its own. If you have any suggestions for gluten- and dairy-free cooking/eating, please let me know! And if you suffer from Crohn’s or UC, I’d love any insight you’re able to offer so I know what to generally expect if that’s what I have.

I’m going to do my best to get back into regularly blogging, but please have patience with me as I navigate my poor health situation. It’s pretty uncomfortable sitting a computer right now, and our sweet kitten, Gladys, destroyed my laptop screen so I can’t work from bed or the couch anymore. I love staying in touch with all of you, though, so I’m going to do my best to make it work and keep up with a presence here on the blog.

Short form content has been much more manageable for me to stay on top of from bed/the couch this past week, so make sure you’re following me on Instagram for daily updates. I have a few videos that I put together before getting sick that I still have yet to post, so if you see my plump and happy face on screen, it was probably filmed before I got sick, but I’m still here and still excited to share home updates as I’m able to! Thanks for sticking with me…

Update as of November 19, 2024: I wanted to share the latest news that I was able to get an emergency colonoscopy on November 12, and biopsies confirmed a match to Ulcerative Colitis. I’m grateful to have a firm answer now, and am starting the long process of learning how to manage this type of autoimmune disease.