Hi folks

Remember me? Of course you do... ¬_¬

Crohn's-wise, I'm still rumbling along the same old way, as I have been for the last few years - neither really ill, but neither really well either. Stelara doesn't appear to have made much, if any difference. At any rate, I'm getting a colonoscopy tomorrow. Well, hopefully I will be. I'm waiting on a Covid-19 result. I didn't know I needed a Covid-19 test, 'cos I never read the letter properly, and so I missed that part. Cue the Covid-19 swab team frantically trying to get in touch with me, but I, ah, also had my phone on Do Not Disturb, so I wasn't aware of that part either. Anyway, last Friday somebody did succeed in reaching me and I rushed to the hospital to get the test done. There is a 3-day turnaround time apparently, but I won't be entirely surprised if it's not ready by tomorrow and I'll have done the gruesome prep for nothing...

With the way cases are rocketing in the UK, I'm not sure I'd get another colonoscopy either. Cases have literally doubled two days running, but that's okay, because there were "technical issues" and it's not the government's fault. There is no mention of a national lockdown yet, and I don't want one to be honest. During the first lockdown the NHS basically shut up shop except for emergencies - all routine appointments and tests were cancelled. It slowly reopened over the summer, and that's how I got a colonoscopy and a small bowel MRI scan (which is later on this month). However, a harsh winter is certain to set it back again and I can't stop worrying. Not just about the NHS, but about everything. Other countries only have the coronavirus to deal with. We've got the coronavirus and Brexit - yes, we Brexited nearly a year ago, but have been in a transition which keeps everything the same until the 1st January 2020. Afterwards, it's going to be chaos.

So yeah, I'd like to get my tests out of the way. Also got a physiotherapy appointment on the 14th October for a painful left arm - I was surprised to get that so soon. Don't know the exact issue; the GP thought it was a shoulder problem. At any rate, it's been going on for 1-2 years in total, but took a turn for the worse a few months ago and started affected me during the daytime, not just at night.

At any rate I hope everyone is doing okay. I'm gonna go and say hi on the Depression board now.

Hi Miranda,

Glad you posted. Hope the tests all go well. Let us know how things turn out, and what your next move is.

Hi Miranda, nice to see you on here. Been thinking of you. Glad your test for Covid came back negative. I don't come on the boards often, but read up once in a while. Been MIA and having it pretty rough for the last 3-4 years. Went from bad to worse. Lots of hospital stays. On Entyvio 7-months now, but I'm still feeling like it's not working but doctor says inflammatory markers have come down. When I told him I still wasn't feeling well, he said it's the diarrhea and that I will have it for life. The last colonoscopy show the apthous ulcers in the anastomosis surgical site between large and small bowel, and also lower in the rectum, (but he's saying that's just from the constant diarrhea, yes doc, like lava?.. When they do the rectal examinations it feels like someone put a match inside, yet no one can see anything wrong?
Nice to see you back. Hope your final biopsy results give you more answers.