The way I understand it is the HRA account allows you to set aside pre-tax dollars for out of pocket expenses. Sometimes your employer will contribute, but sometimes not. Your employer sets up the...
Seems to work for me, although I'm having a hard time with the extreme hairloss!...
For me, it's the asacol. My hairstylist thought it was the prednisone, but I've been off that for more than a month and I'm not on anything but asacol at the moment and my hair just keeps on falling...
Yeah I'm with Randy. I'm in Seattle too - dark when we go to work, dark when we leave. And non stop rain for days at a time. Yuck....
Congratulations BB! What an accomplishment! Good luck with the Imuran. Made me sick as a dog after about 2 weeks, but sounds like many others have had success. Here's hoping it's the right drug for...
Amen! A special shout out to my son Patrick and his wife Natalie who've done tours in both Iraq and Afganastan and have come home safe and sound!...
I didn't notice any weight gain or moon face until probably about the 8th or 9th week. I've been off it for a couple of weeks now and have lost about 4 of the 10 pounds I gained. It really did help...
Yeah I have fatigue too. Seems to hit me at around 3:00 or so in the afternoon. I'm great in the morning, plenty of energy and ready to hit the ground running, but I just seem to run out of gas late...
FMLA stands for Family Medical Leave Act. It allows an employee to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for medical reasons without fear of losing his or her job....
Oh Gail, I thank the Lord that I don't have to renew my driver's license for another year! I gained about 10 pounds during my 12 weeks on pred, and I think it all landed on my face! I've been off...
I'm an accountant and manage the accounting department for a market research firm. I've been there since right out of college, going on 25 years now. My boss's wife has Crohn's as well, so he knows...
My mom had CREST, the jackpot of autoimmune disorders. My dad has IBS and diverticulitis. My older sister and I both have Crohn's and our younger sister has IBS. Our brother has gut issues but is too...
Sounds yummy - I'm going to try it for sure! Just found out that I can no longer tolerate my beloved roasted brussel sprouts /community/emoticons/cry.gif so I need something new to take their place!...
Good info Tara - do you remember how long after being off pred that you noticed the hairloss slowing down?...
So I'm on my third combo.....asacol, pred and 6MP. I'm at 10 mg of pred right now and doing pretty well on the taper (much better then the first try) - I'll be done with it next week, God willing. I...
I'm right there with you! My hair has been falling out at an alarming rate for weeks. It's depressing to take a shower and have to pull out all the lost hair every morning. My GI says it's the...
That's a great idea Gail. I hadn't thought about traveling with all my meds before this thread. We are flying to Vegas in a couple of weeks and I was just going to bring my pill caddy with each day's...
I'm with ya, BB! I tapered to 10 yesterday. Here's to both of us staying flair free!...
I got to hear "I love you grandma" for the first time about a month ago. I could have died right then and there!...
Hey Mom, Totally off topic, but just read your tagline. Don'cha just LOVE grandbabies???? We have a grandson named Ollie who's 2 and another who will be joining us in November. LOVE THEM!!...
I'm on my 2nd round of pred. Started the first round at 40 and tapered down 10 a week until I started flaring again at 10. Doc put me back up to 40 and I've been tapering slower this time (40 for a...
My employer has scheduled our annual flu shots so I called my GI to make sure that it was okay to get one (I'm non 6 MP). He said that I should definitely get one!...
I'm pretty new to CD, but I'm already on my 3rd med combination, not really knowing if this will be the combo that works (Asacol, Pred and MP6). My GI is definitely a bottom up kind of guy, in terms...
Great info you guys - thanks!!...
I have a quick question - can you include all the medical costs you've INCURRED or is it only those costs for which you've PAID?...
I've always been a "list" person, mostly because I love the satisfaction of crossing things off. But now keeping a list has become a necessity for me. If I don't write it down when I'm thinking about...
I had a hysterectomy a few years ago and they removed one of my ovaries. I had horrible night sweats for a few weeks after my surgery, which my doc said was normal. Your hormones are all over the...
LOL Sniper /community/emoticons/smilewinkgrin.gif ...
I was a diet coke addict before my dx. I could go through a 12 pack myself in 3 or 4 days, so I feel your pain. When I got really sick, for some reason, it just didn't taste good. The carbonation...
Not much positive to say here either. I guess the weight loss is good. Course probably 5 lbs of it is from hair loss....
Well tests came back negative for pancreatitis, yay! I missed my doctor's call, but his message said that mostly likely my pain and vomitting was an allergic reaction to the Imuran and to call on...
Choc - Coco and Gucci....LOVE THE NAMES!!! I'm so bad when it comes to naming my critters. The cat I had for 22 years was named Mama and my current cat is named Bob. Real original, eh? :-)...
That's a great link, FunGuy - thanks!!...
I'm just two weeks in to taking Imuran, and overall have done well, except over the last couple of days I've gotten really nauseous a few hours after my morning dose. No vomitting, but thiiissss...
My hair is falling out by the handfulls as well. I get so depressed every morning after my shower when I pick up all the hair that has accumulated in the drain. Does it stop as your body gets used to...
That's been a pattern with me as well. Works out okay though because I have to be up by 6:00 to take all my meds and get ready for work. I hate not being able to sleep in on weekends though....
My sister, who has also been dx with CD, cannot tolerate anything with Splenda. She seems to start flaring pretty quickly after ingesting anything that has it in it. I was talking to her the other...
That's for sure BBdecaf - we're not used to not going! Now I'm half wishing for a bout of 5 or 6 a day! Did I say that outloud??...
Thanks you guys - good information. I'll give my GI a call if it keeps up. Monkiray....I know! I've never been so obsessed with poo! And like every little twinge I feel, whether it be in my gut or my...
Hey all, So I'm in the middle of a flare, but it's being kept at bay with Pred, AZA and Asacol. I'm on my 2nd round of pred (went from 40 to 30 to 20 to 10 the first time and then back up to 40 a...
Wow NCOT what a huge step today! Congratulations - you should be so proud of yourself!...
Before I got diagnosed with CD a few months ago, my CRP was at 147. I had inflammation everywhere it seemed, including crazy swelling and pain in my ankles and knees. My GP's initial thought was...
I haven't been able to successfully get off Pred yet, but I experienced the same symptoms while tapering down on my first go around. At 40 everything was awesome. Unbelievable energy, no other really...
Rain, rain, rain. It's Seattle, what're ya gonna do? Actually we're expecting better weather over the weekend. Yay!...
Good luck with the taper! I was in a euphoric stuper as well during those first few weeks of pred. Loved it!! Got so much done and all the aches and pains were gone! Tapering has been a struggle for...
Thanks you guys for all your input. I guess I needed a bit of a reality check! I know in the back of my mind that maybe I'm counting my chickens before they hatch, so to speak, and that once I'm...
Hey Chrohnies, I am only a little over 3 weeks into my dx for CD. I went through a pretty rough 3 months prior to my dx with of course the digestive problems, a ton of weight loss and horrible...
Hmmm....my prep directions said not to drink anything red or purple. Good luck to you - hope everything goes well!!...
Thanks Gail and Ivy. What a couple of great Mods this board has!...
Oh yes, I have a lot of support. I'm really lucky that way and I wish everyone had the same. I have an awesome husband and I have two sisters and a brother and I'm lucky that we are so close. I am...