The results are in. Positive, there was no further mention of surgery. Negative, I started to find out just how screwed my body was.

I am what the people 80 years ago would have called a vampire. I am critically low on both Iron and Vitamin D. Dr E said that he was surprised that I was able to function – here I thought I was functioning quite well. I have been told many times, by just about everyone that I need to eat more red meat and learn to love the sun a bit more. The reality is even if I burnt myself raw red and ate a whole cow it wouldn’t do a damned bit of difference. These two vitamins, like many, are absorbed in your small bowel. For lack of better terminology and a medical degree, my small bowel doesn’t work properly and cant absorb vitamins effectively. It’s a common problem with Crohns disease I am told, and its one of the ways it can flag up in a blood test. I have never had my Vitamin D tested before now – but my Iron numbers haven’t been good in many years. Should this have tipped doctors off that I had a chronic illness? Perhaps not. But when tests are continuously coming back with the same problems, despite attempts to correct them, I do believe it warrants further investigation.

My calcium also performed poorly – but the doctor almost expected that. Its an unfortunate result of the Entocort. That’s why they try not to keep you on it long term.

What does all this mean? Well, they want to give me an “infusion” to fill up the tank. The way Dr. E explained it to me was I can pop as many pills as I want to try and correct it but… well, its like trying to fill a sink with the plug out, you never really get there. I spoke before about Iron injections – well it seems they do those better in the public system too. Iron injections are painful, expensive and need to be repeated at regular intervals. In an infusion they attach you to a drip and sit you in a comfy chair for the res of the day. Its less painful, more effective and like with all things in the public healthcare system – its free. At that point he reiterated his doubts about me being able to fall and stay pregnant. I assured him that right at this point, its not an issue at all. I still don’t like the idea of having a child with the risks of Crohns so high and I am not in a position to even think about it. Right now it’s more important that I concentrate on getting myself as well as possible given the circumstances. I have a long road ahead of me – I fear we haven’t even scratched the surface of treating this disease.

Given the demands of my job, I can’t take a day off to have the “infusion” – not to mention the thought of having more stuff stuck in me is entirely unappealing. So in the meantime I have been put on the strongest Iron supplement which wont interfere with the disease and start a flare up. Although I have been granted a one month reprieve, I am resigned to the fact that the infusion is necessary and it might actually give me more vitality.

We also started to speak about a drug called Imuran. Imuran is a maintenance drug used to prolong remission of a few disease – including Crohns. After a month on Imuran I will be immunosuppressed. This will, in theory, stop my immune system from attacking the bacteria in my bowel. It has a fairly high success rate. The trade off is it can trash your liver and pancreas quickly and with few outward symptoms. The doctor said that the chance I will suffer adverse side effects is about 2 in 10. The safeguard is weekly blood tests for 3 months – which will see out the end of the year. My doctor will do everything in his power to make sure that this is the right drug for me. He is the first doctor I have trusted in many years – and that in itself has lifted some of the stress from my shoulders. Am I afraid? You betcha – I am terrified. But (and this is a big but) I have a doctor, a family and a partner who are supporting me and keeping an eye on me. I have discovered lately that that’s all the reassurance I need.

I have to say I am a bit pleased with myself. I think this is the first time in my history that I have put my health first. That I have taken all the medication, done all the test and changed my lifestyle to give myself the best chance of fighting Crohns Disease. Friday is fast approaching and the tact of not getting my hopes up has failed epically. At the moment, all I want is to make it past Friday. All I want to do is get into that seventh week of remission.

Since meeting Dr E, my attitude has change significantly even though my outlook and prognosis hasn’t. If I could give any advice to sufferers of IBD or IBS it would be to find a doctor who you trust – keeping in mind that liking a doctor and trusting a doctor are two different things.