New York, New York

    Yesterday we ended the latest installment of life with my alien as I prepped to face my biggest battle yet to date ... the dreaded word surgery. 

    That particular word used in every language is enough to evoke thoughts of nervousness and uncertainty. Throw in the fact that most people with crohns fight to avoid surgery at all costs and it's a stressful combination. 

    Luckily, I am located within a few hours of New York City where some of the best GI Doctors on the East Coast are located. My local New Jersey GI doctor has been treating me for many years. Unfortunately after this summer's horrible flare, he felt that my case had come to point where surgery was called for and that my particularly difficult case would be best handled by doctors at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.

    With recommendations in hand and things moving at a relatively fast pace, I found myself sitting across from a very prestigious GI Doctor in his office on the upper west side of the city two weeks later. 

    Doctor George put me at ease quite quickly. I was amazed at the deftness of his assessment of my case as he reviewed over ten years of medical records with me. For the first time in my life, I felt as if this doctor could see all the pieces of my medical puzzle put together and finally gave me a clear and concise information on my disease. 

    Hearing the words surgery coming from this new doctors mouth was a bit of a disappointment. I had hope that perhaps we could try some new medication but in my heart I knew it had been coming to this. When you have constant pain, like I've had every day, you just know. I also know though, just as this new doctor told me, no matter what pill I take, it is not going to melt away my scar tissue. The only real way to get rid of it is to remove it. 

  So with this confirmation, my newest GI doctor recommended me to two different surgeons. Each he said were people that he worked closely with at Mount Sinai Hospital. He also said that no matter what happened during the surgery, they would each not be surprised by anything that they found or anything that happened. Lastly he told me, that if it was his child, that this is who he would send them to. 

   With these comforting words and recommendations in hand, I was off like the white rabbit with a very important date to keep. Come back tomorrow, when I talk about going to meet with my surgeon. 

Alien “Sometimes the scariest things come from within”

ALIEN ( 1979 )

     In 1979 Ridley Scott released a terrifying and iconic science fiction film known as the movie Alien. The film’s title refers to the exceedingly aggressive extraterrestrial creature that stalks and kills the members of a space ship. This film has engrossed millions of fans and spawned countless sequels over the years since it’s inception 35 years ago. As the movie’s tag line says … “No one can hear you scream in space”.

     Of all the terrifying scenes that the first Alien movie brought, the one that has stayed etched in many fans minds, is that particular part with poor John Hurt’s character. All the man wants is some decent earth food but it doesn’t quite work out for him. One minute, he’s got a bit of indigestion, the next, he’s writhing around in utter agony with an alien baby bursting forth from his chest. It’s the stuff of full-fledged nightmares folks.  

     That sequence always stayed with me, locked in the back of my mind. Filed deep away for later reference. Throughout the years though, from time to time, I would be plagued with stomach issues and pain. As my issues came back again and again, that particular movie moment would float through my mind. It was the only visual descriptive that I could conjure up to express how I felt. Henceforth, my affectionate nickname for the beast. My alien within. 

     Sharing a body with a resident crohn’s alien, at times, can be trying, but I’d rather laugh over it than cry. It’s rather akin to having a room mate that you can’t evict because they’ve been granted squatters rights. You can picket, protest, scream and yell at the top of your lungs. You can try to kick it’s invisible ass and even call the authorities, but it’s still not leaving. The alien may go on vacation ( remission ) at times but it has a nasty horrible habit of getting back in your face with flares and full fledge wars. If it was just as simple as mind over matter, I would happily coexist with my alien. 

So instead, I try to find the humor in all the funny situations my alien companion has landed me. 

     I would like to dedicate this post to the screen writer of Alien, Mr. Dan O’Bannon. He credited his own personal experiences of suffering with Crohn’s disease as the inspiration for that iconic chest-bursting scene. 

Thank you for fighting the good fight sir.

R.I.P.

Dan O’Bannon 

1946 - 2009

IMDB Dan O'Bannon

The Game of Crohn's ... and you thought Joffrey was a pain in the ass.

     The Game of Crohn's ... and you thought Joffrey was a pain in the ass.

     Discovering in your mid twenties that you've been diagnosed with the fate of a lifelong chronic disease that has no cure is rather akin to being hit with a shovel. A shovel that smacks you square in the face whilst running full speed though life. Luckily, just like my cartoon counterparts, I have the tendency to bounce right back by laughing at the ludicrous moments that the pooping disease otherwise known as crohn's has brought into my life.

     After nine years of navigating through this world looking for the nearest toilet, I thought I could share what it is like to live with a painful disease that affects over five million people world wide but is rarely talked about.

     Please join me in future posts as I introduce my alien, explain what crohn's actually is and talk about all the fun times my alien and I have trying to reside together.

     Just remember, Everyone Poops !