Don't feed after midnight ...

     Tomorrow is my day to slay the alien at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. According to their instructions, I am not allowed to eat or drink after midnight. I wonder if I'll turn into a gremlin if I do ? 

     Anyway, back to slaying that alien in my gut tomorrow. My bags are packed and I'm ready to go. Now I'm just trying to actually sit still for a moment long enough to write. I am finding it difficult though, but in a good way. 

    I have been inundated with visits, phone calls, texts and e-mails wishing me well tomorrow. I am overwhelmed with the outpouring of love and support I have received from everyone in my life. It is truly a wonderful thing to know how many wonderful people have your back in a time of need. 

    Now all I have to do is let my doctors do their job and I'll do mine. I firmly believe that I have made the right decision and done so in my own terms. I am ready for change. I am ready to have my life back. 

Before I sign off from the blog for a few days, I'd like to talk about the few things that I've packed to help make my hospital stay more comfortable.

PJ's & Slippers

    First and foremost, are of course pajamas and slippers. 

When I found out I was having surgery, I asked a few people who've been through this as to what they thought were the most important things to pack. Everyone said comfortable and loose fitting clothing but also slippers or slip on shoes. They explained that the act of bending over to put socks or shoes on would be difficult after surgery. Shoes are needed though. Walking around is a crucial step to recover with this surgery as it gets your bowel's moving again. 

     My mantra over the next few days is to walk as soon as they try to get me up the first time. And than keep doing it. I want to be doing laps around the hospital ward floor. Even if I'm shuffling. 

    With this all in mind, I've packed a few comfy older pairs of pj's as well as a terry cloth robe. I treated myself to the softest flannel drawstring pajama bottoms I could find and tried to find a comfortable pair of slippers. I think I have found them :-)

Electronics 

    Probably almost as important as cloths, is my electronics. These beautiful technological gadget's will hopefully keep me occupied. I've brought along my kindle loaded with some lovely new books gifted by friends as well as my iPad to watch TV and movies with. I've brought along a set of headphones as well as one of those new nifty bluetooth wireless speakers that have surprisingly good sound. Overall, I think I have the entertainment portion of this excursion covered.

Mug & Tea

Lastly I've packed myself a giant mug to have cups of tea with as well as my own tea bags. If you know me well, you know that I am quite particular about my tea. This will most likely be my biggest comfort as I will be on a liquids only diet the first few days. 

So cheers to you.

I am off to slay the alien at 10:30 tomorrow morning. 

CCFA: What is Crohns Disease

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.