While Clark's behavior started to improve and he started to pull out of the candy cane-induced regression, his health got worse.
He was almost over a cold at the time he ate that candy cane. On Christmas Eve, his nose started running a lot more. On Christmas Day he had a terrible hacking cough.
He was coughing less yesterday, and I think he's past the worst of it, but SHEESH. Everything that could go wrong did. My mom nagged me about giving him cough syrup, but when I looked at the Delsym left over from our pre-SCD days, it had high fructose corn syrup in it. Um, NO. I gave him a spoonful of honey instead.
I was pretty busy through the holiday. I was cooking beef patties or chicken breasts most days. I made mayo. I made meringues, which Clark was very happy to eat, even though I haven't figured out how to make them right yet. And then they don't stay crispy. I don't even know how to store them.
Regardless, we had a fun Christmas Day. We went to the Los Angeles Zoo the day after Christmas, and Clark had a good time there too. He was very happy to see grandma and grandpa and Uncle Bobby and Auntie Cathy.
They are heading home now. I do miss my parents sometimes. Sigh.
I stayed busy. I wrote an audio script on Christmas Day, because as a writer, there is something wrong with your brain where you write when you have to, not when you want to. I'm supposed to get an IUD tomorrow and I'm kind of nervous about it. And next week we're flying to Idaho and I'm REALLY nervous about that.
I also e-mailed a compounding pharmacy near me to ask if they could make my sulfasalazine into a pill that's not loaded with corn starch.
I came across the most interesting little snippet in the Wikipedia entry for sulfasalazine:
Because sulfasalazine and its metabolite 5-ASA are poorly absorbed into the bloodstream, it is surprising that the drug is effective against symptoms outside of the intestine. One possible explanation is that, given that ulcerative colitis produces arthritic symptoms, it is possible that, in some cases, the arthritic symptoms are actually a product of unrecognized ulcerative colitis, which is effectively treated with sulfazalazine.
Fascinating. Especially considering that I have NO SYMPTOMS of gut dysfunction. None! And yet, the SCD clearly has an effect on me. The drugs that work for people with UC are working for my rheumatoid arthritis as well.
So for all those people out there thinking, "But I don't have any problems with food!" I posted this for you.
3 comments:
Obviously you're not going to make meringues the way this site says to, but they do have some good suggestions for storage.
Just came across your blog today. I have RA and am considering trying SCD in the new year. If it's not too late, you may want to rethink the IUD. It has been shown to cause other health problems. This is copied from www.omsoul.com Hope the diet continues to work for you!
The IUD (Intrauterine Device)
Most of the information regarding the IUD is taken from the 1997 PDR 20 (Physician’s Desk Reference)]. This is a coil-like device made of hard plastic which may also contain copper. A doctor inserts it into a woman’s uterus. It works by irritating the lining of the uterus and obstructing sperm transport. When conception occurs in spite of this, it has a secondary function of preventing implantation, thus causing an early abortion.21 Other side effects include uterine perforation which may lead to a hysterectomy, and infection, such as a pelvic or tubo-ovarian abscess. Use of all IUDs has been associated with an increased incidence of PID (Pelvic Inflammatory Disease).20 According to Rossing and Daling, two prominent researchers, women who had previously used an IUD for three or more years were more than twice as likely as women who had never used an IUD to have a tubal pregnancy (adjusted relative risk = 2.5, 95% confidence interval = 1.5-4.3). Among these long-term users of an IUD, risk of ectopic pregnancy remained elevated for many years after the device was removed. [An ectopic pregnancy is one in which the unborn child implants himself/ herself in a location other than in the mother’s uterus, usually in the fallopian tube.] Ectopic pregnancy remains the leading cause of maternal death in the United States. In addition the IUD may cause back aches, cramping, dyspareunia (painful intercourse), dysmenorrhea (painful menstrual cycles), and infertility. Since women who have an IUD in place experience a number of early abortions, they theoretically are at increased risk for developing breast cancer, since abortion has been associated with an increased risk of breast cancer.4
This information is really outdated. Just wanted to let people know that. In terms of technology and IUDs, 1997 is ten years ago, and IUDs have changed quite a lot since then.
I am using the newest one, called ParaGard. The plastic is extremely flexible and it contains copper. The other IUD, Mirena, is hormone based, and I do not have that one.
The risk of Pelvic Inflammatory Disease directly correlates with how many sexual partners you have, because your risk increases a LOT should you get an STD. I am married with one child, so there is little risk that I would get gonorrhea or chlamydia, which would push my risk higher. I was asked about this beforehand.
Ectopic pregnancy rates are much higher with old IUDs than with the one I have. The rate of ectopic pregnancy is higher with Mirena than with the copper IUD.
Uterine perforation is also a small risk. To be sure this did not happen, immediately after insertion, the doctor does an internal ultrasound to check placement. My doctor checked it, showed me on screen that it was perfectly placed, and scheduled a follow up with me.
Some women do report heavier bleeding and cramping, but that is normal, and not a cause for concern.
I feel very good about my decision, so I'm glad to have a chance to set the record straight, in case others were wondering. I was a medical editor for a year, so I do a lot of research on my own on a variety of topics. This one was no exception.
You can find more information on ParaGard here:
http://www.paragard.com
Thanks for stopping by!
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