Hello fellow PSC'ers!!!

[Guest guest]

Hi! For anyone interested, I thought I would drop a quick note to

share about my progress towards healthiness.

March 1st I had a 7 hour back surgery to correct 2 herniated discs.

It had gotten so bad that when I would eat food and it would get down

towards the end of the line, I would get violent pain and back

spasms. I could barely walk and was in extreme pain! And on soooo

much meds to control the pain and spasms. The surgery trimmed the

discs (discectomy) and enlarged the nerve channel and hollowed out

part of my vertebrae (laminectomy) and they installed screws and

cylinders to hold my back stable (dynesys).

Part of me wonders how my ulcerative colitis (now " cured " via j-

pouch) was related to this back problem. Back when I was first

diagnosed, I would get this strange warm sensation running down the

back of my leg (my sciatic nerve) and then I would have to go to the

bathroom. So I wonder if the back and the UC were related...

Now that the surgery and healing has been going nicely, I've started

physical therapy and my back and core muscles are getting stronger,

stronger than they have been in a long time!! My intestines are

working so much better before, making me wonder how much the nerve

impaction was affecting my digestion. I have gained 10-15 pounds post

back surgery. Right around the same time as the back surgery, I also

found thru my rheumatoid doctor that I had a very low testosterone

level which could have also been affecting my digestion. So I have

taken Androgel for a couple months and I noticed my general health,

depression and digestion all got better while taking the androgel.

Now that I'm not on Androgel anymore, it seems my depression and

anxiety are returning slowly.

So now I have a psychologist and a psychiatrist and am taking

Lorazepam (adavan) and Zyprexa daily for the anxiety and depression.

This is going very well for me.

Also, I grew up in a Jewish family, all were big eaters, and recently

I realized that I have some compulsive overeating tendencies. So I

have been going to overeater's anonymous meetings and have seen a

dietician and got a food plan, and will have a sponsor soon. So I

think this will help a lot, because I tend to eat when I'm worried or

for celebration and this is not the most healthy thing I could be

doing. So I will be immersing myself in good eating habits.

Right now I feel pretty well overall. As I said, I haven't exactly

been eating all the right foods and proper balances. My skin is very

broken out, but as I take about 6 benadryls a nite, this is receeding

quickly. I am happy it's summer and starting to get outside more and

get sunshine has been a huge boost to my well-being.

I am overwhelmed by my financial situation, as I'm sure many others

feel the same way. I have a lot of medical debt ($10,000) from

surgeries, physical therapy, etc. Luckily I had insurance or I would

have even more debt. Also have a lot of credit debt and feel burdened

by this. But I am managing ok and knowing that things will keep

getting better and better!

Well I wish everyone well and hope things are going good for you.

Take care, may the force be with you.

Jarad

PSC dx 1996

UC dx 1999

J-pouch 2002/3

Food allergies dx: soy, nuts, gluten 2003

Low testosterone dx: 2006

Back surgery 2007

[Guest guest]

Maybe, but probably not. Herniated discs, not likely, vertebrae maybe. I say that since many of us (with UC or Crohn's) may have nutrient absorption problems that may affect bone density - especially if part of your treatment regimen was prednisone.

On the average, Americans (New Jersey, if memory serves?) are woefully out of shape and have horrible dietary practices. Although I'm in better shape than the average, I also had back surgery about 10 years ago. The surgeon's comment was " At 46, you have the back of a 60 year old " (thanks, Dr.).

Some of it is genetic (but I'm the only one of my 4 siblings that experienced it), some environment. In my case, it was probably overuse. Let's see, 2000 bales of hay per year at 50#/bale for 15 years - hmmmm. Small hay bales are typically handled three times - once to the baler, once to the hay loft, and once to the livestock. So - make that 2000*3*50#*15 = 4-1/2 MILLION pounds, or 2250 tons! I wonder if that had anything to do with it? Keep in mind this was 4 years before PSC diagnosis, and my UC has been quiescent since 1978 - still....

My guess is it's mostly our lifestyle. My Norwegian cousin can walk circles around me, even though she's 10 years older and a " social " smoker! It's easy to point out the non-Norwegians there - the ones that are overweight (and not just Americans)!

Arne

56 - UC 1977, PSC 2000

Alive and (mostly) well in Minnesota

________________________________

From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of jarad_patko

Part of me wonders how my ulcerative colitis (now " cured " via j-pouch) was related to this back problem.