my fifth (non celebratory) anniversary or 2007 the year from hell.

[crackers]

at this time 5 years ago i was in hospital for a month while the doctors tried to figure out what was wrong with me.i had more tests,scans,x-rays and angiograms than 10 people have in their lifetime.i had a bone marrow extraction without anaethesia,the pain was unbelievable,to see if it was leukemia.my wife actually fainted during this procedure and she's a nurse at the hospital i was in.eventually they told me i had this disease that i'd never heard of and it took a bit of practice to even say the name.at the end of march i was discharged from the hospital and sent home with a box full of pills.in august i had a relapse and was readmitted with pneumonia which then turned into scepticemia.they were so worried about this they phoned my wife to be at my bedside.so after another month in the hospital i was allowed to go home feeling much better.my rheumy was still sending me for all kinds of tests in the hope of finding an infection somewhere as the root cause of all this.in the september she sent me for a colonoscopy which found a tumour which they said was " a concern ".a week later i received a phone call asking me to go back to the endoscopy suite.when i got there they said they were going to remove the tumour there and then but doing it caused a minor bleed so they wanted me to stay in overnight just to make sure it was ok.very reluctantly i agreed though i didn't see the need for it.then about 7 am in the morning my bowel perforated,a very painful experience ,and later that day had to have surgery and a colostomy bag fitted.the surgeon told me if the procedure had been left for another hour it would have been too late.so as you see 2007 was not my best year and not my favourite one either but at least i'm still here to tell the tale.sorry to have gone on so long but i just wanted to share my anniversary with you all.thank you. john.

[Sangye]

I am so glad you got through all that and joined the group, John. I've enjoyed knowing you all this time and still crack up at some of the jokes you told way back. You went through some really tough stuff. Here's to your next 5 years being strong and healthy!! :thumbsup:

[annekat]

You have come a long way through a lot. This is my one year anniversary with WG. I hope you are doing much better and somewhat back to normal at this point.

Anne

[drz]

It seems like March has been a tough month for many of us. Wonder if it has to do with season change?

[Dryhill]

Congratulations John on getting through the last five years, here's hoping the next five are better.

Jim

[annekat]

It seems like March has been a tough month for many of us. Wonder if it has to do with season change? I'm pretty curious about that, too, since I have seasonal allergies that begin in late February or March. I have to wonder if allergic reactions, which are immune system related, could trigger a Wegs flare up. I've noticed a very small increase in symptoms this year, but then I am on immunosuppressant drugs, and I've been tapering them, so it's hard to say.

Anne

[crackers]

i thank you all for your kind thoughts and words.i look forward to not celebrating my tenth anniversary with you. john.

[Sangye]

i thank you all for your kind thoughts and words.i look forward to not celebrating my tenth anniversary with you. john.
LOL Hey! :wink1:

[KathyB]

You have quite a story, John. I also heard a lot of hope! Let's say "cheers" for your positive outlook getting through the last five years! Very inspirational to those of us who are learning to navigate this crazy disease!

KB

[Lightwarrior]

It seems like March has been a tough month for many of us. Wonder if it has to do with season change?

I have noticed that also. March is the month that I end up missing from work every year since I have had Wegener's...hmmm

[Al]

I have noticed that also. March is the month that I end up missing from work every year since I have had Wegener's...hmmm I call March the relapse season. Both of my major flares were in full swing then. Knock on something arboreal, I have seemingly managed to get through this March without anything nasty happening. Both my flares were preceded by a January or February bronchial infection, so I strongly suspect that the there is a direct connection. This, by the way, fits into the vitamin D hypothesis: More infections happen during the winter, especially in areas closer to the poles, because of lack of sunlight. An interesting idea, at any rate.

[annekat]

I call March the relapse season. Both of my major flares were in full swing then. Knock on something arboreal, I have seemingly managed to get through this March without anything nasty happening. Both my flares were preceded by a January or February bronchial infection, so I strongly suspect that the there is a direct connection. This, by the way, fits into the vitamin D hypothesis: More infections happen during the winter, especially in areas closer to the poles, because of lack of sunlight. An interesting idea, at any rate. That sure sounds like what happened to me, Al, living in the same "lack of light" region. All the crap leading up to the big flare that lead to my dx really started in Jan. and Feb. and came to a head in March. There were both bronchial and ear infections involved, along with existing seasonal allergies.