I was excited. It was my
annual 2 week trip to Cape Cod this past summer. I had a full two weeks planned
with visits from family and friends. I look forward to this trip every year. It
helps me recharge, reconnect with my family from far away and enjoy the place
that I love more than any other in this world. Lobster rolls, beach time and
swimming in the bay are some of my favorite past times, and it was going to be
happening in spades. 9 days before I
left, I had my Remicade infusion. That
week prior I was feeling a little run down but attributed it to the packing,
and hecticness (is that a word?) that surrounds getting ready for the
vacation. I had the infusion, and as
always, I felt like a million bucks afterward…able to take on the world and win
with energy to spare.
I pulled into the
driveway of our rented cottage, and immediately felt the pressure of every day
life slough off and go down the drain. I
felt great ! Wonderful and relaxed !
So the days passed by
with fun, sun and lots of laughs.
Memories were made, and new places explored. But mostly I enjoyed laying
in the sun and spending time with the ones I love. About 5 days into the trip, my knees started
to really bug me. I mean, bug me. They were throbbing and by the end of the day
was swollen and warm to the touch. I
figured it was all the trooping down to the beach and getting up and down from
the low beach chair I had this summer.
Then, my hands and shoulders joined into the pain party. It wasn’t normal, and I knew it. I started sleeping more than normal and just
feeling really run down. I also attributed this to being on vacation and
relaxing from the normal every day grind I had off the Cape. That first week was spent in the cottage with
my family. My cousin, her husband and
her kids. It was crowded but fun.
The second week, I moved
to another cottage, and my friends started their visits. I had a few sets of
friends coming so they were staying a few days and then another couple would
come in. This cottage, had two stories,
and unfortunately all the sleeping spots were upstairs while the one bathroom
was downstairs. This is when it really started to affect my life. I could
barely walk, and getting up from a chair was nearly impossible. My friends were
understanding, and knew that I was in pain.
They helped me on the stairs, helped me get up from the chairs and
generally were there for me when I needed it. I was taking Tylenol like candy
but it wasn’t doing anything. Unfortunately having Crohn’s increases your
changes of bleeding if you take ibuprofen or Naproxen so I stay away from
that. I called my doctor. She called in a prescription for Vicodin and
told me to take them as needed for pain.
By the end of the vacation, I was taking 2 at a time to just barely have
the edge taken off. And the vacation
ended up being the worst of my recent travels. The pain overshadowed
everything. It overshadowed my time with my boyfriend, time with my friends,
and being able to go anywhere. Going anywhere was a production of extra time
and ensuring that I had my pills on me so that after 4 hours, on the dot, I could
take another one, or two.
And then, I returned to
NH and my mass exodus of doctor visits began….
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