Healthcare

I am very much a pro-vaccination person but I sometimes think that in my situation, there are more risks than the typical person. The main reason I think I have additional risks is because I seem to have immune system issues.

Briefly, a list of issues I have that fall in the autoimmune disease category include simple things like seasonal allergies and allergic asthma (especially around cats and dogs). I also have chronic urticaria that started around age 22. Timing wise, I associate the chronic urticaria starting around the time I received the 3rd booster shot for the Hepatitis B vaccine. It is probably just a timing coincidence, but it is there nonetheless. And most recently, I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease.
Read More »Vaccines and Joint Pain

You can read about my adventures in arriving at my diagnosis of Crohn’s disease, which was ultimately made with the use of the Pillcam sb3 camera pill.

Information from the company that makes the Pillcam cites studies showing around a 2% retention rate. They define retention as not passing within 2 weeks. I’ve read in various places that the retention rate in Crohn’s disease can be higher than 5%.  The downside of a retained Pillcam is that it got stuck and could lead to an obstruction and it very possibly will require surgery to remove.  The upside (if there is one) is that the Pillcam likely identified a stricture – a narrowing in the bowel that can most easily be conceptualized as a result of scarring inside the intestines.  Severe strictures often require surgery anyway, so the surgery to remove the Pillcam can also include removal of the stricture.Read More »How Long for Pillcam to Pass?