Look away now if you're squeamish

I've had unpleasant digestive symptoms for all of my adult life. Three years ago, at the end of a long process which started going to a new GP for an unrelated condition, I got my Crohn's Disease diagnosis. I have moderate Crohn's, in that if I'm not on my medication I tend to get symptoms all the time. Currently I'm on Salofalk (mesalazine) which the literature indicates doesn't work for Crohn's, but it seems to work for me. I feel pretty lucky that my disease is under control, and while I have my moments where I hate that I have to keep taking little orange pills every morning and night and I really hate it when I have to fill in pre-existing medical condition forms when I apply for travel insurance, I'm grateful to be mostly healthy, and happy I'm not one of the many Crohn's sufferers who can't travel at all.

I discovered recently that I'm lactose intolerant as well, and switching to lactose-free dairy and cutting out the rest has made a huge difference to the leftover symptoms. Let's just say that it's the first time in 17 years that I haven't needed to make sure that I have imodium with me wherever I go. If I can just remember to take my calcium supplements all will be well.

So it was a bit of a surprise today when at my regular quarterly visit to the Gastroenterologist, he suggested that we do another colonoscopy. He explained it by saying that while I'm feeling well now, my history suggests that my symptoms are a little bit all over the place and not always in step with my blood tests. He wants a look at my insides just to be sure. He's one of those rare Doctors who really listens to me, tells me everything that's going on, considers everything he can think of which might be affecting my Crohn's and most importantly, he tells it straight. I trust him completely.

So if he says he wants to be sure, that's okay with me. I'm not looking forward to it though.

And now, just to have some colour and some photographs (and while I'm open and honest about my medical conditions I'm not going to put up photos of that), here are some photos of current projects and some stitch markers I made the other night. These markers are similar to ones made by David of Sticks and String. He made a tutorial here. Mine are slightly different as I used a seed bead to stop the larger beads coming off the tiger tail rather than a second crimp, but they're mostly the same.Click to embiggen.

                           Blue glass beads and silver flowers       Haematite-look plastic beads

                               Left: blue crystals, Right: Shells from a necklace my Nanna gave me years ago.

February Lady Sweater by Pamela Wynne of flint.knits

Cascade 220 Heathers in 2445

Surprise Project - Cascade 220 in I can't remember at the moment (it's Charcoal coloured)

Rowan Shimmer in Silver.