i remember when josh first told me he had crohn's disease...i said, "o wow, i'm so sorry" and had no idea what i was talking about. i had heard of it but couldn't have told you for certain if it had to do with some kind of cancer or something to do with toes. so, the more i learned, i realized what a horrible diagnosis it was...that even though josh was dealing well with it and operating mostly as normal, a lot of others with the same problem were super struggling. i read that it was diabilitating and would get worse as he got older...that parts of his bowel would eventually be removed...that it would up his chances of getting colon cancer considerably...that his quality of life would suffer as the years went on. we never really talk about the particulars like that. those of you who know josh, know that he is a strong, never-give-up kinda guy and faces everything head on...so why cross all those rickety bridges until we get to them. but it always looms in our heads...each time he has an episode, it is like a flash into the future of what could be his status quo.
crohn's, for better or for worse, has mapped his life in many ways. whether its believing that the stress of being a pilot would always spur an attack or being denied insurance bc of a pre-existing condition...it is amazing how some few words of diagnosis can change a person's life.
the doc told him yesterday that he believed josh had never been properly taken care of...and that previous docs had no right to give him such extreme treatments without absolute evidence of the disease in his body. he told him (after doing all the scans) that he doesn't have crohn's! that it is probably a kinked gut and once they can locate the spot, they can cut it out and josh is well! i mean truly well!
it is almost too wonderful to think that for 10 years, josh has believed and patterned his life after this horrible sickness, and with one surgery, it could be all over. there is still a lot in the balance...like, in order to find the spot that is kinked they has to catch it inflammed during an episode on a scan. he is much better now, so we need to wait until the next time...which historically has been about every 6 months.
anywho...we are thankful...and i do intend when we finally have him all better to write to the doctors who diagnosed him years ago (more on family history since they didn't take a biopsy)
