Week 6.5

Well I'm back to feeling good again! The pain lasted for about a week for me, maybe a week and a half. I'm not sure exactly what it was due to. I normally have colitis and occaisionally gastritis, which was where the pain was. If the worms are pro-inflamatory maybe they just increased the inflammation in these areas? I've heard that the hook worms can cause a bit of blood loss (though I'm not sure how accurate that is or when its supposed to happen). I will say that during that painful week, I think I was passing blood from the upper GI because all my BMs were very dark, almost black and then when the pain subsided, I noticed they returned back to their normal colour.
This past week, since the majority of the pain subsided, I've just been a little bit crampy and I'm still "perma" bloated. All my clothes which were too big two weeks ago, are now tight and uncomfortable. I don't miss bloating at all.
I've also noticed that still my arthritis is still strangely absent, apart from a minior incident here or there. And I have this random swollen ankel that started 6 months ago. It wasn't brought on by anything I can think of. I didn't hurt myself; it just randomly started swelling which I noticed because it felt tight and uncomfortable. It swelled every day consistently for six months. During the honeymoon period (or the bounce), I notice the swelling just disappeared. Left as suddenly as it came. Two weeks ago it came back (coincidence with the proinflamatory phase perhaps?). I think its going away again and I feel its because of the worms.
Also, I thought I might be feeling arthritis in my back, but after talking to a massage therapist today, it might not be. He seems to think that my hip joint is locked which is putting strain on my back. I'm going to make a chiropractic appointment next week. I'm waiting to see a rheumatologist but... I'm thinking now that by the time I actually get in, my problems will be gone thanks to the hookworms.

My spirits very high right now. Overall, I'm very excited. I finish my class at the end of the month. My marks are good and I only have one major project left and a final exam. Then I have the whole month of August off again before school re-starts in September. I'm going to relax, visit friends and go to the beach and get some colour.
I'm a bit nervous. This fall term I have a completely full course load. I've been full time the whole year, but I have a couple extra courses I'm taking this year (7 vs 10). By the time September comes, it will have been three months with the hookworms. I know I will be feeling so well, that I will be able to complete all the work I need to. :)  This treatment has provided me with so much hope. I can actually plan for the future and see myself living out all the things I want to accomplish, as if I'm not limited or worried I might not be well enough.

Signs of life

Well this week has been pretty crappy for me, symptom wise. It started Monday when I woke up in the morning with a heavy bloated belly (today is Sunday). It was kind of a triple wammy with the sore gut, menstrual cramps and arthritis aching in my back. Though the cramps and back ache have gone now, my gut still hurts! It really hurts too, and its not the average gut ache I'm being used to since I've been in remission. It feels like I have two dense medicine balls of pain, one below my rib cage and diaphragm and the other right below it. Some times it feels like I have heartburn in my guts, like deep burning constant pain and it hasn't gone away or subsided. It is not cramps, spasms or gas. It hurts whether I eat or not.
I think this is the first sign of life in my small intestine.
I emailed Garin and he said that I've entered into the proinflamatory phase which usually goes from 2.5 weeks to 6 weeks. My arthritis returned almost exactly at the 2.5 week mark. A little less than a week and hopefully I'll be feeling better. Its been hard to do work; the pain is such a distraction. It could be worse though; I'm not frequently having to visit the washroom (just once or twice a day), and I'm hardly nauseous at all. I might finally have a sign that the little guys are alive.