Well, that was stupid...

So, after my little 1 month fever and cough, I have been having this thing where I have numbness centered around my top front teeth. Well, in the gum above them really. I mainly notice it when I am drinking from a glass.

I checked in with the dentist, who sent me to an endodontist for an evaluation. He said the teeth are fine, so he isn't sure what is going on. He and the dentist and I discussed it and decided to give it a month, see what happens, and then re-evaluate whether to send me to an oral surgeon.

So, I left feeling depressed that I am an ongoing medical mystery. Weird stuff, no answers. I hadn't had lunch yet, so I picked up a subway sandwich, bag of potato chips (on the danger list for me), and three chocolate chip cookies (also not recommended). Then I went back to work, and had a massive Chocolate brownie loaded with Chocolate and white chocolate chips.

Yeah, not feeling so hot now. Moderately miserable in fact.


A bit of advice for others who suffer from Crohn's, or probably any chronic illness...

Days like this are going to happen. It is going to suck sometimes. And your not going to be able to 'chin-up' readily. So a little 'disaster preparedness' might be in order.

One good idea might be to keep an mp3 or video player on your person, loaded with some material from each of the following categories (examples from each category included, these are to my taste though, so you will obviously need to pick your onw, from your own collection as appropriate):

1. Comedy - Stuff that makes you laugh. Bill Cosby, Bill Engvall, Brian Regan... Whatever tickles your funny bone.

2. Light, uplifting music - Stuff that just makes you feel light and happy, like you can fly.

3. Butt Kicking music - Something intense, not angry or rebellious, more like hero swings into action stuff.

(Actually, that one is a bit of a cross between light and happy and butt kicking)...

4. Slightly Sad, but reflective music - Sounds weird, I know, but sometimes, what you need is to... just ... breathe...

Now make playlists for each of these categories, make them extremely easy to get to. (This was where I went wrong, I have stuff form most of these categories on my Android Gadget (A Samsung Galaxy player, I am too cheap to pay for a phone contract). But I don't have it organized, or playlisted).

When you feel discouragement setting in, or you feel the urge to binge on stuff that is going to lead to regret, or any other tendency toward a destructive behavior. Pick a playlist, and turn the volume up. Not dangerously high, but loud enough to distract your mind. this will give you a chance to reset your thoughts, clear your head. If the playlist you picked isn't working, try one of the others. With a little practice, you will probably be able to recognize which one is going to help best for a given mood.

I'll be ready next time...