Eric Tapley

So, to help combat my second attack of poison ivy this summer I’m back on Prednisone (which I also took for Ulcerative Colitis… it’s apparently my body’s drug of choice). And it drives me crazy. Whenever I use this stuff I’m up until all hours of the night and just can’t sleep. When I try to nap during the day I only get fits here and there, so never feel rested. And if I try to sleep in… well, I just can’t sleep in. I try and wake up with the sun anyway.

All of this leaves me in a bit of a nasty place, really, quite overtired and feeling a little stretched. It’s almost like the world is a little out of phase or pinched or otherwise not quite right. Certainly this isn’t the time to be driving or operating heavy machinery, but it’s not a good time to be doing anything, really.

So, here I am, blogging about this at 3am instead of sleeping like any responsible parent should. Ugh.

What keeps you up at night?

So, I’ve been back in the hospital. I know… It’s a habit I’m trying to break. But this was for poison ivy, a particularly nasty allergy I have, not for my gut problems of the past.

A short summary:
On Saturday I woke up with itchy and slightly swollen eyes. By noon I had a small rash that was developing on my arms, and by evening it had spread to my abdomen and legs.

I went to the Fallon Clinic to get checked out and, while there, had problems with dizziness, lightheadedness, and trouble breathing. My throat was swelling and felt sore and thick. The doctors at the clinic were worried they wouldn’t be able to deal with my breathing difficulties so I was rushed off (and admitted overnight) to the Worcester Medical Center.

Since Saturday I’ve been in and out of the hospital, ER, and seen a number of doctors and a dermatologist. They concluded that I have a bad case of poison ivy that began to spread into my throat (hence the breathing trouble). As of now I have it all over my hands, arms, chest, lower back, abdomen, upper and lower legs, but my breathing is back to normal.

Kate thinks I look like a burn victim. I don’t think it’s that bad, but damn does the itch get aggravating.

The cure?
It hasn’t done much yet but I’m taking Prednisone, Benadryl, and using special creams every day to help get this under control. I have faith that over time this will bring the response under control and I’ll feel better, but my body is reacting much slower than usual to these meds. I think this has to do with my long battle with Ulcerative Colitis and the long-term impact that has had on my immune system.

Silver lining.
As when I’ve been sick in the past I’ve learned that it’s friends, family, and community that help see you through trouble like this. Kate has been tremendous this past week. I’m grateful for the guys at the office, especially Sam Costello and Ali Aslam, who’ve helped cart me around and take care of me (I’m not supposed to drive on some of these meds). And I’ve had a lot wonderful well-wishing from clients and associates.

Community and people matter a lot. I’m glad to have been reminded of that, and will keep it in the forefront of my mind as we work at 3000K to develop the new version of The Daily Jolt and other community sites.

Here’s some of the poison ivy on my arm. It’s like this everywhere. Ugh.

Hey Everyone!

On September 17th, 2006, Baby Sam and I will be participating in the ADA’s Walk for Diabetes in Worcester. I will be the only one of us actually walking. Sam will be riding in his stroller and flirting with ladies.

My goal is to raise $1,000. If you would like to sponsor me (which would be awesome), please send a check to:

Katharine Tapley
22 Wakefield St. #1
Worcester, MA 01605

Checks should be made out to The American Diabetes Association. All donations are tax deductible, and I will send you a receipt.

All sponsors will receive an “autographed” photo of the World’s Cutest Baby!

If you can’t support me financially, prayers and kind thoughts for myself and all the walkers would be greatly appreciated.

For more information, here’s the site for the ADA: http://www.diabetes.org.

The site for the walk: Worcester Walk for Diabetes.

Or you can e-mail me at kate@etapley.com.

I’ve continued to make steady progress in the last week and am beginning to feel really good for the first time in years. I’ve spent a full week at work without trouble, my incision is looking great and I have very little to no pain there most days, and I’m even beginning to look toward the future again and plan things for my personal life and my business. Cool.

So where does this leave the future of this site? It doesn’t make sense to keep an ongoing “health update” section on the front page, so I’m going to redesign and refocus the site over the coming months. This will give me a chance to do the following:

1. Move health information to it’s own section, and expand on this to build a resource for other people with intestinal diseases.

2. Expand upon the photo gallery.

3. Learn some more advanced XHTML, CSS, and DHTML.

4. Refocus the main site on other interests. I’m not sure what I’ll blog about yet, though, maybe business thoughts.

Stay tuned for the changes.

It’s been almost 10 days since my surgery and I’m doing very well. In fact, I returned to a light work schedule this week and tolerated that without a problem, in addition to the light exercise and normal meals I introduced when I returned from the hospital. It will still take months for me to make a full recovery but I’m well on the way and it looks as if my years-long struggle with Colitis and related intestinal problems are finally over. Which begs the question: now what?

Oh, I know that Kate and I are going to be parents after the first of the year (I couldn’t forget that!), we’re still getting settled in our new apartment, and there’s always 3000K to pour energy into. That’s not really what I mean. I’ve defined myself by my illness for so long, and filtered every action and plan through the “what if” machine, that I don’t really know how to be well anymore. What is it like to wake up and not wonder if you’re going into the hospital that day? To be able to just eat, and not worry about the impact that food may have on your intestines? To live without constantly wondering about an upcoming surgery, or doctor’s visit, or medical test?

I’m a fundamentally different person than I was three years ago before I became sick. Physically I’m a different person than I was even two weeks ago, with more options and a brighter future.

Now I have to learn how to be the new me. The first step is going to be figuring out who that is.

Another surgery is behind me, and I’m home recovering (once again). I’ll post more later, but for now just wanted to quickly update everyone on my progress. As always thanks for the overwhelming understanding and support!

So this is it. I’ve had my last meal - a delicious open face seafood ravioli at The Sole Proprietor. I’ve started a clear liquids diet until the surgery. I’ve ingested the magnesium citrate (colon cleaner) to prep for the operation. I’m all set and looking forward to tomorrow and the ensuing recovery. This should be it and the beginning of my life after Colitis and Colostomy.

Damn am I ready to start life again. See you on the other side.