Letter from Mary

Hey Friends,

First, thank you all for your support and interest in my health. One learns many lessons of patience, acceptance, etc. with an extended hospital stay, but one amazing thing one may learn is how much support and care they have scattered out in the world.

With the help of the technical expertisse herself, Rosie Daniel, I wanted to give you all a way to check in on me as (in)frequently as you choose. Not so much because I am interesting, but rather because my current situation makes it hard for me to be consistent in my communication with everyone I'd like to be. Hopefully I can keep this updated every day or two.

History (cause we love the drama):
At the beginning of May, while preparing for my inevitably fabulous photo opening at International House :?, working on First Person Arts' major fundraiser, and running up against the end of my lease, my stomach started to hurt a bit. and a bit and a bit and a bit bit more. On May 5th when my Logan arrived into town to view inevitable fabulousness and have a veggie cheesesteak, he was instead forced to revert to paramedic mode days and drag my dehydrated, dirty sad-girl bum to the ER.

To Pick up the Pace: I was diagnosed with acute colitis, which basically means major inflammation of the colon. The doctors spent some time trying to determine whether this was an infection or an inflammatory condition - IBD - either Chron's Diseases or Ulcerative Colitis. They were unable to do so, but send me home on steroids, which is the common treatment for colitis. I checked myself back into the emergency department on May 22 with all symptoms back. More steroids, no luck. Two weeks ago I took a drug called Remicade and will take my second infusion of that today. Many things remain in flux. The Remicade may help me to turn the corner. Surgery is also an option that is on the table, and is an option that is used pretty routinely in acute colitis. I am also in the flux of being stuck in Philadelphia and hoping to go back to Baton Rouge as soon as possible. Depending on the effects of the Remicade this time, I may be able to transfer to a hospital there fairly soon.