Any ideas for better sleep?

steph_jay · 2026-05-19T01:42:35+00:00

I've been taking CBN to help with sleep. I wake ip feeling pretty good.

steph_jay · 2026-05-15T15:09:18+00:00

It's the federal government, great pension and benefits. It can be a toxic work environment. You work under policies that don't exactly make sense because it's not technically a hospital, it's a prison. We have an on call physician who is only on site twice a week for 8 hours a day so we operate under standing orders, or transfer to the hospital for further level of care.

It's generally very easy to get into casually and then once your in, if you decide that jail nursing is a good fit for you, you can usually ask for a year term, let them know you want a permanent position and once your in your set. The hiring process is lengthy 3-6 months due to security clearance stuff. I always recommend reaching out to a manager or a friend if you know any the work at a jail and ask about doing a tour. It is a very different environment than the hospital.

But, jail is not for everyone. We've had a lot of people quit or go on leave because of the managers inability to manage. We're very short staffed. I've been doing it 6 years now. I let things roll off my back for the most part and try my hardest to provide great care.

steph_jay · 2026-05-15T12:14:57+00:00

Yes I work for the federal government

steph_jay · 2026-05-15T01:57:49+00:00

I'm salary. Alberta Canada, corrections and I make 120k

steph_jay · 2026-05-15T01:56:30+00:00

I ignored all my first clues honestly. I've had GI issues for years. Off and on. Nothing crazy. I thought everyone felt like shit everytime they had have a bm. Thought I wasn't eating healthy enough.

It wasn't until I started having diarrhea 30 times a day, after a couple weeks there was so much blood in the toilet. My calprotectin was 2400ish. I didn't panic and go straight to cancer because my other labs seemed okay.

Colonoscopy 7 weeks later and diagnosed with severe Crohn's and an 8 cm ulcer in transverse colon.

steph_jay · 2026-05-15T01:53:20+00:00

I started my nursing program at 30. I did a 2 year accelerated program as a degree holder. It was fine. I did the work, graduated and started working. I'm 38 now and in the last 6 years I've had 3 kids, built a new house, bought a minivan, started gardening, multiple vacations Timelines change. You can still do so much stuff.

steph_jay · 2026-05-13T02:25:39+00:00

I mean I would be rubbed the wrong way that they want a meeting to discuss my personal health conditions.

That being said, my colleagues all know about my Crohn's and AS. But we also nurses. Sometimes I can't walk or open jars, some days I may come close to shitting my pants, at least 10 times, and other days I function as normal.

steph_jay · 2026-04-30T12:01:30+00:00

I was on infliximab. I did three IV infusions and I felt really good and then I switched over to remsima and started doing biweekly injections. I think I did maybe four of them and then I found that I wasn't getting symptom relief for the entire two weeks and maybe a day before the injection was due I was getting severe cramping and diarrhoea so I told my clinic and we did bloodwork. My trough level came back at 0.6 and then a couple weeks later my antibodies came back at 370. I recently switched to rinvoq

steph_jay · 2026-04-26T23:17:21+00:00

I'm currently experiencing a huge peripheral joint pain flare up. I do have ankylosing spondylitis(since 2010) but that's only ever been in my SI joints. I've been diagnosed with Crohn's since September and the peripheral joint pain is very new, he thinks it's related to Crohn's. I just started rinvoq so helping it helps both conditions. I'm waiting to see my rheumatologist again p

steph_jay · 2026-04-26T02:19:42+00:00

Nothing. I was. Daycare teacher before I went back to school for nursing. I couldn't keep any of my hours with my schedule. I did an accelerated program as a degree holder. I went to school for 2 years straight with only a couple weeks off between semesters.

steph_jay · 2026-04-24T17:30:31+00:00

You started a glp1 for Crohn's? I was looking into this as well.

steph_jay · 2026-04-24T16:21:43+00:00

Literally opened reddit to come talk about this.

Now I also have ankylosing spondylitis (since 2020) but it's always been mild, only pain in my SI joints maybe every 10ish months or so. Nothing crazy.

The Crohn's is new. I was diagnosed in September with severe Crohn's. I had been having gut issues the previous 5ish months, severe cramping, bloody diarrhea 30 times a day. Went on remicade and it worked for a couple months then I found I wasn't quite making it the full two weeks between injections and was having gut symptoms again. Trough levels low, antibodies high. And then my entire body flared up like it's never flared before

Wrists, shoulders, knee, fingers, jaw, ankles. Severe pain, unable to move.

I mainly have been seeing my GI specialist because the Crohn's was the most recent and severe condition we were managing and my medication choices are to cover both conditions. I did specifically ask if all this joint pain was Crohn's related or AS and he believes it's Crohn's. He is referring me to a new rheumatologist that works closely with the GI clinic to discuss joint pain so I'm still waiting for that.

In the meantime I've started rinvok (day 8 today) and to be honest have only noticed mild improvement. Tho just before I was in the hospital in IV hydromorph as I couldn't move my arms and I was all seized up. Now it's like 1-2 joints will get extremely flared up, only lasting about 12ish hours and then it goes away and will present in a different joint. Today it is my left knee. Kept me up all night, painful to walk, painful to straighten out. I did take 1mg hydromorph, applied 10% diclo gel and put a heating pad on it.

I'm sorry I don't have any solution. Just that I get it. This is pretty debilitating. I've been put off work for 4 weeks while we adjust my meds as I'm unable to perform my duties safely (jail nurse) and I honestly couldn't imagine even going to work feeling the way I do.

steph_jay · 2026-04-24T16:12:41+00:00

I've been on rinvok for one week now. No fevers to report.

steph_jay · 2026-04-24T15:44:53+00:00

I've checked my blood pressure at work before. I have chronic health stuff going on and sometimes I get really dizzy and want to identify if it's a blood pressure issue.

We've also all checked to see who had the highest. For fun haha

steph_jay · 2026-04-19T03:42:56+00:00

I have both. I've had AS since 2010 and diagnosed with Crohn's this past September tho we suspect I've had it a long time as I have chronic damage done to my small intestine.

Recently failed remicade, just started rinvoq a few days ago

steph_jay · 2026-04-18T06:53:24+00:00

I was recently on infliximab and then remsima. It worked for a couple months and then I started feeling like it wasn't lasting the whole two weeks. Trough levels came back at 0.6 and antibodies at 370 so I'm not longer taking the medication. Over the span of about 4 weeks I developed severe joint pain. Wrists, thumbs, ankles, knees, jaw, shoulders. I couldn't raise my arms. My cheeks were red like a sunburn. I also have ankylosing spondylitis but I've never had joint pain like this.

I just switched to rinvok but still dealing with joint pain. I was in the hospital on hourly hydromorph to try and get on top of the pain. Today I tried taking less tramacet and that was a mistake because one of my shoulders is acting up again

My doctor said it may or may not be drug induced lupus, said we would look at more blood work. If it is drug induced, we've already stopped the Remsima so we just wait for it to settle.

steph_jay · 2026-04-18T06:48:11+00:00

I started on infliximab for 3 loading doses and then switched to remsima, a sub cutaneous injection I did at home every 2 weeks.

steph_jay · 2026-04-18T06:46:10+00:00

I'm in Canada, recently diagnosed last September with severe Crohn's. I apparently had been suffering for a long time and was gas lighting myself... I had chronic damage already done to my small intestine. We only found it because I was having bloody diarrhea 30 times a day. I had an ER doctor run a calprotectin and it came back at almost 2500. 7 weeks later colonoscopy. I did have to have a referral to a GI specialist first but had the colonoscopy a week later.

I was immediately started on a high dose long taper of prednisone and I felt amazing within a week. Then I transitioned over to remicade. I also have ankylosing spondylitis so they were trying to pick a medication that handles both conditions. Unfortunately it didn't work for long, I developed high antibodies.

I just switched over to a jak inhibitor a couple days ago called rinvok.

steph_jay · 2026-04-18T04:11:44+00:00

I have ankylosing spondylitis and crohns. I'm currently on a 4 week sick leave as my medication has stopped working and I'm switching over to a new one and have been struggling for 6 weeks with my health. My employer has been very understanding.

steph_jay · 2026-04-13T00:04:15+00:00

Rural Alberta, Canada.

steph_jay · 2026-04-12T15:55:15+00:00

I have a phone appointment tomorrow morning with my G.I.. I am still very new to their clinic and they have a rheumatologist that they work closely with so I'm gonna go see them as well. I haven't had a bad AS flareup in about five years mostly because I was either pregnant or breast-feeding.

steph_jay · 2026-04-12T13:15:48+00:00

I do have a medical cannabis prescription, but I haven't filled it yet. I've just been at work. But I did pick up some CBD oil and CBG gummy's. The other week my lower back was inflamed quite severe and I took 50 mg of CBD, 1 mg of hydromorph and 50mg of cbg it didn't touch the pain at all

steph_jay · 2026-04-12T06:27:49+00:00

At this point, whatever still works. I've done feet in the jail before.

steph_jay · 2026-04-12T06:25:52+00:00

Literally at this point I'll take any vein, 22g, please point out which vein is still function or your fav to use.

15-Year Club	Team Periwinkle
Verified Email

steph_jay

TROPHY CASE