Crohn's Disease Relief

One Way a Cronic Illness is a Benefit

You know I think people who have stuff wrong with us have a great benefit.  When we have a good day we appreciate it.  And you know what, EVERYONE is going to get old someday if they are lucky enough.  And getting old pretty much seems like some of the same stuff a lot of us deal with.  Stuff hurts, can't do as much, forget stuff...  So we are already prepared and are going to be the BEST old ladies and gents anywhere.

Free Sharps Container From Embrel

via www.enbrel.com

The makers of Enbrel are offering free sharps containers. If you are using an injectable medication for your Crohn's or other condition this could be useful.

Ajutatin yur allergees!

Cause you just gotta laugh...
see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Battle with Crohn's is ongoing | IndyStar.com | The Indianapolis Star

Like many diseases, Crohn's is a thief. It steals health, time, dreams and even life. It took 11 years to complete my undergraduate degree. I was forced to withdraw from law school twice. Now, I am getting a master's degree in science management, with a focus on health administration, from Indiana Wesleyan University. But I'm taking the LSAT in October and hope to go back to law school, so I can be a legal advocate for people with disabilities.

What motivates me is the memory of how it felt when I was at my lowest point and knowing that I never want to return to that point.

via www.indystar.com

I really enjoyed this article from the IndyStar paper by Cheryl Ward as told to reporter Barb Berggoetz.

What Next? Shingles.

Well folks, my health saga is just the gift that keeps on giving.  Now I have shingles.  I thought it was a spider bite, then a rash, and my OB /GYNs nurse practitioner said get to your doctor because that looks like shingles.  She was right.

I am on Valtrex (generic) and spraying it with Dermoplast spray to try to numb the itchy pain.  It is getting pretty bad although it didn't seem bad until right when they diagnosed it.  LOL.  Lucky I got to the doc by Friday or I would be very unhappy at the emergency med clinic over the weekend. 

On Monday I want to call and ask for some lidocaine cream to put on it.  I just want to numb that area.  It has a terrible painful itch.

Flaring

I'm just popping in to say "sorry for the quiet around here."  I've been flaring really bad for about two weeks and not had a lot of extra energy for blogging.

I had strep throat and that has seemed to trigger a a long 15 day long migraine and a Crohn's flare to go along with it.  At this point I have given up on all the migraine meds and pain killers to try to stop any rebound headaches.  Basically I am just suffering through it with heating packs and quiet.

I have a weeks vacation from work coming up June 18th so I just have to hang in there until then.  Thank God for my husband who does everything for us except the part where I have to go to work.

Wishing you all calm tummies and happy days.

Asacol SR Coupon

Asacol SR
End Date: 05/31/2010
Offer: $25 off or 60 free tablets
Local Pharmacy Coupon

via www.needymeds.org

For those taking Asacol SR (mesalamine), see if you can use the coupon linked above. Courtesy of needymeds.org.

Trick Yourself into Being Happy?

When you have some major "ouchyness" going on, the happiness kick the world seems to be on might not seem like something you can manage.  And when you're grumpy the last thing you may want to do is read some cheesy life advice from people who tell you that it's your own fault if you're not happy healthy and perfect.  (No, I am not the world's biggest fan of the Secret.)

However, I am a fan of being happy-ish.  I particularly enjoy being content.  I even like being giddy and having fun every once in a while.  I also like giving other people advice, (right?) so when I read an article on HowStuffWorks.com about the "Top 5 Ways to Trick Yourself into Being Happy" I was intrigued.

So I perused the list and have cut it down into a nutshell for you especially for the "Crohnnies."

1.  Hang out around smiling people.  Don't forget the ancillary side of this which is that sometimes you should avoid those people who suck the happiness out of you.  Like Toxic Friends.

2.  Eat a healthy meal.  In specific they note: that complex carbohydrates -- like legumes and whole-grain breads release glucose slowly for a lasting "happy."  Folate from spinach helps the production of serotonin. Proteins like fish, meat and beans have some of the same chemical that make up dopamine - tyrosine and phenylalanine.

So perhaps a happy menu might be:

Lentil Soup

Nice lean steak, fish, or other protein rich entree

Creamed spinach

3.  Try the The 5% trick from zenhabits.com.  It goes like this - say to yourself "If I were 5 percent more responsible today, I would _________" .  This will help identify things in an incremental and bite-sized manner.

4.  Spend money doing something nice for someone else.  I say donate to the World Food Programme or the CCFA.

5.  Workout - even just once. Turns out people who worked out and then stopped were happier than people who didn't try it in the first place.  This is a tough one for me as a lot of workouts leave me exhausted and sore.  That's not happy.  I need to get out and about and get just small amounts of activity.

Free Sample Lanacane Anti-Chafing Gel

If you go to lanacane.com. they are offering a free sample of Lanacane Anti-Chafing Gel.  I am thinking that this could be handy for sensitive tummies that rub on clothes, not to mention other parts of the body the can get hot and chafe in the summer.  :-)

Here's the product description from their products page:

Lanacane™ Anti-Chafing Gel soothes and prevents chafing caused by friction such as repeated rubbing of skin on skin or skin on clothing. It helps skin heal by reducing further damage from chafing.

What to Do When You are Discouraged

Life comes with a lot of ups and downs. Probably one of the most important life skills to have is determination and the ability to overcome frustration.  This is not one of my strong suits.  I generally struggle with something, decide I don't like it, then give up and try something else.  This is great in terms of my ability to try new things.  This is not great in terms of me having to come to terms with being a "quitter."  That's not the way I envision myself as a kick butt tough girl.  (OK, I am not a kick butt tough girl either, but you have to have goals, right?)

 

My 6 year old son Ben is a lot like me.  He's very smart, very sensitive, and does not like criticism or frustration.  I would like to be able to teach him not to get discouraged, and to keep trying something until he gets it.  But how can I teach him a skill that I am not so great at either? 

 

As a person with a chronic illness, it is all too easy to give up to discouragement.  I have a built in excuse.  And when I get depressed, all I want to do is sleep anyway.  I am lucky if I can do the simple normal stuff in life, let alone attack tasks that are tricky and take practice.  I mean lets get real.

 

Probably the ultimate answer here is that you have to pick your battles.  If it is something really important to you, keep going through the frustration and through the discouragement.  When the frustration threatens to get too much, take a break.  After your break, try it another way.  Take your time and don't be afraid to ask for help.  Other times, I think its OK to let go.  If you try something and its not for you, try something else.  You do not have to succeed at everything you do.  Most successful entrepreneurs have had at least one failed business before they make it big with a success.  They keep trying something different until they get it right.  But that doesn't mean they don't have a lot of failures along the way.

 

How do you know when its OK to just give up, and when you have to keep fighting?  Listen to your heart - it always will lead you to what is important.