Crohn's Disease Relief

How Do I Find Pleasure and Self Soothe

On a web forum I frequent, a user asked the rest of the group - "How do you get plreasure?" (not the sexy kind, LOL) and another user asked how the group "self-soothes."  This was my answer which I thought I would share here as well.

First of all, zoloft.  I am a bit of a contradiction because I have depression but I am a very happy person in general.  The depression can zap me if I am not careful.  I am very careful to take care of myself.  My favorite way to soothe and get enjoyment is to lay down in my comfy bed and read.  Yes - very boring.

I love to look around and just observe the beautiful things around me.  Birds, trees, flowers, clouds, rainbows - I see all these as messages for me from the my idea of God to hang in there and that there is beauty here if I can only stop and look at it.

Hugging my kids and watching their innocent joy in playing.  Petting my dog.  Seeing my husband by my side a and knowing that we are a team.

I love knitting too - especially very meditative "zen" type simple knitting.  Also taking pictures and blogging.

Two things I have Learned

1.  Keep it real.  I have learned that everyone is going through stuff in life.  If you share (within reason) yourself and your fears and anxieties, it helps bridge the gap between people.  It helps make friendships, and it makes you more empathetic of other people's troubles and situations. Listen when other people share their feelings.  Share yours.  Make a connection.  You don't need to always pretend that everything is perfect. 

 

2.  Let it go.  Sometimes you have to just not care about other people's drama, troublemaking, juding, and just plain jerkyness.  Some people will never be happy and you can't change that.  Shrug it off and don't let the miserable people bring you down.  Try to develop a thick skin because a$$holes are everywhere and you can't totally avoid them.  Be the better person and you will come out ahead.  Don't stoop to their level or get involved in the drama.

5 Simple, Easy Things You Can Do Today to Improve Your Health

1.  Take care of your teeth.  Is your toothbrush old - then buy a new one or a new brush head.  Floss.  Rinse with Listerene. I personally swish the Listerene and then brush after - going under the hope that the Listerene loosens up the stuff and then it will brush off better.

 

2.  Cook a healthy dinner.  Lean protein, well cooked vegetables, a starchy side.  If you are tired and feeling bad it can be hard to cook a good dinner but its worth it because you will feel better.  A simple easy meal I like to fall back omn is chicken breasts coated in barbecue sauce and baked, steam in the bag green beans, and rice cooked in my rice cooker.  Easy, healthy, and tasty.

 

3.  Take a walk.  If the weather is nice take a relaxing stroll around your neighborhood.  With my particular brand of Crohn's I don't race walk or do any kind of nonsense - I just walk, look around and enjoy the fresh air.  My dog loves it too.

 

4.  Get a good night's sleep.  See, I told it this was going to be easy!

 

5.  Hug someone.  Smile at someone.  I find that if I smile, I feel happier.  I like to be around people who smile, and I think therefore that if I smile I will be a more pleasant person to be around.  Hugging your loved ones is a big endorphin rush and releives stress.  If you have a honey or a good friend - give them a hug.  Life is tough sometimes and we really need to be nice to one another and enjoy other people.  Kids are the best to hug!  Pupppies and kitties are are great to hug and snuggle and they always love you no matter what.  Well, maybe not the cats.  They love you if THEY feel like it.  :-)

Crohnie Resolutions

I would like to have less migraines in 2012.  I want to try Accupunture, Chiropractic, and any other method that may help reduce the number of these crappy headaches.

I am going to try to cook healthy food and limit going out to eat.  I would like to bring my lunch to work at least once a week.  This is going to save money and be healthier.

I pledge to try to be a better Mom!  This is my pledge every day not just a New Years resolution.

I am going to try to help my husband work on having better health too.  He has diabetes and needs to take care of himself too.

Thankful for Chrohn's Disease?

In the month of Thanksgiving, a lot of people are talking about what they are thankful for.  I thought I would see if I can apply a gratitude list to Crohn's.  Well, not I'm not really thankfull I have Crohn's but if I really think about it I can see silver lining in the cloud.

 

1.  It could be worse - my Crohn's is not as bad as a lot of other people's.  I haven't had to have surgery and I can still work. I am ahead on the colon cancer screening and know I don't have any polyps.

 

2.  I have a great husband who does lots of stuff for the kids and me.  He lets me have quiet time, take naps, and be a complete lame-o when I am tired.

 

3.  I can get the good medications.  heh heh.

 

4.  My gasgtroenterologist is totally nice and the best doctor EVER.

 

5.  I can still eat broccoli, apples, low acid orange juice, and lots of yummy stuff.  I don't have problems with gluten or dairy.  

 

6.  I have a great excuse for saying no to things I can't fit in my schedule.  I am one of those people who have a hard time saying no, so its good to have a go-to answer so as not to over extend myself.

 

7.  I am thankful for wet wipes and aloe tp.

 

8.  I am so thankful for my kids.  I read recently that women with Crohn's have a normal fertility rate.  I actually also have PCOS and it took me a long time and some fertility help (metformin) to get pregnant the first time.  Then when my first some was 6 months old I started trying again and got pregnant right away.  The two boys are 17 months apart! 

 

9.  I have a great job. 

 

10.  I got my MacBook Pro fixed and now have my in bed blogging setup once again!  (It just needed a new battery.)  Thank you Macrobatix.

Grateful or Woeful?

Having a chronic illness seems to go both ways - some days your experiences allow you to truly appreciate each day for the gift that it is.  Having gone through so much pain and suffering sure makes you have a new appreciation for a good day when you feel just fine.

On the other hand there are those "woe is me" days when the chronic illness makes us feel bad, crabby, and really sorry for ourselves. 

Crohn's Disease itself has a cyclical nature, going from good days to flare days.  Up and down.  People ask me "How's your Crohn's Disease going" and I don't know how to answer.  Sometimes its fine and sometimes I am puking my guts out at 3:00 AM.  I manage to work, take care of the kids and spouse, but sometimes there's not much energy left over for anything else.  Its up and down.

Just like the up and down of the disease, you get ups and downs in your mood and outlook.  Some days I feel like I have a special clue as to how precious life really is - and the "normals" (maybe people who are so healthy its disgusting!) just don't have a clue.  Other days I am right there with the "woe is me" crowd laying in bed with my heating pad and making my husband take care of all life's details.

Do we have a choice of what our attitude is?  Yes, partly we do have a choice and its up to each one of us to try to pick the grateful attitude instead of the woeful attitude.  But remember, we are only human and bound to get down sometimes.  Just remember even when life is at its worst, we have the people who love us and that is enough.

I have a cold!

I had to call in sick yesterday, not because of Crohn's but simply because I have a terrible head cold.  All four of us in the house got this one.  Blech.  My husband is suffering because he has bad asthma, and the cold is triggering a nasty cough.  Since he's usualy my life line keeping things running smooth in the house, now I am hurting.

When you have a cold and another underlying illness, its important to take care of yourself.  Its hard to make sure you get enought to drink, good food, and lots of time to rest.  The kids are watching TV and playing with Legos, so hopefully the grownups can get some rest.

My Husband Is Wonderful

I have my colonoscopy scheduled for Monday morning.  At this moment (Saturday afternoon) my husband is replacing the entire toilet system innards in our master bathroom.  He's been at it for about an hour.  Something is leaking.  He is sweaty and I just know his bad back is acting up, but he is doing this for me. 

I LOVE THIS WONDERFUL MAN!

Boy I hope he gets it fixed before tomorrow night!  I am planning on camping out in there to experience all of the joy of the colonoscopy prep!

Zak Hammond Gets the "Tougher than Me" Award

Hammond, who is a drummer for the band You and What Army, began boxing as a way to battle weight gain (due to medication). He began training at Donnington gym and won his first amateur fight a few months ago. The bout was described as a bloodbath and it earned “Fight of the Night” honors at the Donnington Sports and Social Club.

via larrybrownsports.com

First of all, dude is drummer in a band which is cooler than me. Now in case that wasn't enough he is fighting amateur boxing matches, which is tougher than me. Oh and by the way, he suffers from Crohn's. Oh yeah, he also fights with a colostomy bag. He must have that sucker taped down like nobody's business!

Here's a clip of his band - kind of Electronica.

A Twisted Tale - Andy Borowitz makes comedy out of a twisted colon

If you have a spare 20 minutes, listen to this podcast by Andy Borowitz on the Moth Podcast.  In it he describes how he almost died from a twisted colon, and somehow makes the story both moving and hysterically funny.  There's some rough language, so listen while the kids are elsewhere.

It's not about Crohn's, but its a story a lot of Crohnies could relate to.

Andy Borowitz on the Moth Podcast