Crohn's Disease Relief

I HEART Tropicana Pure Premium Low Acid Orange Juice

Tropicana's Low Acid version of their Pure Premium Orange Juice is awesome.  I can get my vitimin C and OJ fix without having to worry about getting heartburn.  They have a loyal customer in me.  It delicious juice.  Mmmmm

Heartburn is my biggest gastro-intestinal symptom of Crohn's.  When my inflammation flares up I get strictures and then stuff backs up causing stomach acid issues.  So its really important for me to avoid or minimize foods that kick up stomach acid.

Crohn's Disease Irony List

I don't know if this list is really ironic, contradictory, or just a coincidental bummer. But all Alanis Morrisette bashing aside, here is my list f things that are ironic about my Crohn's Disease.

 

1.   When I am flaring up and need to eat healthy, I am too tired to cook.

 

2.  Exercise makes my joints ache and makes me exhausted.

 

3.  When I have the most to say about Crohn's, I skip blogging because I am tired.

 

4.  Healthy high fiber foods such as beans, whole grains, raw veggies, and fruits can be the worst things to eat during a flare.

 

5.  The worst symptoms of my personal case of Crohn's are join pain and fatigue.  It took me about 20 years to get diagnosed properly.

 

6.  Getting diagnosed with Crohn's turned out to be a good thing.  I now can get medication, don't feel as guilty about feeling tired all the time, and can understand what is happening to my body.

 

7.  I had to get Crohn's.  Not only does it have a terrible sounding name, it is has un-sexy symptom!

 

Homemade Juice Pops

The kids and I decided we wanted to make homemade juice pops.  I even made some two layer ones.  Fun!  I got this pop mold at the Super H Mart a while ago.  For some reason Koreans seem to be great at making awesome kitchen accessories. 

The pink pops are made from Dole Sensation Watermelon juice.  The two colored one is grape Kool-Aid and orange juice.  (Tropicana Low Acid of course)

 

 

 
 

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

66,000 Lives Saved a Year by Colon Cancer Screening

Fewer people are being diagnosed with colorectal cancer according to a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  It shows that the number of cases slipped 3.4% from 2003 to 2007, an annual decrease of about 66,000.  The number of people dying from colorectal cancer also is declining - by 3% a year, the study finds.

via thechart.blogs.cnn.com

Great news from the CDC - Colon Cancer rates in the US are going down. I am having my colonoscopy soon - just have to get it scheduled and take a day or two off. It's no one's favorite thing to do, but once the prep is done its no big deal.

Free Book Download - Colonoscopy for Dummies

Colonoscopy For Dummies® is here to help. It is a free, easy-to-read guide about this common procedure that will teach you about what you'll need to know when preparing for your colonoscopy.

via colonoscopyfordummies.com

Salix is offering a free ebook of "Colonoscopy for Dummies." This is great because colon cancer is one of the most preventable cancers, and the best way to detect colon polyps that can later turn into cancer is the colonoscopy procedure.

Of course us Crohn's patients know all about colonoscopies, but this book should be a good resource for the newly diagnosed and folks getting a routine follow up. I myself am due for another colonoscopy. It's no one's favorite thing to do, but the procedure itself is no big deal - its really just the prep that is annoying.

At any rate - I think it's great that Salix is sponsoring this free book offer. They sell the Pico Salex prep kit, so they do have a vested interest, of course.

Self-propelled Capsule Endoscopy Camera Can be Steered

via news.cnet.com

This looks like a fantastic breakthrough from Ryukoku Uninversity's Osaka Medical College.

They are calling it "The Mermaid" and its propelling tail fin makes it more useful than the current versions of capsule endoscopy cameras.

I myself have had the fun of having a capsule endoscopy. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) it did not take any pictures of Crohn's in my small intestine. So I only have the traditional Colonoscopy shots of the two spot of Crohns in my colon.

This new camera can swim around in your stomach and small intestine. Cool!

15 Healthy Eating Tips for Crohn's from the Huff Post

Crohn's Disease: 15 Healthy Eating Tips

The Huffington Post has a pretty sound feature on 15 Healthy Eating Tips for Crohn's Disease today. Nice little gift for my birthday weekend.

I like that it doesn't give a one size fits all set of rules because we are all different and what one person has trouble with is ok for another. It has some good advice on eating a small portion of good quality protein when you can. It also notes that while extremely spicy foods may be a no go, you still may want to use herbs and spices to give your food a good flavor.

The also note the basics of the low fiber diet during a flare, and that a liquid diet may be needed at times.

This would be a good article to have family members or friends who are curious about how diet works with Crohn's.