Sunday, April 25, 2010

Where I've Been

I haven't blogged much this past week (she stated obviously). It's not because I've been slacking, or because I got hired to right the next Great American Novel. Nope, it's because my body has rebelled and I've spent the majority of the last 7 days trying to ignore cycles of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Fun, right? Welcome to my [new] world.

Not too long ago I shared that some big changes led to me leaving my amazing elementary school job for a full-time stab at freelance writing. I didn't want to say much then, but now I'm ready to share. I have Crohn's Disease, which is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease,l with the starring symptoms of diarrhea and belly pain/cramping. Thankfully, my case does not seem to be too severe, but it's made life a little more . . . interesting (for lack of a better word). Most Crohn's patients manage their health with medication and even surgery in the most debilitating situations.

I also found out about an interesting diet-based management designed for folks with Crohn's and other gastrointestinal issues called the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. It's kind of a like an unofficial alternative treatment that involves excluding foods that can irritate or inflame the intestine and which are not easily digestible. You can visit the SCD site and read more for yourself (and I guarantee an interesting read!), but in a nutshell that seems to mean that I will be going dairy-free, grain/gluten-free, and sugar-free, with some exceptions. Also, I'm sure I'll be writing more about the SCD.

When I feel up to it. Which I did not this week. Browsing the internet made me feel super nauseous, not to mention typing. Needless to say I did not get much writing of any kind done this week. However, even though I had a rough week health-wise, I'm excited about the SCD. For most of the people following this food plan, their Crohn's goes into remission without medication. I am hopeful for myself.

In the meantime, I'm trying to be patient. I hope you'll be patient with me, too, wonderful readers! I have a load of emails to catch up on (the current count is 229! I don't know how "big time" bloggers deal with that amount of messages daily). Plus, watch for a cereal giveaway coming up this week and (hopefully) some hooping fun. Here's to a new week, a fresh start, and a happy belly!

4 comments:

  1. Sorry to hear about the Crohn's! Thankfully there is now a lot more awareness, information, and help out there. Good luck in your new diet and I hope it improves!

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  2. My cousin suffers from Crohns but has not had a flare-up in a long time. I know there isn't much, but let me know if there is anything I can do to help! I actually just put on my racing page that I'd like to do a walk/run that supports the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation.I'm proud of you for being open and honest about what you're dealing with! I am definitely going to keep reading about this journeyKatherine

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  3. Sorry to hear about your diagnosis, Beth; I'll be praying for you. I have an uncle who's dealing with Crohn's, and I know how challenging it is for him.Is oatmeal one of the exceptions you'll still be allowed to eat, or will you have to cut that out, too? Just wondering because I concocted a granola bar cookie over the weekend, but I don't want to tempt you with a recipe you shouldn't be trying.

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  4. No need to answer the oatmeal question, Beth. I went to the site you linked and looked at the legal/illegal foods list. There's a lot on that list I know you were using; I'll be praying for you as you make the needed dietary changes.

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"I am glad you are here with me."
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King