Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Typical Breakfast

I don't know why people have such difficulty eating fruit and cheese for breakfast. Throw in some plain yogurt and breakfast is awesome. I try to stay away from processed cheese goods and stick with natural, block cheeses as they don't give me the issues that the processed cheeses supply in abundance. The block cheese can be a tad more salty, but it goes well with the fruit. I will add in some yogurt when eating the saltier varieties.

Breakfast

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

The Cheese Danish

I couldn't help myself.  It has been so long since I have had a good cheese danish.  The pastry is filled with too many bad things; to count them all would only depress me.  So I just ate it.  Yes, I feel the discomfort now as it ravages my body.  I knew what I was doing and that I shouldn't be doing it.  Maybe had I stopped at one I would have been fine, but it had been so long.  More savory than sweet, I love a good cheese danish.  I will have to give the rest of it away since it will be another six months before I allow myself to eat anything like this again.

Monday, May 2, 2011

Waist Not

I have an ever expanding waistline. It is also contracting.  Sometimes my waist is too small to fill in a size 34 and sometimes it is too big to fit into a size 40.  Someone with Crohn's should be all too familiar with that feeling of being a balloon that is continually being inflated to the point of popping and then deflating to the point of nothingness.  Pants, shorts, or whatever, that waistband just does not feel good and it only gets worse as inflation increases.  That abdominal distention is all part of the Crohn's ride.  It would be so much easier and so much more comfortable if I didn't have to wear anything around my waist.  Unfortunately, society doesn't look too kindly upon nudity nor men wearing moo-moos.  I can't count the number of times that the pain of a flare-up was abated by the sole act of just removing any and all constricting material.  

Breaking the Vicious Cycle, Redux

I found, purchased, and read the book Breaking the Vicious Cycle in one day.  This was no easy task.  Not all book stores carry it, and even when the book store does carry the book it must be special ordered.  I am more of your "instant gratification" kind of person.  So when I found a store that carried the book, I went and purchased it.  After reading the book, the initial two thoughts that came to my mind were:
1. WOW!  Why didn't I know about this 16 years ago?
2. It works.  If you follow the plan, it works.

I am one of the more skeptical people living in this world.  So when I hear about something that is touted as a miracle cure or something that put someone in remission, I tend to think, "BS!"  Nothing is free in this world.  It is just not possible.  That would be like saying that energy is just created out of no where.  No, my life is more like a game of tug-o'-war (very simple analogy), where those with any sort of IBD want a stalemate to occur.  When the tug-o'-war is in a stalemate, our bodies are not experiencing a flare-up.  If either side wins, then we are in pain or worse.

I went into remission in 2007 after 11 years of hell and a LOT of experimentation on what I can, can't, should, and shouldn't eat.  While I really wish I had read this book when I was first diagnosed, something tells me that it would have been the same amount of time for me to hit that remission point.  It is a very strict set of guidelines the books gives and one needs to create their own set of rules within those guidelines.  Then you have personal stamina in not breaking your new diet, otherwise you will have a relapse.  I am still amazed that the list of "legal" foods and "illegal" foods is so similar to what I allowed myself to eat and not eat when I was very strict with my own rules.  My legal foods were actually much more narrow due issues with fiber and other allergies, but over time I was able to start eating some illegal foods from time to time so long as I didn't overdo it.

The biggest thing to realize about this book is that it is NOT a strict set of rules and it is not a self-help or guru guide.  It is a set of guidelines to follow. It is a book that is based on scientific research that gives you information that you can use to create and follow your OWN rules -- so long as they fit within the prescribed guidelines.  What is even better, is that the books gives citations and references.  For a consummate book worm always striving to learn more and to see where people derive their ideas and thoughts, I think this is great.  It helps support the premise in the book AND it helps me find new reading material.

This is not to say that what I eat is the only thing that dictates my health.  No, there are MANY other facets of my life that I must keep in balance in order to keep myself healthy.  I still have acute flare-ups when I don't get enough sleep, I experience too much stress, or over-exert myself in addition to those times when I try new foods that have unmentioned contraband.  The frequency of flare-ups is very small and easily managed at this point.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

To Bidet or Not to Bidet

I really want a bidet.  One in my house.  One in every public restroom I must use.  One in every hotel or motel room.  If you are the typical American reading this blog, your initial thought is probably, "WTF!"  If you have any sort of chronic intestinal inflammation and think "WTF!" then you have never used a  bidet.  After you have used one, you will better understand why I want them to be more widespread.

As a Crohn's sufferer, I have to run to the bathroom a lot.  I use A LOT of toilet paper.  I don't care HOW high quality your toilet paper is, there is a limited amount of times you can wipe your bum before it really starts to hurt.  After the hurting starts, it only gets worse.  I had just chalked the wiping raw of my rear end to be part of life dealing my Crohn's.

I was in Asia and asking a Korean friend if he had any toilet paper when I first realized that a lot of other countries either don't supply or use toilet paper.  Instead they give you a stream of warm water to clean yourself with. My Korean friend made me aware of this as he handed me some toilet paper. Like most in America, he couldn't fathom touching his rear end after doing a number two -- even if it was to clean.  Now me, my rear end was already hurting from the multiple bathroom trips that day and the toilet paper he handed me was more like wax paper than anything else.  I decided to take a chance.  I figured, "What the hell, I am going to wash my hands with soap and water afterwards."  All I know is that it felt A LOT better to use the warm stream of water than the wax paper on my butt.

From that point forward, when given the choice, I used the warm water to clean myself rather than toilet paper.  Going to the bathroom wasn't as difficult, cumbersome, or uncomfortable as it had been just a week prior.  

Now...where is my bidet?