for what it's worth

Saw my GI Doc a few days ago, first time in SIX MONTHS. Yep, I'm pretty proud of that little fact there. When he walked in he said he hardly recognized me because I look so much healthier. And thinner too--he said I looked skinny! Oh, and younger, like 10 years younger! He's my new BFF. I must have looked like a hag before... My only complaint this visit was energy. I seem to run out of energy very fast. I'm doing all the right things--diet, exercise, sleep but I'm still struggling. We decided on B12 shots because all my blood panels look healthy and normal. With ostomies, especially ileostomies, the body doesn't always have time to absorb all the vitamins and nutrients it needs before food exits the body. The colon sort of acts like a sponge for normal people. It absorbs water your body needs as well as any minerals and vitamins that weren't absorbed during digestion. That means us colon-less people have to be super careful with hydration and nutrition. B...

So... I totally missed the whole Health Activist Writer's Month Challenge  by Wego Health... this is just par for the month I'm having. What day did I get to? Day 3? Obviously, it was too challenging for me. I'm a little disappointed that I wasn't able to keep up because I know I would have enjoyed it. Maybe next year. Oh well. Another challenge I am currently struggling with: exercise. I haven't been able to run outside because our weather here, how shall I put this... SUCKS. Yep, that sums it up nicely. I prefer to run outside, to be in the sunshine, to breathe fresh air. The last few months have been horribly windy, which stirs up the dirt, which gets in my eyes, nose, mouth and every single pore on my body. I loathe these days. Oh, for those of you not from around here--the wind blows nonstop in the spring, I'm talking minimum of 20mph to 40mph and even on not so rare occasions-- 60mph and higher. It's darn near impossible to walk to your car, let al...

#HAWMC Day 2 Day 2 of the 30 day challenge is about the disease I struggled with. In 2004 I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis an auto immune disease that causes ulcers to form on the colon and large intestine. It's mean, it's nasty and it's extremely painful. These little ulcers can cause quite a bit of damage and have lots of very cruel side effects. For instance: explosive diarrhea or constipation, severe abdominal cramps, bleeding (sometimes more blood than poop), internal inflammation of the intestines, joint pain (sometimes debilitating!), skin problems, eye problems, loss of hair, mouth ulcers, hmmmmm...what else? Oh, fatigue, insomnia, loss of appetite, weight loss or gain, nausea, depression... And that's NOT including side effects from the medications and treatments prescribed to help control the disease. So after 7 years of various treatments: Asacol, Azathioprine, Corticol enemas, massive doses of Prednisone, and finally Remicade, my body stopped respo...

I love to be challenged. It helps get me going, maybe I work better under pressure? I don't really know but I am very excited to start this new excuse to write. Wego Health: The Health Activist Writer's Month Challenge The above link is the challenge I have just committed to. This is Day 1. This is my prompt: Why do I write about my health online and what got me started? How it all began-- In February 2010 I went to a fitness ranch in the hill country of Texas where I met some amazing people and learned a lot about myself in the process. When I returned home I decided to start a blog journaling my journey with chronic illness, specifically Ulcerative Colitis and all it's perks. Having dealt with this disease for 6 years (diagnosed in '04), I wanted to share my experiences and I love to write so it was a good excuse to spend lots of time doing just that... It started out as a place to lay out my frustrations and triumphs but soon, the journaling became a nec...

 No, I'm not going to throw fowl language around although, I could probably string a line of curse words together that would make a sailor blush. This seems to be a talent I am fairly good at unfortunately. One I'm not very proud of... Moving on-- I wanna talk about poop. Yep, I said poop. Bowel movements, laying logs, crap, pooh, number 2, dump, dung, feces, toilet oysters, the dirty, stinky, and of course,  shit. (check out these: poop names ) Whatever you call it, I wanna talk about it. We all do it. Don't pretend like you don't! If you really, really don't--go see a doc, now! Everyone should be well acquainted with how their body rids it's self of waste. I am often asked how I knew I had Ulcerative Colitis. Well, this is not a simple question for me to answer. I think I had symptoms of the ugly monster long before a diagnosis was ever made. As far back as I can remember, my bowels have been a source of irritation and discomfort at various times. It w...

Yesterday I went back to the doc to see about changing my depression medicine. Every winter I struggle, the worst months are December through March due to the really cold ugly days we tend to have. I don't function well when I'm stuck inside, I NEED to be in the sun soaking up it's mighty rays. (Not good for a pasty white girl but oh well) I must be part cat... So, back to the doctor visit. The reason I went is because I've started withdrawing--just ask my hubby, poor guy, and you could probably ask my friends too. I received a text from a close friend last week asking if I was OK because she hadn't heard from me in a while. I've also been dealing with severe migraines due to the crazy weather and wind we've been experiencing. I've had a hard time getting out of bed too. No motivation to do anything, every task feels like I'm climbing Mount Everest. Sometimes I feel all alone but I know this is not true. I am surrounded by my family and friend...