I went around campus interviewing people about what they thought Crohns Disease was. The results were pretty revealing and highly hilarious. Check out, what these students had to say about Crohns Disease
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When I get sick, my whole body gets sick, including my hair. During flares, my hair tends to become very thin and hard to manage. Therefor, I have developed some simple tips to help combat thin, limp and brittle hair!
Today's video deals with the dangers of asking What-If....We all do it at times, but what we don't realize is that asking "what if" is actually harmful to us! So check out my video as I give an alternative to asking "what-if".... Ever been on a liquid or supplemental diet for your IBD, or been on TPN, like me and not been able to eat anything? Well it sucks! So here are 5 tips that I have developed of the last 14 weeks, that make not eating just a little bit easier! Look at tip 4 if you have trouble doing preps for procedures! Hope you enjoy and that this helps you in your battle against food as much as it has helped me not eat in my not so normal life.
This past year was extremely difficult for me. I had three surgeries, stayed about 2 months in the hospital and had 2 PICC lines and now a portacath. Being sick is hard, but learning to "dance in the rain" and live your life despite being sick is even harder... Today I begin a new journey. I am using TPN to treat my Crohns. It's exciting and scary, but overall, this treatment causes hope. It gives me hope that I can reach remission, even though I haven't been able to do that in the 8 years since I was diagnosed. It's been nerve wracking setting up my own TPN, but years of medical experience definitely helps. We had to flush my port, purge the line, set up the pump, draw up the vitamins, insert the vitamins, and send up a few prayers along the way.
Now I sit quietly listening to my little pump whirl next to me and contemplating how my life changes now that I am on TPN. Truth is I don't know what is going to happen, but I really can't wait to find out what happens next in my not so normal life. I was diagnosed with Crohns Disease when I was 12 years old and in the sixth grade. When you are twelve you think forever is a couple of years and you have no concept of what the term "chronic" means. At 12 I was embarrassed to go to the bathroom and still thought boys had cooties. When I was twelve my whole world changed. I had to grow up very quickly. While other kids were learning basic facts about life, I was learning what it meant to live with an autoimmune disease, and it sucked. I have spent a lot of time on the toilet and have spent a lot of time in the hospital, but I have also gained things from my experience with Crohns Disease. I have learned that life is truly hard and anyone who believes that it isn't hard is living a lie. Everyone goes through their own crap and most of the time we ignore other people's crap and pretend it isn't there, but no matter how much I pretend my disease isn't part of me, it is still there. So I've stopped pretending that my life isn't hard and I've stopped pretending I'm not scared, because the truth is, I am scared, a lot. I am scared that I will never be in remission, I am scared that I will develop terrible side effects from the medicine. I've learned through all of this that: "Strength isn't the absence of fear, it's the ability to admit you are afraid and keep fighting." So in short, my Crohns has made me a strong and driven person, because each day is an uphill battle that I must fight. My Crohns has given me strength. Many young adults claim that they are unique, but spend much of their time trying to fit in with everyone else. I am unique. I will never be like everyone else, and I am okay with that. I stopped trying to be like everyone else a long time ago, because it is never going to happen. My life isn't normal. It is not normal to give yourself IV fluids everyday and it is definitely not normal to be excited about having a port put in. But, my uniqueness is what makes me me, and I have confidence that I am just the way God wants me to be, disease and all! My disease has also given me a drive to conquer my dreams. I have fought through so much to accomplish the things I am passionate about that there is no way that I am going to let my illness hold me back. If I didn't return to school every time a doctor told me they thought I should take a semester off, I wouldn't have made it out of the sixth grade. So even though it has been extremely difficult and at times I've thought about giving up, my disease has given me perseverance. My disease has taken a lot from me, and I have had to give up a lot of things because I was sick, but If I only focused on the things it has taken from me, then I wouldn't be able to continue to fight my disease. Instead of focusing on the negative, I have chosen to see the things Crohns has given me as a gift. Crohns has made me a strong, confident, and driven individual and I wouldn't have it any other way. As you go through trials in your life, don't forget to look at how those trials can make a positive difference in your life. Despite my complaints about having Crohns Disease, my Crohns has made me the person I am today as I try to navigate my not so normal life. Not Exactly good at making videos yet, so some things aren't quite perfect, but it still makes it's point!
Today I begin my journey with AbsorbPlus Elemental Shakes. I am waiting to start enteral nutrition with a feeding tube, but until I can get the enteral nutrition started, I am going to be using AbsorbPlus Shakes to allow my bowels to rest and hopefully promote healing in my body. AbsorbPlus uses premium allergen free quality ingredients to provide an elemental shake that promotes rapid uptake and absorption throughout the intestinal track. The product has no artificial flavors, sweeteners, colors or preservatives and uses lactose-free whey protein isolate, without the casein (an allergen within lactose) to provide easily absorbed nutrients. The product comes in three flavors: vanilla, chocolate and berry and although I would not say these shakes taste great, they are easy to drink and provide a palatable elemental option. Because the enzymes are pre-digested, your body does not have to work to digest the nutrients, and only has to absorb them! This is extremely important for IBD patients who experience active disease in the small intestines because these patients often experience malnutrition due to malabsorption. The elemental shake provide an alternative or adjunctive therapy to treating IBD by providing gut rest along with all of the necessary nutrients your body needs to heal itself. Many patients have testified that AbsorbPlus has allowed them to return to a normal life style and helped their Crohns reach remission. Although I am only doing AbsorbPlus as an intermediary treatment before I start my enteral nutrition via feeding tube, I still believe that this formula has helped me in the past to live a relatively normal lifestyle and will help me now to stay in school! The taste is similar to many protein shakes and very easy to drink. I would highly recommend this to any IBD sufferer who has pain after eating food, because this is a great way to get much needed nutrients without suffering severe nausea and unbearable pain! For more information visit the AbsorbPlus Website! Check out my YouTube video about the easiest way to mix an AbsorbPlus shake in College! |
AuthorI've got 8 scars and am missing two feet of intestines and my life isn't normal, but whose life is normal? I want to use my experiences to help you, even if it means sharing embarrassing experiences. I am also looking to break the stigmas associated with IBD in order to make living with IBD just a little bit easier. Hope you enjoy! Follow my Blog here by submitting your email:
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