Crohns Update #4

I could sit here and make excuses as to why I haven’t blogged—“I’m busy” being the main one…but EVERYONE is busy!! The truth is I haven’t created any fantastic new recipes (haven’t found the time or ambition, considering my boring yet tasty “same-olds” have been sufficient for me), and not much is new in the line of health. I have TONS of ideas on things I want to write about (and have that ongoing list in my "notes" on my phone), but I find that when I technically have time to sit and write, I would rather relax with my kids, cook (okay, not that I actually want to, but I do a lot of it and squeeze it in when I can), or try to unwind otherwise. But for today I will write on my journey to health with Crohns, as well as on some other issues I’ve been dealing with. And I'm gonna get really REAL with you guys...the last handful of months have not gone quite as smoothly. The issues I've dealt with are kind of unrelated; but with Crohns, WHO KNOWS?? Maybe somehow they are correlated.

Crohns

Here’s the thing: I am glad I changed my diet and lifestyle. I feel MUCH better for it. BUT I would be lying if I said things were perfect. This is, after all, a chronic condition. The food that I eat is the foundation for the most hospitable gut “ecosystem” possible; but one little thing can throw off that delicate balance--be it food, stress, or any other aspect.

Diet

FORTUNATELY I have gotten MUCH better about self-control with “cheat” foods, so that really isn’t an issue anymore. I thought I would never fully learn self-control when it came to food. I would see these health bloggers and wonder how on earth they just cut out EVERYTHING, ALWAYS. But it seemed like the more I cheated (or rather, when I actually DID cheat—which was slowly becoming more and more rare), the worse the repercussions were each time—even if it were something that—in the past would have just kind of upset my stomach, at this point would wreak havoc (and the “worse” the food was, the worse the consequences and duration of suffering). So, it’s pretty much a given: certain foods WILL cause a bad reaction. And so I just avoid them and stay the course for things I know will not upset the monster.

THAT SAID, I have had to conquer yet ANOTHER hurdle most recently: MODERATION and VARIETY. Sure, I may be able to eat something, but often I have to monitor how much. And I also need to make sure I am eating enough of certain types of food (namely protein and veggies), and if I don’t, things will not be regular—both in the bathroom (ahem) and just overall energy, mood, and the way I carry myself (bloated, sluggish, etc). But even with that! IF I eat too many veggies/too much fiber, I will deal with problems. It's all a part of the delicate ecosystem. On one hand, I know I need them (prepped correctly), and feel much better that day when I have them; on the other hand, I can't have too many. I am jealous of people who don't count macros and talk about "just going with cravings". Maybe one day I will get there, but most days I track.

Stress

This one is HUGE, and probably the most difficult aspects in my life to control: STRESS LEVEL. Between dealing with kid drama day in and day out (and never knowing what that day holds as far as moods, accidents/messes, health stuff, etc), errands and play dates, relying heavily on energy levels that sometimes are just non-existent, taking care of kids, hubby, and dog, cleaning (or not cleaning, then being stressed about that), cooking… LIFE IS BUSY. I often catch myself feeling down because I am a Jill-of-all-trades but a master at none. I DO all these things, but rarely do I seem to be VERY good any one—or all of them. I almost always fall behind in one or more thing daily. Sometimes after pouring myself out leaving nothing left for myself—not even a shred of sanity, I just cry. I KNOW I am blessed, and I wouldn’t trade my life for anything… But everyone gets down. Everyone has a day or week or weeks or MONTHS where life is JUST HARD. Be it circumstantial or just “in your head”…it’s stress, and it affects inflammation (and overall health!) BIG TIME.

Some ways I TRY to cope (“try” because really—let’s be honest—it’s up to the kids) are MAKING myself sit down. STOP cleaning; STOP trying to break up fights or entertain my kids; STOP worrying about everything I have to do that day or week…and just SIT DOWN. I may watch a show I like, light a candle, eat a snack, take a shower, or—if possible ask my husband to take over so I can just chill out. I find supplements like CBD and Gaba help a bit. Sometimes, these things are attainable; other times they just aren’t.

The stress that negatively affects me most is angry/frustrated kind, which can cause a flare from a few days to a couple weeks. Like, stuck in the bathroom, bloated, patches on my skin-kind of flare. Fortunately I don’t deal with THAT kind of stress often (although my kids have been pushing the limits with this over the last month quite a lot…send some good vibes my way. haha) Stress management is a constant struggle.

Other Weird Things…

In addition to Crohns I also have Tourettes Syndrome (since I was about 7 years old), and over the last few years have dealt with on-and-off hormone issues. I swear I’m not a hypochondriac—HAHA These are just things I have had to deal with that are tying into my overall health these days.

Tourettes

Since I started seeing a functional doctor around a year ago, I was placed on methylated B vitamins, which, after YEARS of struggling with horrible on-and-off tics from Tourettes Syndrome, helped ease the tics DRASTICALLY. (From what I understand methylated B vitamins can also help with things like ADHD, ODD, and OCD!) I forgot to refill my B-vitamins one week, and the tics MARKEDLY came back. I couldn’t figure out why until I realized that I had forgotten. Occasionally, stress will bring on a bout of tics, but still not nearly as bad as they once were (as long as I stay on the B-vits).

The last month has been NUTS. My son started school and has been dealing with some health issues (I’ll speak more on that as I learn more), and my daughter has been doing ALL the acting out since the changes in our new schedule. It’s been hectic. And as a result, my tics have come back. Again, not as bad as they could be, but it is a vicious cycle: I’m stressed. I tic. Tics make me more stressed. I tic more. I guess you could say this aspect ties into the "stress" aspect.

Hormone Issues

Something I have been dealing with for a few years now is an issue with hormones, which has affected my mood, energy level, and pain levels during ovulation and menstruation.

As it turns out--last time I was tested, anyway--I have estrogen dominance. I have tried a few different supplements (vitex, DIM, ashwagandha), which seemed to throw my hormones for a loop and my body did not accept them well. As for "natural" hormone balance diets, the diet I am currently on is SUPPOSED to accommodate hormone imbalance (high in healthy fats and protein, certain veggies, low sugar, etc). I am currently shooting in the dark and trying a DHEA supplement. The verdict is still out on that one, but so far I am not having any NEGATIVE side effects...so we will see!

Mood

About once or twice per month--lasting for one to three days, I get CRAZY. "Anxiety" doesn't even begin to cover that horrible feeling. It's a feeling of absolute madness that makes me feel EXTREME sadness, anger, then calm...in a cycle over and over. I can't calm down. It is absolute torture. For those who deal with problems like this on the regular...I can't even imagine your pain.

Energy Level

My energy levels throughout the month are so unpredictable. I expect that around the time of ovulation (which is actually harder on me than menstruation) and menstruation will generate some fatigue, but when I feel EXTREME fatigue RANDOMLY throughout the month, it becomes quite literally exhausting and frustrating. At times it feels like I've gone days without sleep, yet am expected to complete the normal, day-to-day tasks, and it feels near impossible. Caffeine (which I am trying to monitor and keep low), B vitamins, water, extra veggies...don't touch this kind of fatigue.

Pain

It is different month-to-month, but some months, I have a pinching that lasts for a day to a handful of days; then other months I have doubled-over pain that lasts for a day to a week due to ovulation. The only thing the doctor can associate this with is the estrogen-dominance, which causes excess pain during ovulation, and/or--for many/most women, during menstruation.

Needless to say, all of this on top of trying to manage diet and stress levels for Crohns has not been fun.

Overall Assessment

Being completely honest I feel a bit down these days about my health. I’ve had a lot of days where I know I didn’t eat enough protein or veggies and ate too many foods I should have had in moderation (and deal with the bloating, nausea, or toilet troubles due to my negligence), days where stress overwhelms me, days where the mood and/or pain is too much, or days where I feel plain EXHAUSTED from one or all of those things. Don’t’ get me wrong: I would NOT go back to eating the way I did before, or go back to simply NOT trying to take care of myself; BUT I feel a bit discouraged. It seems I have encountered a plateau. I realize it’s probably time to see the doctor and get updated labs, but have been putting it off so we can make sure my son and everyone else in the family is cared for first (and let’s be honest—doctors are expensive!). I’m sure there are answers to my problems that lie within the testing and labwork; and so I hold onto hope for that. I will keep you guys posted once I do finally see a doctor and/or find some answers. I hope my negative attitude doesn’t rub off on you if you are seeking hope and answers. I KNOW there are answers; just sometimes they are not easy (or easily affordable) to obtain.

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Not-So-Basic PUMPKIN Bread

On a WHOLE other note… I’d like to express my—what many are calling “basic” love for a season that is right around the corner…… FALLLLLLL!!! Yes, I love all things “pumpkin” (really just the cinnamon/spicy part), yummy-smelling candles, the cooler weather, the color of the leaves… It brings joy to this basic heart.

And so to celebrate I would like to share this (unoriginal) recipe by the Paleo Running Momma for pumpkin bread that I found and made that absolutely rocked mine and my family’s socks. Although I used less sugar (maple syrup), and used butternut squash puree instead of pumpkin (although I’m sure any kind of squash—pumpkin, butternut squash; or sweet potato puree would work just the same!). It is super moist and didn’t even taste “healthy”, according to my family—haha

Paleo Pumpkin Bread

Make it. ASAP.