You have heard of Colitis or Ulcerative Colitis in proper medical form. You may even have Colitis. Perhaps you suspect you have an undiagnosed Colitis but have you ever heard of Proctitis? What is Proctitis?
Colitis Flare Up
I have gone 6+ months without having a Colitis flare up. And then it happened; the Colitis-face showed again. Do you want to see “real life?” These pictures demonstrate a real life.
I don’t pretend that “I have no idea why or how this happened.” When you have Colitis you tend to be very in tune with your body because it’s constantly talking to you. If you have Colitis, but still believe that flare ups happen “for no reason,” consider re-considering that thought.
Colitis Flare Up
It was Friday, September 16th when it all began. Since my brother was in California visiting we went out to eat. The food was absolutely amazing, and it was what I thought was gluten free. At 7 am the next morning I knew that it absolutely was not. I was extremely tired, sore, bloated and (the dead giveaway) got a crack in the corner of my left lip.
From there it spiraled out of control. A week ago from today I flew to Los Angeles, was off a normal eating schedule, ate more processed foods, alcohol, acidic and spicy things (gluten free of course), felt stress from several angles (not necessarily even negative stress) and overall was out of my element.
I spent the entire week in a big ball of bloat, confusion, and discomfort. I reached the peak on Saturday, but thankfully that was the day I traveled back home to the Bay Area.
Yesterday I took a huge step back. It was my first full day back from traveling and back to my (not so much) reality. It was a very hard and trying day for me because mentally I knew the challenges ahead for the next 1-2 weeks minimum. Physically, I was miserable. I barely made it through church, had no desire for coffee, ate only my homemade chicken broth, homemade vegetable broth, slow cooked chicken, water and extra lean turkey. My body was in a ton of pain, neck hurt, had a headache from the devil and consequently slept all day long. But all of that is the beginning of getting better – it always is. When a massive Colitis flare up attacks, I attack it back.
It has always worked for me. This time will be no different.
Here’s the thing, the most positive thing I can say today (because let’s face it – I need to arm myself and surround myself with only positivity)….the fact that I know I will get better in the blink of an eye via food and sans-medication is amazing. It’s a natural miracle that I thank God every day to have on my side.
You might be thinking, “She has Colitis, so why is she always bloated? I thought Colitis was the opposite of bloat?” And you would be correct, many forms of Colitis respond in that very way. I have the form of Colitis known as Proctitis. What is Proctitis? I’ll explain tomorrow.
For today? Just trying to get by….and looking forward to having this pass because –
This too shall pass.
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Xox,
SKH
Solutions not Problems
I like to give solutions not problems.
Yesterday someone made the comment to me,
“You have colitis? By reading your blog, I’d never know you have colitis.”
I responded by stating,
“I’d rather provide the solution than talk about the problem.”
The truth is that there are very few times that I talk about my colitis. In fact, really the *only* place it’s really apparent on my site is under, “MyStory.”
I would love to say I’m a ChronicBabe with sweet Jenni, but the truth is that I’m more comfortable in packing that “problem” away. I have made the conscious decision to focus my blog on solutions, not problems. And for me, this means that I talk about and provide all the ways via food and fitness that I combat my colitis and food intolerance.
I want people to come here because they want autoimmune solutions.
Solutions Not Problems
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The world is filled with people who, unfortunately, now live with Crohn’s, Colitis, Celiac and other IBD/IBS issues. The *trick* is in helping them because the problem lies in the fact that we don’t want to talk about it, tell people we have it or SOL (scream-out-loud), “Help me. My body hates me. How can I feel better?”
And because I’ve been there, lived that and sought those same answers, so I write with the solution, not the problem, in mind. (And by the way, I have people confide in me nearly daily that they live with one of these, and come to this site for ideas and to me for support. And by the way #2 –> I never, ever, ever disclose who they are and what their issues might be. EVER!)
When you come here, it’s “our little secret.”
No one has to know you are searching for a solution to your problem. I’m not concerned with a million comments on my posts. I’m not concerned with how much you “share” my content on your Facebook, Twitter or any other network (I understand that in doing so someone may catch on to your secret).
I’m concerned with helping you. One person at a time. One solution closer to allowing you to feel better.
And that is why you barely know I have colitis.
I am hiding with you while truly attempting to provide solutions, not problems.
Xox,
SKH
4 Truths Plus a Major Flare Up
Here we go today with 4 truths plus a major flare up.
I was in Texas the past several days for work at SXSW in Austin. I had an amazing time, for the record! And here were 4 things I learned….
- I learned it’s okay to be a Chronic Babe. Jenni said so. I met her, heard her speak, was inspired by her and was reminded that dealing with a chronic issue is okay.
- I learned that traveling will ALWAYS be a struggle for me.
- I learned that life will always present way too many “prima donnas,” but that as long as you’re aware of how to roll with it and surround yourself with the humble it all evens out.
- I learned that sometimes the greatest people and the best of friends in our lives live hundreds of miles away. And yet still, it does not change what they mean to us or the value in the friendship at all.
4 Truths Plus a Major Flare Up
With everything that went on this past week, it has been an absolute 100% challenging time for me. This flare-up bout with my stomach has lingered for over a week now. To me, it’s borderline frightening. My stomach is huge! I was asked not once, but twice, if I’m pregnant. Um, no! There is nothing more frustrating (for me) in the world than this feeling. It’s a confidence bust and anxiety at its finest. I can never explain what it’s like and no, it’s not the same bloat all girls tell me, “Yeah, I know exactly how you feel – I hate that time of the month.” I know that feeling, too. There is no resemblance.
I feel like E.T. with a distended stomach and a non-inflatable balloon. I feel pressure and water retention and like I’ve gained 10 pounds overnight. I literally may have. I’ve said it before that “Nothing changes if nothing changes….” I mean it. Something has got to change.
Two immediate changes:
- No “Venti” coffee for at least a few weeks. A small is all I’ll do. No other caffeine.
- No alcohol until at least May. (Alcohol hates me I’ve learned, and truth be told – the whole time during SXSW I only had a couple glasses of Red Wine. It was still too much for now.)
For one week, I’m going back to my broth/lean meat combo to ease my symptoms and get things working properly again.
Getting my hands and mind around this has not been easy. I don’t expect the next several days to be a walk in the park. But I cannot continue on with the big, bloated and miserable stomach I’ve been having. There is a choice with everything in life. This is a choice I make in order to say, “Feeling good is really all that matters.”
p.s. Years later I would learn that it was all the SIBO.
Xox,
SKH
Portion Control Habit
If you can nail down a portion control habit mixed with everything in moderation, I guarantee you can combat that awful bloat and/or nasty, creeping weight gain while still staying sane and happy.
Part of this is simply meal spacing, but the other part is knowing how much to eat during those meals.
Portion Control Habit
When I think of portion control, I also think of everything in moderation. The two are not the same, but when I learned to correlate them, I began to have more success.
Here are my definitions I run off of….
Portion Control: Measuring food and/or beverage to ensure I am truly only eating a serving (not 3+) like I could easily do.
Everything in Moderation: Having and enjoying everything and anything (sans-gluten of course) I want without an accompanying guilt, but in truly modest amounts.
So how do I do this?
Portion control is very straightforward for me. I do measure nearly everything with traditional measuring cups. I have never gotten into food scales. I probably never will. You can also purchase creative measuring cups to make it more fun. I have several!
Everything in moderation is a little more tricky. For me, it’s not even so much about cake and cookies. For me, it’s even many fruits and vegetables, nuts and other tough-to-digest foods. But lately, even those foods I try here and there. For example, last night I made steamed Brussel sprouts with olive oil and lemon. Rather than eating 1+ cups like before, I maybe only had 1/2 cup, and then I felt fine.
And why do I do this? I do this to ensure that I never have to worry about what I eat. I do this so that I can enjoy food, without back end worry, and I do this so that I am in control of me, my health and how I feel each day.
It’s not about weight (it might be for you, and that’s okay), but instead about making my gut thrive and feeling the best I can each and every single day.
Xox,
SKH
Game Face
Time to put my Game Face on! Tomorrow is the Rock ‘n Roll Las Vegas Half Marathon.
My Game Face is looking much less confident than it did for my first half marathon. I am not nearly as prepared, and this past month has been a “stomach struggle.”
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(Warning: Inserting a moment of complaint.)
I am not sure why but my colitis has flared much more than usual. I attribute some of this to a more complex diet filled with nuts, soy, and other random things, but compared with the average American diet, I eat cleaner than most. This is what frustrates me. What has been happening is that at any given moment I can go from fine and normal to a bloated stomach that looks 9 months pregnant. This is followed by a complete blockage to the lowest part of my stomach that lingers and makes me miserable. Additionally, my stomach has been loud, moving, rumbling and acting as though it’s starved. It’s not! I have gained some, am retaining everything and am hugely weighted down. (Updated in 2017 to add: It was SIBO.)
This is now beyond the “gluten” factor. Taking away the gluten has most definitely helped with my upper digestion. It’s the lower that I now struggle with and quite honestly it has gotten the absolute BEST of me this past month. I don’t have the same confidence, attitude and “spark” I normally do.
The rant is over, but the rant and off-tangent are absolutely relevant to my Game Face. For all the reasons I described above, my Game Face is much less confident. And yet is exactly for this reason that I did not back out of the race.
Game Face
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I made a commitment to run back in September. Despite my plantar fasciitis, a body not overly willing to do long distance anymore and a bum tum, I chose the Rock ‘n Roll Las Vegas because it’s a race that benefits, highlights and supports people just like me – those who suffer from Crohn’s & Colitis.
For me to back out and not run this race would be like me saying, “You’ve won, Colitis.” And if I have to run, walk, jog or crawl across that finish line tomorrow I will because I want to say, “No, I’ve won!”
At the end of the day, the attitude and will are what crosses a finish line.
Xox,
SKH
