Health - Dealing with a Crohn's Flare

Regular followers will know that I have Crohn's Disease, which is one of the Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (the other being Ulcerative Colitis). You'll find a little bit about my diagnosis in this earlier post.

Last year I had my first flare and ended up back on steroids to control the symptoms. Shortly thereafter I had a colonoscopy which confirmed that I still had some active inflammation.

I've never really been back to my usual self since that flare last year, and then last week I had 7 days where everything I ate went through me. It was horrendous and I was absolutely shattered. Hence why I've been pretty quiet on Twitter and here on my blog - apologies!

I restricted my diet and for a couple of days I ate toasted crumpets, white toast and rice pudding to give my gut a bit of a rest. I lost nearly half a stone - which was good because I had put on quite a bit over my Easter holidays - but obviously this was not a good way to lose it!

When I was first diagnosed I had a book called something like The Healthy Gut (it had a bright red cover!) and I thought I'd share some of the advice that I remember; hopefully this might help others out there with IBD.

I've found that when I have a bad day, the BRAT diet helps. It's a bland diet that has foods that are low in fibre. When you're having a flare you want to avoid high fibre foods as they could worsen the bowel upset.

BRAT stands for Bananas (contain pectin which helps regulate the digestive system), Rice (absorbs fluid and adds bulk to your stools), Apples (Peel and grate them then leave to go brown; like bananas, apples are a good source of pectin) and Toast (said to soak up toxins, especially if its burnt).

Apparently Heinz Cream of Tomato Soup is also good as it has the perfect balance of electrolytes for an upset tummy although I'd have thought that tomatoes, which are acidic, aren't a good idea. I saw a nutritionist when I was newly diagnosed and I was told to stop eating tomato-based sauces (I used to eat a lot more pasta and curries than I do now) and not to drink fresh orange juice on an empty stomach.

It's also really important to drink plenty fluids. Victoria (@IckleBear_) on Twitter who also has Crohn's suggested Lucozade Sport to me, so I got myself plenty to keep me going!

Thankfully I seem to be a bit better now and my bowels have settled. I'm still waiting blood results from the hospital and faecal calprotectin measurements which correlates significantly with disease activity in people with confirmed IBD.

At the moment I take azathioprine daily to control my Crohn's, but if I continue to have these episodes or flares then the nurse has suggested that we may look to change my meds. I am also going to investigate different diets more. First up I'm going to switch all my tea to decaffeinated; caffeine makes me run to the loo! I'm also going to consider going wheat-free or maybe even gluten-free.

Health - Raynauds Disease

You may have spotted the photograph of my white finger tip over on Instagram yesterday? It sparked up a wee conversation around the topic of Raynauds Disease and I discovered that a few of my Instagram/Twitter friends are sufferers.

Raynauds Disease or Phenomenon is a condition that affects blood supply to parts of the body - typically the fingers and toes. The blood vessels go into a temporary spasm which blocks the flow of blood making the fingers go white (just like if you put on a plaster too tight, or if you are making a loom band bracelet on your fingers for example!). The finger then goes blue as the blood flow returns to it, and then red. Symptoms that are associated with the condition are pain, numbness and pins & needles which can last for a few minutes up to several hours. It tends to be triggered by cold weather, and I'm just reading that it can also be triggered by stress/anxiety.

It's not a serious condition in that it's not a threat to your health but it's annoying to live with.

I've had Raynauds for about a year now, and this winter it's been pretty bad. The photograph of my finger above is a good day... it's sometimes all my fingers! My toes also get affected, but it's not as bad/painful as my fingers.

There is treatment that you can take which your doctor would prescribe, but for the moment I'm managing without tablets. I don't really need anymore tablets to be honest, I already struggle to take the ones I'm supposed to for my Crohn's!

February, which is statistically the coldest month of the year, is Raynaud's Awareness Month - so I thought it was appropriate to write a post all about it here seeing as I'm a sufferer.

So how do I manage the condition? I thought I'd share with you a few bits of advice...

// Wear two pairs of socks.

// Get some cosy slippers - and put them on as soon as you get up.

// Central Heating - mine is set to come on before I get up so that the house is warm, particularly the bathroom.

// Shower - turn it on for a few minutes before you get in to warm up the bath/shower tray so you're not stepping onto a cold surface.

// Have a hot breakfast or lunch - some steaming porridge or a bowl of soup can help warm you up.

// Invest in some gloves - I've got a pair of mittens that are toasty warm!

// Electric Blanket - I was given one at Christmas from Rick and it's been the best present ever. It really does help warm up my hands and feet.

// Wellington Boots - make sure you have some shoes that are waterproof. There is nothing worse than having cold, wet feet. My current wellies are done in and are leaking, so it's time for a new pair. But I also have a pair of Goretex Clarks boots that I picked up in the sale this year.

// Hand warmers - I have little hand warmer that Rick also got me at Christmas but I need to make more of an effort to reactivate it so I can use it again. Just a pain that you've got to stick it in boiling water. Seems like a bit of a faff. But when I do use it, it's worth it.

// Give up smoking - this doesn't apply to me but apparently smoking reduces your body temperature and can make the symptoms worse

If you would like any more information on Raynauds, want to know how you can help in research projects or want to get involved in fundraising, go to raynauds.org.uk.

To donate, please text COLD15 and the amount (£5/£10) to 70070.

#JanuaryJoy - Make some health & fitness goals

I am feeling super motivated right now fitness-wise.

I went out for a run on Sunday in the howling wind and rain (& snow at parts!) with my two running buddies Jayne & Joanne. I hadn't been on a proper run in months and months. It was tough. But I did it, and I certainly feel better for it. Thank you Jayne for forcing me to get out there & just get on with it!

I thought I would share with you some of my health and fitness goals for 2015 as part of the Florence Finds #JanuaryJoy series.

1. Exercise

You'll be so impressed with me - as I write this (on Monday night!) I'm in my gym gear and soon I'll be heading out to a try a zumba class.

I've been going to a Personal Trainer once a week for an hour session. I've been struggling to motivate myself, so this was my short-term solution until I get back into it good habits myself. I absolutely love the boxing exercises that we do - it's so good to just punch away all my stresses! I've signed up for another 4 week block, and this time I mean business.

My aim is to continue with the weekly PT sessions, and then in addition to this every week I'll go to at least one fitness class and do at least one run. There it is in black & white... no going back!

I weighed myself this morning and I'm 12 stone 2 lbs. How on earth did this happen?? My weight has yo-yo'd over the years, and I've gone from 13 stone 10lbs down to 11 stone and then back up to nearly 12 stone, back down to 11 stone and now I'm up at over 12 stone again. So very frustrating! My goal is to hopefully lose one stone and I'd like to be comfortable in my size 10 jeans again. 

2. Eat

I'm also keen to start regularly making healthy smoothies, and the Breville BlendActive will help me with this. I just need to get a bit more organised so that I'm getting up 10 minutes earlier each morning to prepare them!

3. Sleep

One last thing that I'd like to try, which will hopefully help me get up earlier in the mornings is a 'wake-up light' like the Lumie Bodyclock. I spotted on YouTube that ViviannaDoesMakeup has one and she swears by it. I really struggle to get out of bed on these dark mornings, so perhaps this is the solution for a more natural, less harsh awakening!

I also plan to limit the amount of time I spend on my phone when I'm in bed. My sister is of the opinion that mobiles are toxic, and I do tend to agree with her. I need to get into a healthier sleep routine, which will hopefully have a very positive impact on my general mood and wellbeing. 

So do watch this space to see how I get on...

There's a tablet for that...

I was at the doctor the other week to get something for my sons verruca. My son was crying & anxious because he thought he was going to get liquid put on his foot to take away the verruca (think this is what his dad had told him would happen). He really wasn't keen on being there, wasn't happy when the doctor was checking his foot either & it was a relief when the Dr said that he would give us a prescription of liquid to use at home.

Anyway, I think the doctor could see I had my hands full. He asked me how I was. And my response... I burst into tears.

 

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I think if I had wanted to, I could have walked away with a prescription for antidepressants. I have taken them before, a few years ago now. But I think perhaps doctors are a bit too quick to prescribe them. 

 

I told the doctor I was just having a bad week & that I've not been exercising as much lately (hardly at all if I'm honest) and that I'd be fine once I started it back up (one of the reasons I've started back with a PT to give me the kick up the bum that I need!). 

He insisted that I go back to have another chat with him.

 

I've not made that appointment...and I'm not sure I will.

 

On the whole life is good, but I'm a human being and I have some downs as well as the ups.

 The Storm Beneath 

Fingers crossed this week is better as I start back on the exercising & healthy eating bandwagon!

{January Joy - 14th Jan}

Today is my birthday, so the timing of today's prompt for #JanuaryJoy 'Monday Mani or proper pedicure' couldn't have landed on a more perfect day! 

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I'm actually going one better... this evening I am going for a mini-facial and a hot stone back massage at a nearby day spa. My friend that moved to Australia had been given a voucher for a massage for her birthday, but somehow ended up losing the voucher and despite all our best efforts we were unable to locate it. Turns out the voucher wasn't lost... she found it the other week and has organised for me to use it on her behalf. How lovely is that!! A proper birthday treat :-)

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