I'm hoping every who reads this is healthy and remains that way, but sometimes things don't go the way we hope and everyone needs to do their best to remain as healthy as possible.
Let me tell you a little about myself. I have always been slim, probably because of a good diet (I had a stay at home mom who cooked every meal) and good genes (all maternal female relatives are slim and tall, but I'm 5'4".) In 4th and especially 5th grade I started to fall back, and began to be obviously smaller than my peers. And all of a sudden had stomach flu symptoms, never having a stomach flu and hadn't puked since I was 8 (bad pizza, one of the random things I remember). My mother began taking me to doctor after doctor and within a year I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease. I was put on several medications, something I was told I'd be on for the rest of my life. But I was still very sick for the next two years.
For those of you who don't know, Crohn's can be a very serious auto immune disease. It involves inflammation of the digestive tract (usually small intestine like mine), sometimes set off by a certain diet, among other things. It is unknown what causes it, although science points to genes, possibly hereditary.
I averaged 50 pounds at about 5' through middle school but in 8th grade began losing more weight. My doctors decided to insert a feeding tube in my stomach to pump me full of calories, but on my way to get this done I had an x-ray and it was discovered that a small section of my small intestine was beyond rehealing. I had surgery a few days later and had 3 inches of my small intestine removed.
I mentioned diet as being a culprit of episodes. While I was sick, my family discovered that my episodes were often following the introduction of sugar in my diet. Every crohn's patient is different, but in general processed foods cause problems. Sugar (cane sugar and sugar substitutes specifically) seem to be my issue. Stress is another culprit, one reason I decided not to go into the teaching field.
Since I had surgery in 8th grade I have been in basic remission. I have had one hospital visit (after 3 months of drinking smirnoff twisted once a week.) that lasted one night. As long as I watch my diet I am fine, basically staying away from sugar. About a month ago I went off of my last prescription medication, but I have extras for set backs (such as in the days after my birthday when I have very rich homemade birthday cake laying around).
What I have learned is that health is very important, and can be very expensive. Which is why it is important to do what you can to remain healthy. I cannot get health insurance, unless I am willing to go through a small company and pay upwards of $1000 a month, despite the fact that I'm healthy. In order to prove to my health insurance that I am healthy my family was about to pay out of pocket for my medication (they pay for my car as long as I stay off my meds and remain in school full time for health insurance while working 2 jobs).
I hope my little story helps you realize the importance of staying healthy. And for those of you without health insurance, I hope you get health insurance just in case, because while you are healthy it costs less than $100 a month I am told. While Crohn's is generally diagnosed during puberty as your body changes, more and more cases are being diagnosed later in life. And there are thousands of more diseases that anyone can (and hopefully won't) be diagnosed with at any time.
Now, for tips and tricks I have learned to stay healthy.
- Vitamins: Take a multivitamin at the very least! Now that I am down to only 2 vitamins I keep them on my bedside table with a bottle of water and take them when I go to bed. Some added suggestions would be: iron (if you get headaches that are borderline migraine, try taking iron. I was diagnosed with stress migraines, and then discovered I was severely anemic, borderline transfusion, and began taking iron. The headaches went away within a week). B12 (if you ever feel stressed or short-tempered, try taking this. I felt this way and did research and began taking B12. It makes me not really sweat the small stuff, and things I can't control.) EsterC (this is a vitamin supplement of Vit C and other vitamins to help with absorption. This could help you prevent a cold, or help you fight a cold.)
- Diet: Many fast food companies are coming out with better food, so I won't say stay away from fast food (my favorite would be the wrap by McDonald's). But it is easier to control what goes into your body if you cook it. I would suggest casseroles, which you can take to work and save money. Be sure you eat a balanced diet! The basics are to make sure you include fruits and vegetables. Grab an apple or a bag of carrots on your way out to eat on your commute to work! Eat a salad with some meals.... Also, don't eat more than a portion. I found a great website that gives exact portions of meals. As far as losing weight, due to the fact that I have always struggled with my weight the opposite way, I can not help much here. I won't go into details, but I know from experience the struggle with weight can be difficult either way. But support is very helpful. Join a group online or of friends and do it together. Weight watchers is also very successful. I can also tell you to hide your scale and hide your tags. Base your weight on your appearance, and trust what your friends or professionals say. Have realistic expectations, and don't do anything drastic!
- Exercise! Before you check out a local gym that costs check to see if your apartment has a gym. This will be free, and easier access. Check it out (if you don't live in a very nice apartment, the gym probably won't be very nice either, but it may be workable.) Even if you look like you are in good shape, your metabolism won't stay high forever, so it's good to go ahead and get in the habit of it. Go and get your heart rate up for at least 30 minutes at least 3 times a week. If your apartment or your gym offers classes, these are great as well because they are created by professionals.
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