A Writer's Life Interrupted--A Holistic Journey #crohns #ibd

<----The 28th is my birthday. I won't be eating cake or ice cream, but I'll have a dash of chocolate yogurt that I make with honey and unsweetened chocolate. Believe it or not, it's actually pretty good. Honey is a wonderful substitute for sugar. It's much sweeter than refined white sugar so you don't use as much, plus it's good for you. It does have an after taste that you will get used to. After a month or so of no white sugar, honey will be a treat you look forward to all day long. This whole SCD diet has me thinking about the holistic approach to treating Crohn's. I am of a scientific bent of mind, so I can honestly say I had never considered a holistic approach to Crohn's disease. At least until now.

Why?

Because the diet works. I won't say I don't have some symptoms because I do, but for the most part the really painful symptoms are gone. Because of that, I had to ask myself, if the diet is working so well, how might other things, unconventional things, help me?

I had gastritis so bad, (still do, but it's better) I couldn't eat for days. The pain was excruciating and in some ways worse than Crohn's especially with the esophageal spasms, until licorice root calmed my belly. It wasn't the pills the doc gave me, the muscle relaxers. Nope, it was licorice root  a friend offered me that she received from a holistic M.D. When I saw the container I almost laughed out loud. Licorice root?

Say what you like, I quickly discovered licorice root is one heck of a lot better than muscle relaxers and people have been using it for thousands of years to settle the gut. Not that I have thrown out the pills. I have them in case of an emergency. However, I am studying the holistic approach and have an appointment with a holistic M.D. in December. I will keep that appointment, even if I do feel dumb. Let's face it, when you're desperate you'll try anything, but I won't be stupid.

I have given up all dairy which is fine because I'm lactose intolerant anyway. I wasn't before this mega-flare, but I am now. I do eat yogurt, but it is well drained and sweetened only with honey-two tablespoons at most. My next step is stopping the biologic.

Humira is a TNF blocking agent and carries a black box warning for cancer in adolescents and teens. Generally, the cancers appear at about 30 months. I'm there. I'm not a teenager or a child, but cancer occurs in adults as well. That's a fact, not a rumor.  Biologics block inflammatory reactions in the body, one of those reactions destroys cancer cells. So, there you go. Maybe a break is in the cards for me. I won't say I'm not scared because I am. It's been 3 weeks since my last injection.

 I have no idea what the future holds, but I'll keep you informed. This last flare of Crohn's almost killed me. Sepsis isn't easy to recover from and it's no fun hanging out in hospitals where the dreaded c-diff lives. Humira stopped me from losing my colon, I'll always be grateful for that. Having a bag scares me, too. Still, it's time to find out if I can live with the symptoms I do have as long as they are not life-threatening. Scary or not, I have to try.

Prayers are always appreciated.

(((hugs)))

Louann

Since Saturday is my birthday and I'm heading to Tahoe,  I won't be posting my weekend reads. However, I will leave you with one book that still curls my toes.

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The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson Lee.

Last year, I made The Haunting my number one Halloween read and it is still my number one Halloween book. The Haunting is not a slasher, nor will you find blood and guts streaming down the hallway. This is pure psychological horror at its best.

Blurb:

First published in 1959, Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House has been hailed as a perfect work of unnerving terror. It is the story of four seekers who arrive at a notoriously unfriendly pile called Hill House: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of a "haunting"; Theodora, his lighthearted assistant; Eleanor, a friendless, fragile young woman well acquainted with poltergeists; and Luke, the future heir of Hill House. At first, their stay seems destined to be merely a spooky encounter with inexplicable phenomena. But Hill House is gathering its powers—and soon it will choose one of them to make its own.

The Haunting of HIll House  is a novel best read with wine in one hand and chocolate in the other. Don't make any plans and curl up by the fireplace. I promise, you won't be disappointed.

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