When Sports and Crohn’s Meet

My history with sports has been quite comical. It consists of approximately...no team or club athletics! However, my student gym-life was a golden time, and I had many friends who worked hard to be athletic.

My talent ranged from tripping over my own shoelaces to somehow avoiding a dodge-ball twice, thrown from the greatest athlete in my grade. 

In High School, my legacy ranged from floundering in the mostly chlorine pool to falling over after the run warm-up. The pool was my worst enemy. It dried out my skin like no other. It did it to many other students, as well, so I felt as part of a crowd in the gym-atorium for once. 

In general, I was not an athletic child. 

Why is this? Well, that would be because I did not pay careful attention to my surroundings. That would also be because I was not at full nutritional potential. It is also because I was sore a lot from that nutritional lacking. 

Sports has never been my best friend, and it may never be. However, I know that is important for me to get the exercise I can. I know it is important for me to try new things as often as I can. I have finally found yoga and dance, and these two forms of movement keep me healthy and happy. They also aren’t always hard on my joints and allow me to relieve any stress-pain that has built up over the day. With the help of my athletic friends, I have been able to design an exercise plan that works for me, and I've learned how to modify it to keep growing strong. I found these links that also describes some great tips for others: https://www.healthline.com/health/crohns-disease/exercise and https://www.everydayhealth.com/crohns-disease/living-with/ways-to-work-out-with-crohns/. 

Sports and I have a comical history together. Exercise and I will have a beautiful future that I, and many of us with Crohn’s, desperately need. 

Lil’ Energy

As a child, my parents sometimes just thought I was lazy. We would go to the zoo at least twice a year, and I loved going. However, about ten minutes into walking, I wanted carried or put back in the stroller. This continued until I was almost ten. This weakness also bled over into sports, I later realized (but, I will talk more about sports later).

I always just thought it was a part of life to consistently be tired and feel weak a lot. Later, I found out I was anemic. Crohn’s likes to take away your red blood cells: https://www.everydayhealth.com/crohns-disease/living-with/staying-energized-with-crohns-disease/ .

As a kid, my dad was a good role model in helping me when I was actually sick, and making me suck it up when I was just uncomfortable. Until I was in Middle School, there was no way for my parents to know I had Crohn’s. Looking back, I’m grateful my dad pushed me to be strong. Because of him, I am able to suck up the pain when it is just a light burden.

As a college student, fatigue still pursues me. Therefore, I have made some goals for myself to stop feeling so tired all of the time. One of these is to make sure I have “me time” every day. This helps TREMENDOUSLY. When I have time to discover my own thoughts and my beliefs, I feel so much better. Furthermore, I have been trying to keep exercising. It is hard, though, because I will go through bouts of extra fatigue, and any habits that I had established before will dead end. I will keep trying. I did some further research, and this site has some other great tips: https://crohnsdisease.com/symptoms/fatigue/!

Let’s stay strong together! (Also, if your child seems extra tired a lot, they might have some form of anemia or immune deficiency, so be on watch.)

Breakfast A La Crohn’s

For me, having Crohn’s in College often means not wanting to head to my Dining Hall for breakfast.

Part of that is because there isn’t always a lot of food that I can attain easily that won’t upset my Crohn’s Disease when it is sensitive in the morning. Part of that is also because I am often too tired to wake up in the morning. That could be because I am under the influence of Crohn’s, or that could be because I am busy as a college student.

Therefore, I wanted to start looking up quick and healthy items that will help me feel full and well in the morning. I found this nice site to help: https://www.healthline.com/health/crohns-disease-power-foods .

1. Yogurt (unless you have dairy-caused issues, which I do) because of probiotics
2. Oily Fish because of thier anti-inflammatory properties
3. Fruits & Vegtables: applesauce and bananas help, even if raw fruits cause you flares.
4. Cooked carrots due to thier nutrients.
5. Cheese (Swiss and cheddar have less lactose)
6. Cereals with little fiber (Circle K, Rice Krispies, and Corn Flakes)
7. Liquid Meals (like ensure) because they help strengthen the immune system and gain healthy weight. However, Ensure also has dairy...
8. Potatoes because of thier potassium
9. Low-fiber foods.

Another link I found documents one person’s journey: https://www.healthline.com/health/crohns-disease/foods-manage-helen-marley#3 , and this site documents seven recipes that are great for those with Crohn’s: https://www.everydayhealth.com/crohns-disease/diet/breakfast-recipes-people-with-crohns/ .

By looking at what others have done, I may be able to heal myself. This isn’t guaranteed, as everyone’s body and Crohn’s journey is different. However, by looking to others, we may be able to keep our own breakfasts fast and delicious.

Chronic Ulcerative Colitis Convo

This is my second installment of interviews with others who have invisible disease. For certain reasons, this interviewee has decided to stay anonymous.

———

How do you spell what you what have, and what is it like?

Chronic Ulcerative Colitis. ( http://www.crohnscolitisfoundation.org/what-are-crohns-and-colitis/what-is-ulcerative-colitis/ ) <—This link describes Colitis!

Dealing with it...well, my case is a bit different because the doctor has messed up with my medication. I’m dealing with an adverse version. Pain-wise, I have been at about a 6 or 7. However, when I use the restroom, it escalates to an 8 or a 9. Sometimes, it is intense pain. I have had days where I wake up in pain and cannot leave my bed. Lately, more than not, I have been having a lot of blood in my stool. It causes chronic pain, so you know it is going to cause other issues, too.

As of right now, there is nothing I can do to treat the pain. I can’t take ibuprofen, Tylenol...because it affects the organs. I cant drink alcohol because of the same effect. Ever since getting diagnosed, I have completely cut alcohol out of my life.

The only thing I can do to help with the pain is smoke pot, but that is still illegal for the most part. It is one of the reasons that chronic ulcerative colitis is on the medically-eligible marijuana list. Right now, I don’t smoke, as I don’t have a medical card. But, I have before, and it completely rid me of pain that night.

Marijuana does drastically help, but it is something that I could easily get fired for while having a factory job. In fact, it is hard to not talk about the job I have while dealing with this disease. I work at a distribution center which means I do a lot of heavy lifting. I am lifting heavy 50-60 pound items. Some days, it is really hard, especially when I feel really bad. 

Do you get breaks from your boss at all?

The place I work pretty much lets you work at your own pace. If you need to use the restroom, you can do so, as long as you can keep up. I’m at a place where I need to be able to use the restroom whenever I need to. (https://www.disabilitybenefitscenter.org/disability-work/colitis)

You get the cards you’re handed. Luckily, I have a good mental background, so I don’t really get depressed about it. But, what ya gonna do? 

What are the top three things you wish people knew?

1. I wish people understood the dramatic amount of pain I expirience versus the little amount that I show. While I show the little amount, it would be nice to have understanding of the pain that I don’t show. Having no way to quench that pain is hard, too. Very little people have understanding of illness that is constantly causing pain.
2. One thing I wish I would have known is how expensive the medication is. Without insurance, the medication is, per month, $1,600. That’s just for two meds. That’s a suppository and pills. The suppository cost $900 and the other costs $700. The trouble I’m in is because I got in an argument with a nurse where she thought I didn’t need it and took me off. Now, I have been off for three months and had raising pain since. 
3. If you have it, watch your diet. The thing with my disease is that once you fall into remission, it will come back eventually. On a day where it isn’t active, I could drink a whole bunch of soda. When it is active, however, it’s best not to. 

Trigger?

Fun-fact: my disease is like Crohn’s disease, but it is affects a different organ. I was told that I had an infection in my intestines, and my body fought my body, and I ended up losing. 

With the meds, there are some side effects. I have extreme cough with the suppositories that literally has a chance of me being left winded. I have had symptoms that are close to bronchitis. 

Crohn’s Cruise

Today, I will talk about studying abroad. After all, it is an aboslutely amazing expirience...and, doing it with Crohn’s is a little different.

For me, studying abroad to the United Kingdom was the most incredible three weeks of my life. Not only was I exposed to an entirely new culture, but I was also introduced to those people who would become more family to me than friends.

If you get the chance, study abroad. It is amazing!

Now, for people who have Crohn’s, there are a few extra things we have to keep in mind while traveling (others with disease may also have to keep these in mind):

1. Do I have my medication...and can my medication travel? For me, the answer was a hazy yes. I was terrified of losing, breaking, or diluting my Humira pen. My pills liked to run away in my suitcase sometimes, too. Pro-tip: ALWAYS KEEP MEDICATION IN YOUR PURSE OR CARRY ON.

2. Can I eat this mysterious food? The answer is yes, as long as there is a bathroom nearby. I learned the hard way.

3. Is there a bathroom nearby...that is free? The answer is almost never, especially when you are near a castle. McDonald’s, however, are some of the rare exceptions. Thank you, McDonald’s.

4. Should I tell my friends about my disease? Perhaps. Perhaps it is a good way to open them up to learn about them, too.

5. Keep calm and have fun! The odds of you having a reaction while studying abroad are super low! Especially because studying outside of the country is a great way to encourage positive feelings! Therefore, your stress should drop.

I hope you get the chance to study abroad, whether you have an invisible disease or not.

Fibromyalgia Fit

Over the last few days, I have been in contact with a friend of mine from my hometown. She is an incredibly strong human being who fights every day against crippling pain. She has Fibromyalgia. Her name is Olivia Vollmar.

So, by way of Facebook Messenger, I conducted an interview with her to discuss what it is like living with Fibromyalgia. 

ABBIE: “What does your particular invisible disease mean?”

OLIVIA: “It includes a vast variety of symptoms, such as joint pain, inflammation, fatigue, brain fog, anxiety, and depression, among many other things. It is a rule-out diagnosis and there is no test to confirm or deny that I have it. Most doctors don’t even recognize it as real, and most will tell patients that ‘it’s all in their head’.”

ABBIE: “Thank you for sharing! What is your biggest challenge with it and how have you overcome it?”

OLIVIA: “I think the biggest challenge is being told that it will limit my lifestyle. I was told college would be impossible. I was told medical school was a bad idea. I was told that I would never have a normal life. I was told that I would always be tired and lack energy. I was told that vigorous activity was a bad idea. I was told that it wouldn’t get better and that it would always get worse. 

“But, I ignored that. 

“I decided that ‘can’t’ wasn’t an option for me. I’m almost halfway through undergrad. That’s not to say it isn’t challenging, but everything is challenging. I have a normal life. I’m not on medication (which I was promised would never happen). 

“I do CrossFit! That’s about as vigorous as it gets. I have defied every odd that doctors threw at me, and it’s the best thing ever.

“God is so faithful, and I just had to trust Him through the process and know that my road to healthy and well would look different than anyone else’s.”

ABBIE: “Thank you, Olivia. What are three things that you wish everyone knew about Fibromyalgia?”

OLIVIA: 

“1. I wish people knew that just because we don’t look sick, it doesn’t mean that we aren’t sick. 

2. We want to feel normal and full of energy, and, often times, when we can, we take this feeling.

3. We aren’t lazy. We just have minimal energy to use and have to be wise in how we use it.”

A Common Cloud

Sometimes, invisible disease are internal. For some, a diagnosis is the very thing that they fear.

Today, I want to talk about a friend who does not want to confront thier diagnosis medically, but they are sure that there is something like depressions that haunts them.

They say that it runs in thier family, whatever this thing is. Sometimes, when they wake up, they do not want to get themselves out of the bed. The day is a dark cloud is holding them down. Some days, they feel like the world is pushing them down into the darkness.

They feel dissassossiated. The world isn’t a part of them and they aren’t a part of it. Nothing can change that until thier depression decides to change that.

Depression is a major invisible illness that affects many of us at some time in our lifetime. For my friend, it is a scary illness that they do not want to confront for fear of it becoming even a greater part of them.

If you or someone you know may be suffering from depression, here is a site to identitify the warning signs and symptoms:  https://www.helpguide.org/articles/depression/depression-symptoms-and-warning-signs.htm . If you want to start coping with depression, here is a site that could help, too: https://www.helpguide.org/articles/depression/coping-with-depression.htm .

And I can easily say that this friend is not the only one I know who has undiagnosed depression. It is something that many people will never admit. I will say, however, that it is worth looking for help, if at all possible. There are help lines and plenty of people in this world who can connect us to someone who can really help. In fact, depression is very common in many people with autoimmune diseases like Crohn’s disease, too.

For many humans, depression is a common cloud, so finding the help you need may only be a conversation away.