Crohnie Quote of the Day

“I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.”

Sweet and Sticky Health Benefits

I've posted in the past about sugar and it's harmful effects on the bowel and absorption, so I thought I would post about the benefits of honey instead of sugar.  I've recently started taking Cranberry Honey in my tea (tastes fantastic) and I also started trying Cinnamon Honey on my toast in the morning....again, fantastic.
So I researched some information about the benefits of honey and cinnamon.....

Did you know that honey is the only food that won't go bad....??


The combination of honey and cinnamon has been used for centuries in the oriental and Ayurvedic medicine.
The two ingredients with their unique healing abilities have a long history as a home remedy.
Here are some suggestions on how you could use this wonderful Cinnamon Honey:

1)  Heart Disease: replace butter, margarine or jam for cinnamon honey on your toast for breakfast.

2)  Arthritis: apply the cinnamon honey on the affected area

3)  Cholesterol: add cinnamon honey in green tea and drink.

4)  Colds and Flu: add cinnamon honey to lukewarm milk to help boost your immune system.  It may also help to clear your sinuses.

5)  Indigestion: take a tbsp. of cinnamon honey before every meal.

6)  Pimples: apply cinnamon honey on the affected area over night and wash it in the morning.

7)  Weight Loss: add a tsp. of cinnamon honey to a cup of boiled water and drink it on an empty stomach, 30 min. before breakfast.

8)  Bad Breath: mix cinnamon honey with hot water and gargle.

9)  Fatigue: drink in the morning and in the afternoon, 1/2 tbsp. of cinnamon honey mixed in a cup of warm water.

Enjoy!!!!!

Crohnie Quote of the Day

"There are no great men (or women), just great challenges which ordinary men (or women), out of necessity, are forced by circumstances to meet"

 

Sugar and Malabsorption

I've been reading this book, "Breaking the Vicious Cycle" by Elaine Gottschall and I'm finding it very interesting as far as eating is concerned. 
Now, granted, there are alot of things in this book I cannot eat, as many of you will also find, but the one chapter I found very interesting was Chapter 5 on carbohydrate digestion.  Especially sugar.  I didn't realize that having my two milk three sugar medium Tim Horton's coffee was causing me alot of problems as far as digestion goes.
Single sugars - good.  Double sugars - bad.
So I have cut out adding sugar to anything and substituted honey.
Seems double sugars remain undigested in the intestine and draw out water, mix with the nutrients you are trying to absorb, and then are lost down the toilet.
Great read for us malabsorpers.  I haven't quite tried any of the recipes inside, but I will.

Crohnie Quote of the Day

Nothing is impossible,
the word itself says 'I'm possible'! 

Humble

For the past few days, I've been going to the hospital bright and early in the morning.  I was given a ride to and fro by my Dad (Thanks Dad) in the beginning as I was just too tired and weak to do so myself.  After the scary experience on Friday, I'm surprised I had any energy at all.  I go up to the outpatient IV clinic and wait my turn to get "hooked-up" in the sheet covered Lazy Boy chairs.  There are 5 others sitting in the room, all waiting, all with identical gauze wrapped wrists, arms, chests, etc., all there for different reasons.  I push back on the arms of my chair to recline and await my "drug".  The nurse calls my name, asks my birth date, and I took the gauze off in preparation and anticipation.  She hooks up a  saline needle to flush the lock in my arm, hooks up my line, turns on the machine, takes my temperature and says "There ya go". 
While I wait my half an hour it's going to take, I scan the room.  Looking.  Listening.  One nice older lady is there talking to the nurse about her breast cancer and all I can think is about my own mum and how she must have looked while she sat in the chair getting her meds.  Two other men, who have been coming to this clinic for awhile obviously, as the nurses know them by first name and they are prepared with books to read.  One has an infected foot, can barely walk, its swollen, red and painful.  The other is the same, except it's his shin and calf, red, swollen, painful and peeling.  Another lady, around my age, is sitting with her doctor whispering.  She's finding out that the antibiotics aren't working on her infected leg (which is twice the size it should be) and she will have to have surgery and even then, no guarantee she can keep her leg.
Then the beeping starts, signalling the end of my session.  The nurse comes and unhooks me, flushes the line, locks it and puts the gauze back on for tomorrow, where we'll do this all again.
As I'm driving home I started to think about the others in the room and my own situation.
And then I wonder.....

....do I really have it that bad?

You're Not Gonna Believe It......

...but literally minutes, and I do mean minutes, after writing my last post, I started to get the shakes.  A little at first, but within a few seconds I was shaking like I was having a siezure!  I've had them in the past, but usually goes away after having some juice or something.  Not this time.  It got so bad so fast that I had my wife call the ambulance.  My jaw locked up, I couldnt speak properly and the pain from tensing was too much to handle.  But as soon as the fire dept arrived (before the ambulance) and gave me some oxygen to relax, the convulsions slowed.  The problem now was that I was burning up (40C) my heart rate was 122 and my blood pressure was 190/80.  So needless to say the ambulance still took me to hospital and spent the night.  I have to go back for the next few mornings for IV antibiotics, but the funniest thing is that all my blood work came back "normal" and nothing on xray.  I havent been able to eat because I throw it up, so just water mainly for now.....

lots of fun....

Prednisone, the Hussy

You know that saying,

"I have Crohn's, but it doesn't have me" ?

Well Crohn's sure is putting up a great fight today and tonight.  Doesn't have me yet!
But oh boy!  I'm looking at number 7 on the CPS (Crohns Pain Scale)
Trying to get through it without the Prednisone.......ohhhhh but she's looking pretty good now!
I can hear her calling from the cupboard....."here I am...I knowwwww you want me" (the slllllut!)

We'll see what the night brings, shall we......