Probiotics and Crohns Disease

I found this interesting information (amongst others on crohns.net)

http://www.crohns.net/Miva/education/articles/Probiotics_in_the_Treatment_of_Crohns_Disease.shtml

I've been taking probiotics off and on for a few months now and found them beneficial.  In particular, the one I take is in pill form and contains 1 billion CFU (Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium lactis) Advanced 4-Strain.
I did find, after some trial and error, that I get better results taking the pill about 5-10 minutes before eating.

The Imuran treatment seems to be rolling along just fine.  No problems yet, but I don't "feel" any difference than when I wasn't taking it.  Only a scope will tell I guess.
So far so good.....stay the course.

New For 2012

And now for something completely different.........the first painting out of the "studio" for 2012.
Different than the others, but again, it's interesting what you can come up with when you get pissed off with your original idea...and you get.........this:

It's called "Jellyfish"

Tennis Anyone....?

This one falls under the "what else can possibly go wrong?" category.

For months now, I have been "tolerating" neck and shoulder pain / ache and chalked it up to over doing something and have a muscle ache.  The pain eventually started showing up down my left arm and when I tried to grip things with my hand, like pumping gas, etc.  Pop a few Tylenols and Tylenol 3's occasionally and it goes away.....sort of.  (oh and by the way, Ty 3's are great for calming the intestines)
I finally relented and went to the dr to see if she can tell me what's wrong.  Turns out I have a rotator cuff "strain" which explains the shoulder, over compensating for the shoulder, which explains the ache in my neck...... AND tennis elbow, which explains the pain down my arm.  WTF!?
She figured that when I was off in October (two weeks), when I went back to work, I must have strained it somehow.  Funny, but when I started having pain in my arm I thought I was having a heart attack.  Well, my wife didn't think it was funny.

Then yesterday was my brothers bday and went to his house for pizza and cake to celebrate and so our kids can play while we chat.  Now, knowing better, I shouldn't have eaten the cake as it was an ice cream cake, but I thought, well, I'm going home afterwards, no problem.  Well was I wrong.  I spent the next 10 hours back and forth to the bathroom!  But the cake tasted good!!

The next step?  I need to find food I can eat that will make me gain weight.  It's not so easy when you are restricted on what you can eat!

135 lbs just doesn't feel right

Killer Lasagna From Outer Space

This falls in to the category of "Now You Know".

I've eaten alot of things I shouldn't have, knowing it and not knowing it, and I've eaten lasagna many times over my 20+ Crohn's years, but never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined, or thought, that there would be a entree out there, that had the effect this dish did to me yesterday (and in to today).

My wife, one day, made a lasagna dish that we could put in the freezer for a later date and she made it like she normally does, with noodles, meat and cheese.  No worries, because I don't really have any Crohn's side effects from cheese.......or so I thought.

The difference this time?  My wife changed the cheese she uses inside the dish from cottage cheese, to a KILLER cheese from outer space, or Hell, however you want to put it.  The cheese she used...?

cream cheese...... aaaaahhhhh.....nooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!

So, that was dinner time on Tuesday.  It's now 24 hours later and I have yet to go to sleep, my ass is as red as an tomato and as raw as a 3rd degree burn.  I'm STILL going to the bathroom, just not every hour.  I've never had this reaction before from eating something.  I've never had cream cheese before, as I don't like it, but thought, in a cooked dish? why not.   Well, did I learn MY lesson.

Mental note.....avoid cream cheese and chalk this up to an experiment gone wrong.

4000 !!

I see by the ole' clock on the wall, that this blog-o-mine has received over 4000 views!  What can I say but, thanks!! 
I never thought in a million years that anyone would be interested what I had to say.  I appreciate everyone coming to visit "me" from all around the world and enjoy reading the comments and emails I get from all.  I may not get back to everyone, but believe me, I read them all and get some real insight in to how people handle Crohn's in different ways.  I have found that humor is the main way people are dealing with this disease. 
Well, people always tell me that laughter is the best medicine.  Maybe we should just get rid of all the dr's who seem to know what they are doing.  Maybe they should open up to different ideas and techniques and not stick to "western medicine" and how they were trained.
As I close in on my 44th birthday, I still believe there is a cure out there.....somewhere.

Thanks for all who listen, especially my lovely wife, who after almost 10 years has stood by me all the way.  Helping, listening and just being there...thanks (and happy birthday!!)

Vern

Stressssssss

It's amazing how some so called 'experts' say there is no relation to Crohn's and stress.  Then there are those other 'experts' that say there is.

Well, I'm pretty sure that all of us Crohn's sufferers will say, ummm....hell yes there is!  Lately, things at work have been very stressful and its amazing how I feel better when I get home.  I start feeling like crap getting ready to go to work in the morning and my neck and left shoulder start to tense up, even on the drive to work.  Then, at lunch and after work, everything is fine....weird.  Maybe it's just in my head.....but there isn't ANY relation to stress and Crohn's.

So, it's been a stressful, achey and painful few months.
But it can only make you stronger......right?  If not, kill you.

Funny How Things Work Out

So, I DID read my last post to my two boys.  They enjoyed it, and kinda figured it was about them, but maybe, just maybe.....they got the message.

Sure enough, since I read them the new classic bedtime story called "The Prince's and the Pee" there has not been one drop of misdirected pee, anywhere.  It helps me so so so much at times. 

Thank you to my two boys.

Good boys.

Bedtime Story

Tonight, I thought I would come up with a made up bedtime story for my boys.  Made up, of course, based on fact.  It sort of went like this..............

Once upon a time in the land of Oz, there lived a lovely family in a quaint little 3 bedroom, split level, totally renovated previously foreclosed home on a quiet tree lined cul de sac.
Inside this lovely 'castle' there lived King Daddy, Queen Mummy and their fantastically cute Prince's, Prince Bee and Prince Cee.
Now, the two Prince's, 6 and 4, loved to play, read and play games.  They were great little boys.  They were good at listening to their Mum and Dad and were always polite, saying yes please and no thank you without having to be asked.
The two Prince's loved getting ready for bed the best.  When Mum and Dad said it was time for bed, the two Prince's went straight to their bed chambers and got into their pajamas, put their dirty clothes in the hamper, brushed their teeth, went to the washroom, jumped into bed, tucked themselves in and waited patiently for their parents to kiss them good night.  The King and Queen kissed them goodnight, sang them a song, turned out the lights and closed the door.
Earlier in the night, at dinner, the King mistakenly (and some would say stupidly) ate a Dilly Bar from the local Dairy Queen, for dessert.  The King, you see, suffers from Crohn's Disease and eating ice cream is, well, generally, frowned upon.  The King scurried quickly to the royal bath chambers because he really, really had to go.  Now, as anyone knows with someone who suffers from Crohn's, sometimes you cannot delay, even for a minute.  So, to the Kings surprise, the Prince's missed the toilet......again....when they went to the washroom earlier.  On the toilet and the floor.  So, whilst the King tried to hold on the best he could, doing the Crohnie Dance, he had to clean it all up before he could go. 
Thank goodness, there was time. 
So the next day, the King and Queen, once again, tried to explain to the wonderful Prince's that they needed to remember to "aim" accordingly, not only because of the King, but because it's not THAT hard to do.
And they lived happily ever after.........(as long as they aimed straight)


This of course is just a story, but it brings to light the fact that as a sufferer of Crohn's, when you have to go, you have to go and every second counts.  Sometimes, any delay can be disaster.

The moral of this "story"?         Have girls.

The Honey (Sorry But I Can't) Do List

The whole problem with living with a chronic illness, especially Crohn's, is the fact that no matter how much I want to do something, my body says "Oh no you don't".

Normally, every weekend I try and clean the house.  Vacuum, dust, laundry, etc.  becomes a chore just to get it done.  Sometimes I just can't do it, though I want to.

So then there's the "Honey Do List", or as I call it, the "Honey, sorry but I can't Do List".  Since we bought our house almost three years ago, there are things I still haven't finished.  The main thing is finishing the baseboards and door mouldings.  I finished the laundry/craft room, downstairs bathroom, playroom/family room, kitchen, dining room, living room, upstairs bathroom and one bedroom.  Alot, I know, but I still have one bedroom, master bedroom, master bathroom, hallway and around four doors upstairs.

No matter how much I want to complete it, it gets put on the back burner.  Not to mention all the other things on the list.  We still have to replace all the windows and I want to tackle the fireplace with a new brick facade and mantle and add a gas fireplace instead of the ugly wood burning one we have (thats never used).

There are good days and bad, but mainly, as a Crohnie, there is no energy left to do the things you want to do sometimes.  Believe it or not, sometimes I get winded just walking up the stairs in our house.
Do I hate having Crohn's?....sure. 
Do I hate not doing things I want to?....sure.
Do I have to shut up sometimes and deal with it?.....yes.

"This Is Not A Good Time..."

Has anyone seen the new Dukoral commercial for traveler's diarrhea??
I know....I know....blunt huh?  But you have to see it and then you're going to say...
Oooookayyy, what has that got to do with Crohn's??
AHA!!  You can easily take that commercial and convert it to an ad for Crohn's because, at times, it is exactly the same!!!
Watch.......

http://youtu.be/gbuKdnX8m1o

........it happens.