I got thrown for quite a loop this past weekend when I actually wound up in my local E.R. I had been having stomach problems since Monday night and, though I thought I was making progress to getting better after being horribly ill, it turned out I was actually suffering from a very new, very real diagnosis of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).
I am not yet sure just how severe my diagnosis is. I suspect I have Ulcerative Colitis, but it is also possible that I have Crohn’s disease, however I won’t know until I can get in to a follow appointment with a gastroenterologist. Now, both are manageable and SO many people live with UC and Crohn’s every day. It has just come as a shock to me that I am having my first major flare up at the age of 22.
I have had mini flare ups before, but nothing that lasted longer than a couple hours, and definitely not one that lasted multiple consecutive days (or multiple weeks, as I am now into the second week of this one). And I have to say it is not fun feeling sick to your stomach for days on end.
After an ultrasound and a cat scan at the hospital, I was essentially told that I would have to make a conscious change to my eating and drinking habits if I wanted to be able to control my IBD, or at least be able to live with it. I have to give my colon a rest during this flare up before I will be able to start reintroducing my old diet.
For people who know me, you know that I love food-- to the point that I plan my entire day around what I have on the menu. I adore cuisine, of all kind, and drink too. Most of my life is spent around food and drink, and spent consuming as much of each as possible. Trying new things, new flavors and new tastes is something I strive to do on the daily-- Experimenting with new recipes, be they cocktail or baked goods. Being a bartender/server and dating a chef means even when I am not at work, my life revolves around FOOD and ALCOHOL and the art behind making each taste as best as possible. In short, I am heartbroken.
At first, I will admit, I got quite depressed. The thought of not being able to enjoy food and drink on a daily basis without putting myself in pain really got to me. I refused to eat anything, nothing that I could have sounded good and I definitely let myself act stubborn. I just drank water and sulked because that seemed better than the “clear liquids” diet the doctor put me on for 24 hours. And honestly, 24hrs was enough for me to go completely food crazy!
The next day I drove straight to Barnes&Noble and bought myself 3 cookbooks! Now Salt,Fat, Acid, Heat is just for me to have, it’s a staple cookbook just for my shelf. However, The Quiet Gut Cookbook and Happy Gut Cookbook at both cookbooks with low FODMAP (Fermentable Oligo‐, Di‐ and Mono‐saccharides and Polyols) recipes for people who have sensitive digestive systems! I decided that since I can’t make the IBD go away I was determined to make sure I could at least make myself a healthy meal that tasted good to get me through these flare ups!
There are a lot of factors that go into each individuals flare up of IBD, and certain things will affect everyone differently. And depending on the severity of the flare up, the length of time it takes to go into remission may vary. But eliminating certain things in your diet that are known to upset/cause IBD flare ups will significantly help and reduce symptoms.
Considering this new development in my life, I am going to be posting a lot of recipes that I try that have helped my stomach over the past couple of days. I am going to be very vocal about how IBD is affecting my life and what I learn about eating and working out with IBD.
I have considered trying CBD (Cannabidiol) remedies for IBD and have been doing research into that aspect of medicine, but for now I am just changing my diet and being conscious about my intakes of certain things like gluten, dairy, garlic, onion, raw veggies/fruits/nuts and, of course, alcohol. I am keeping a food journal and taking notes on how certain recipes and foods make me feel, and taking notice of the ones that make me feel like complete crap.
So, here it goes, my journey to eating and living healthy with IBD-- I have a major learning curve ahead of me, but I am just going to try to cook my way through it!
