So, I stole a feature from a fellow Crohn's blogger (Brightside, I hope you don't mind), and added a stats tidbit.
I'm seeing the doctor tomorrow for a check up to see how the entocort is working out. I've been on it for 4 weeks, and I don't really feel any differently now than I did after having been on it for 2 weeks. That, pair with the cost of it, is making me consider not completing the last 2 weeks and seeing how I do on just the Pentasa. Then, if I start to worsen or still haven't improved, doing a course of prednisone, as much as I don't like the idea of it.
In other news, I saw my nutritionist today, and we set another goal. Well, a couple, really. By the next time I see her, I am to be on a multi vitamin, and a good calcium supplement. She also wants me to continue bulk cooking, when I do feel like cooking, that way I have my own convenience foods, and I don't resort to eating store-bought convenience foods that aren't good for me. She also wants me to pre-plan a couple of my meals each week, that way I have better control over what I eat.
My excitement over having gone up to 116 pounds has faded, as I've gone back done to about 110. Maybe it was water weight, as my cycle had been approaching. Anywho, I'm feeling a bit better from my last big flare (my halloween catastrophy), so that's my good news for today.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
I have learned the error of my ways...
Sorry to be so neglectful of this blog, but here's an update on life as Autumn.
So, right now, I'm on 9 mg of entocort a day, and... 4 capsules of pentasa, however many mg's that is, I don't recall. I also have tramadol (spelling?) for pain. So, I had been feeling a good bit better, but was taking 1-2 pain pills a day (still am, for that matter). I have several more weeks of entocort, and quite a while, if not forever, on pentasa. I haven't really experienced much in the way of side effects so far (thank goodness). Sadly, I can tell by the signals my body is sending me that I'm still not fully in remission.
So, in addition to my medications, I had also really been watching what I eat- until Halloween, when I decided I deserved a little treat. Now, for the past several years, it has been tradition in my family to order pizza for Halloween. But, I thought to myself "if I'm going to eat something that I probably shouldn't, I'd rather have a salad"... so salad it was. I didn't feel too bad right off- no running to the bathroom- just a little grumbling, and a bit of cramping. The next day, I felt ok, and... well... I had some dairy products. ... Needless to say, it caught up with me, and I have not been feeling so well. Maybe if I had stopped at the one splurge, but I guess I got greedy, or lazy, and over did it. What can I say?
I'm still learning to control my diet, and I feel this process will probably take a while. Let us hope that I will have better will power in the future.
I do have good news, though. My weight is finally on the rise. I'm back up to about 116 pounds, so that 120 mark isn't too far off. Then just 15 more pounds after that, and I'll be back to a pretty healthy weight. Yay :)
I am thankful, though, that I went out and had a good Halloween, before losing control of my diet. I went trick-or-treating this year (I'm not too old- there's a whole spill about this on my myspace page), and even though I probably can't enjoy much of the chocolate, it was a lot of fun, and people really loved my costume. I'll reveal what it was in a picture as soon as I get them on the computer. Also, I appreciate the candy is so many different ways now- the non-chocolate stuff (hard candies, gums, taffies, licorice, etc) used to be considered the crap candy. But these same candies now come to my rescue when I want something sweet- I'm even retrying the candy that I hated as a kid, to see if my taste buds have matured. But in addition, I also appreciate other aspects of the candy, like smell, and appearance. I intend on keeping the most unique and colorful wrappings and turning them into a collage. I'm also taking a bunch of old easter candy (small, hard-ish candies, like skittles and sweet tarts) and turning them into a work of art, by gluing them into place to spell something out. I'm thinking of "Don't worry, be happy!" - which I feel, being made of candy, would convey a good, lighthearted message.
Meanwhile, I'll be doing some reading and taking it easy (hopefully) for the next couple days.
So, right now, I'm on 9 mg of entocort a day, and... 4 capsules of pentasa, however many mg's that is, I don't recall. I also have tramadol (spelling?) for pain. So, I had been feeling a good bit better, but was taking 1-2 pain pills a day (still am, for that matter). I have several more weeks of entocort, and quite a while, if not forever, on pentasa. I haven't really experienced much in the way of side effects so far (thank goodness). Sadly, I can tell by the signals my body is sending me that I'm still not fully in remission.
So, in addition to my medications, I had also really been watching what I eat- until Halloween, when I decided I deserved a little treat. Now, for the past several years, it has been tradition in my family to order pizza for Halloween. But, I thought to myself "if I'm going to eat something that I probably shouldn't, I'd rather have a salad"... so salad it was. I didn't feel too bad right off- no running to the bathroom- just a little grumbling, and a bit of cramping. The next day, I felt ok, and... well... I had some dairy products. ... Needless to say, it caught up with me, and I have not been feeling so well. Maybe if I had stopped at the one splurge, but I guess I got greedy, or lazy, and over did it. What can I say?
I'm still learning to control my diet, and I feel this process will probably take a while. Let us hope that I will have better will power in the future.
I do have good news, though. My weight is finally on the rise. I'm back up to about 116 pounds, so that 120 mark isn't too far off. Then just 15 more pounds after that, and I'll be back to a pretty healthy weight. Yay :)
I am thankful, though, that I went out and had a good Halloween, before losing control of my diet. I went trick-or-treating this year (I'm not too old- there's a whole spill about this on my myspace page), and even though I probably can't enjoy much of the chocolate, it was a lot of fun, and people really loved my costume. I'll reveal what it was in a picture as soon as I get them on the computer. Also, I appreciate the candy is so many different ways now- the non-chocolate stuff (hard candies, gums, taffies, licorice, etc) used to be considered the crap candy. But these same candies now come to my rescue when I want something sweet- I'm even retrying the candy that I hated as a kid, to see if my taste buds have matured. But in addition, I also appreciate other aspects of the candy, like smell, and appearance. I intend on keeping the most unique and colorful wrappings and turning them into a collage. I'm also taking a bunch of old easter candy (small, hard-ish candies, like skittles and sweet tarts) and turning them into a work of art, by gluing them into place to spell something out. I'm thinking of "Don't worry, be happy!" - which I feel, being made of candy, would convey a good, lighthearted message.
Meanwhile, I'll be doing some reading and taking it easy (hopefully) for the next couple days.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
I <3 food!
So, one of the major changes in my life since being diagnosed (well, before actually being diagnosed, but I think you know what I mean) is the big change in diet. Diet is (usually) a big part of treating crohn's disease. This manifests itself in the low fiber, low residue diet. This ultimately means that I need to avoid whole grains, dairy, and prunes. I also have to avoid fresh fruits and veggies. But wait... I recently talked to my nutritionist and she said, with the exception of citrus fruits and pineapple, I should be able to eat other fruits, so long as they are seed and peel free. So. This excites me. Now, people with crohn's have a very individualized tolerance to different foods. Some people with crohn's don't develop a lactose intolerance (unfortunately, I have). I've heard of one person being sensitive to poultry. So what works for one, might not work for another. It's a whole long, nasty process of trial and error. But if any of the recipes I've discovered or concocted helps one other person, then I'd say it's worth it, no? Me thinks me see another blog coming on...
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Oooh, no mayo tuna...
Ok, while I'm at it, I wanted to jot this down as well. I was on the look out for a no mayo tuna salad recipe. I don't know if it was just a bad day, or if I'm sensitive to egg, I haven't figured it out yet, but in any case, who wouldn't benefit from a low-cal tuna salad? I mean, I love mayo, but I'm open to other things, and mayo isn't very good for you :P With that said, here we go.
Ingredients:
1 can chunk light tuna in water
1 clove minced garlic
1/4 of a medium yellow onion, diced
1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3 ounces italian salad dressing
1 teaspoon fresh minced basil
Directions: Mix all ingredients, and enjoy!
Tips: I don't seem to have any trouble with spices or herbs so far, and I believe I can tolerate small amounts of fresh onion and garlic. If you know you have a problem with any of these things, then leave it out, and sub something else. Can't handle fresh basil? Dry a little dried. No fresh onion for you? Maybe try a little dehydrated onion or a bit of onion powder. Do what works for you.
Try eating this on toast points, crackers, pita bread, or soft tortillas. Yum-o! Oh, and if you're into tuna melts, you could try putting it on bread, sprinkling on some soy cheese (or a low lactose cheese, if you can handle it), and baking until bubbly.
Ingredients:
1 can chunk light tuna in water
1 clove minced garlic
1/4 of a medium yellow onion, diced
1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3 ounces italian salad dressing
1 teaspoon fresh minced basil
Directions: Mix all ingredients, and enjoy!
Tips: I don't seem to have any trouble with spices or herbs so far, and I believe I can tolerate small amounts of fresh onion and garlic. If you know you have a problem with any of these things, then leave it out, and sub something else. Can't handle fresh basil? Dry a little dried. No fresh onion for you? Maybe try a little dehydrated onion or a bit of onion powder. Do what works for you.
Try eating this on toast points, crackers, pita bread, or soft tortillas. Yum-o! Oh, and if you're into tuna melts, you could try putting it on bread, sprinkling on some soy cheese (or a low lactose cheese, if you can handle it), and baking until bubbly.
Low/no lactoseTiramisu
So, because of my new found difficulty in eating various foods, I was (and still am) going through a phase of feeling depressed about all of the stuff I can't eat and all of the stuff that I may, in the future, be unable to eat. But I am working on devising yummy things that I can eat. I hope that it becomes a creative outlet, and I hope to share my recipes and ideas with others suffering from the same issues. My very first recipe that I have concocted (not yet tried, but will soon) is a low/no lactose Tiramisu. For those of you that don't already know, Tiramisu is an Italian dessert that contains coffee of sorts. I believe Tiramisu means "pick me up". But anywho, I saw a recipe for it that sounded super easy, and I changed things around to suite me. So here goes.
Ingredients:
1 cup of your favorite coffee (make sure it's something that you can tolerate. For example, flavored coffees would be great, but read the ingredients). If caffiene irritates you, try decaf.
12 crushed vanilla wafer cookies, sugar cookies, or ladyfingers. Choose whichever suites you. I know there is at least one roll of sugar cookie dough that you slice and bake yourself that is dairy free. Also, the pillsbury sugar cookies (for halloween) are dairy free as well.
1 cup or so of Coolwhip, thawed (MUST BE COOLWHIP BRAND! This is important. Again, double check your labels, but the generic brands I have encountered contain dairy products, whereas the Coolwhip brand dous not)
Garnish of choice- If you can tolerate the slightest bit of chocolate, try just a little of grated chocolate or chocolate sprinkles. If not, try a little cinnamon or another sweet spice. Or be creative. I have problems with milk chocolate, but reading the back of the cocoa pebbles box, I discovered that it doesn't contain dairy, and I eat it just fine. So perhaps crushed up cocoa pebbles? lol.
Directions: Place crushed cookies or wafers into bowl, pour in coffee, and allow to soak for 2 minutes. When done soaking, carefully scoop a bit into the bottoms of parfait glasses or serving dish of choice. Top with a layer of coolwhip. Then add another layer of cookies/wafers, and then another layer of coolwhip, and so on, until dish is full. Top with garnish and serve.
Tips: For extra flavor, try adding an extract into the coffee or coolwhip. For example, if you're ok with cocoa, try getting a chocolate accented coffee, and add a little orange extract into the cool whip. Chocolate and orange, yum-o.
Once again, I have not yet tested this recipe, but I will post an update about it when I do.
Ingredients:
1 cup of your favorite coffee (make sure it's something that you can tolerate. For example, flavored coffees would be great, but read the ingredients). If caffiene irritates you, try decaf.
12 crushed vanilla wafer cookies, sugar cookies, or ladyfingers. Choose whichever suites you. I know there is at least one roll of sugar cookie dough that you slice and bake yourself that is dairy free. Also, the pillsbury sugar cookies (for halloween) are dairy free as well.
1 cup or so of Coolwhip, thawed (MUST BE COOLWHIP BRAND! This is important. Again, double check your labels, but the generic brands I have encountered contain dairy products, whereas the Coolwhip brand dous not)
Garnish of choice- If you can tolerate the slightest bit of chocolate, try just a little of grated chocolate or chocolate sprinkles. If not, try a little cinnamon or another sweet spice. Or be creative. I have problems with milk chocolate, but reading the back of the cocoa pebbles box, I discovered that it doesn't contain dairy, and I eat it just fine. So perhaps crushed up cocoa pebbles? lol.
Directions: Place crushed cookies or wafers into bowl, pour in coffee, and allow to soak for 2 minutes. When done soaking, carefully scoop a bit into the bottoms of parfait glasses or serving dish of choice. Top with a layer of coolwhip. Then add another layer of cookies/wafers, and then another layer of coolwhip, and so on, until dish is full. Top with garnish and serve.
Tips: For extra flavor, try adding an extract into the coffee or coolwhip. For example, if you're ok with cocoa, try getting a chocolate accented coffee, and add a little orange extract into the cool whip. Chocolate and orange, yum-o.
Once again, I have not yet tested this recipe, but I will post an update about it when I do.
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