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Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Don't Take your Health or Love for Granted

Disclaimer: This post is not meant to host a pity party.
This post is not all sunshine and roses.
As upbeat and positive as I want this blog to be, 
I equally want it to be real. Thanks.
Dear Crohn's Disease:
I hate you.
I don't hate many things, but you are one that I loathe.
You make days that could be good, turn bad.
You cast an evil spell over the one person 
who means more to me than anything that walks this earth.
You've ruined 4th of Julys.
You've ruined some wonderful meals.
You've made me miss my girls night.
Worst of all, you've caused such pain and suffering, in my love,
I can't bear to watch him go through it.
I thank God daily that our wedding and honeymoon were not affected by
your hideous effects and awful atrocities.
You've taken away the ability for those affected by this disease to enjoy
caffeine.
Can any of you imagine a world without 
Coffee?
Espresso?
Iced tea?
Red Bull?
What about soda?
No carbonation.
No Champagne. 
No pop.
No bubbly water.
No alcohol.
No wine.
No Vodka.
No Jack & Cokes.
I know these aren't good in high doses,
but even a 'once in awhile' really causes such problems, 
to him it's not worth the risk.
He has to take caution in every bite.
I try so hard to control everything that goes into his mouth,
but it's so hard to judge,
when is too much?
So many questions...
Will this fruit bother him?
How many veggies can he eat and be ok?
How long should I cook the veggies?
Should he even eat the vegetables?
My man LOVES vegetables.
You name it, he'd eat it, if he could.
Which sucks, because I know people 
who don't eat vegetables because they don't like them.
How evil.
Corn on the cob.
Such a simple and silly summer staple.
He can't have an entire ear of corn.
He gets violently ill.
Can I cook with wheat or will it trigger something?
Can I leave a bowl of cherries on the counter without him devouring them all?
Can he have Chia seeds in his salad?
Sesame seeds on our sushi rolls?
Pumpkin seeds?
Will it be passed along to our children one day?
Can we have children?
We've all had our fair of stomach aches and pains.
I don't have Crohn's, but I can tell you, it's described as
"A disease that doesn't kill you, but makes you wish you were dead."
As my eyes fill with tears, as I type this post, I can't help but
wish there were something I could do.
Pray it's not a long bout of a flare up.
I will say that my menu will change and we will be eating more pasta...
for some reason his body digests that so well.
If you've been reading my blog for awhile, you may know that one of the
reasons why I chose to stay home from teaching this year, was to see if we'd
{hubs, dogs, home, me}
would be better off if I were here full time.
Up til now, it had been working like a charm.
Sadie has had no seizures, and Joe had no flare-ups.
I also looked back through at the last 2 times he was ill;
both fell on the first of the month.
Oddly, his "last few days" of each month are most stressful in the car business.
Late nights, not a ton of down time or sleep.
Late night meals.
I will take this into account and hope he recovers from this quickly.
His worst flare up was when he turned 21.
He lived in Boston and worked crazy hours making that cheddar.
He was 120 lbs.
He's 6'2
He was almost dead.
Thank God he some how pulled through and made it home 
and was nursed back to health.
Because of this experience, he has learned to really live life to its fullest.
He doesn't take life for granted.
He's never in a bad mood or grumpy for no reason.
He works harder than most people I know, and I take my job
as "Just a Housewife" seriously.
I try to run the house by myself, cook, clean, organize, etc.
So he doesn't have to.
So when he's laying in pain,
I feel so helpless.
Since we've met, we've made many changes to keep him healthy.
He also decided to go off all his prescription medicines so we can one day
have a family, a healthy family.
I've been wanting to do a post on what we are doing holistically to keep him healthy.
Well, I'll tell you, not eating a large meal before bed is one way.
The hard thing with CD is that every person is so different.
Each body reacts to foods so uniquely. 
It's really all about trial 
and unfortunately, error.
We take our health seriously and it breaks my heart my love is in so much pain.
Instead of silly favors at our wedding that most people throw away anyway 
I hope that one day they figure out what truly causes this.
I truly believe it's our food; processed shit that wasn't nature made.
If you're still with me, lovely readers, and you have an extra prayer laying around,
please send positive thoughts our way.
I'll be trying to get Gatorade to stay down him, and keep our dogs quiet...
Two very tricky tasks...sigh.
What do you do when your loved ones are sick?
And there's not a damn thing you can do about it.
Enjoy your coffee and take care of your health.
It's the only body you've got for the rest of your life.

26 comments:

  1. Let this be a reminder to all of us to not take our loved ones' health for granted! Everyone who reads your blog knows that you are a wonderful wife and homemaker--a true superwoman! Thanks for sharing your story. It may not be happy, but it's real.

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  2. wow reading this makes me very thankful for my health and i don't have to look over my shoulder all the time. it must be horrible to have CD and i certainly won't take my health for granted anymore after reading this jenn

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  3. I just saw a commercial about Crohn's the other night and I didn't even know what it was. I am so sorry you and your hubby are dealing with this. What a terrible thing. I will say an extra prayer for you guys.

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  4. Both my cousin and my uncle have Crohn's and it's so sad to see how differently it affects each person. My cousin for example got surgery about 4 years ago because his got so bad; however, he now is able to eat almost anything. My uncle is not nearly as bad as your husband but still has to be careful.

    Knowing someone that has this disease definitely makes me want there to be some sort of cute for it in the near future. I will keep your husband in my prayers!

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  5. Wow what a terrible disease. She is so lucky to have you take such good care of him. I hope they are working on a cure and your hubby goes with out flare ups. :( Hugs.

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  6. Wow, how sad to read. One of my best friend's husband has something very similar to this disease and they couldn't diagnose what it was and my friend was already pregnant during this! They've had to change everything they do. I feel for them and I feel for you too. It sounds like you are a very strong person though and your husband is so lucky to have you.

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  7. What a great post. My husbands aunt and her son have it. He was about 18 when he was diagnosed. He is not as bad as his mom but she definetly has to watch what she eats. Meat for her is the worst. Though I know sometimes she eats it just to have the taste. I can't imagine, but I wish you and your hubby happiness. You are in each others lives for a reason. Hugs, Dusty

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  8. I think I remember a post from a looooong time ago about his CD. I immediately had empathy because my boyfriend -- the love of my life -- has Ulcerative Colitis (UC) and was struggling badly the last two years. Thankfully he seems to be leaps and bounds better now; however, it changes everyday as you must know.

    Have you heard of/read/bought the book "Breaking The Vicious Cycle" by Elaine Gloria Gottschall [ http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info/ ] if not -- you really should.

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  9. So sory you are dealing with this, praying for better health and good vibes coming to you and your hubby :-)

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  10. Hey girl! I am so sorry your hubby isn't feeling well! I actually didn't know what Chron's was until I read this. I can only imagine how horrible it is for him! I'll be praying for y'all! Please let him know NMC and I are thinking about him (and you of course!)

    xo Julia

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  11. Wow. What a debilitating disease, I've never even heard of it! I hope he is able to regain his health soon, that sounds like a tough thing to have to deal with day in & day out.. How did he get diagnosed? Does everything make him ill? I should probably research this more myself but wow.. this is heartbreaking to hear about.

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  12. Oh COURSE we have prayers for you. How horrible for your hubby - I had no idea he was going through this! You are such a devoted, caring wife. This brought tears to my eyes at how loving you are. He is so lucky to have you!
    My prayers are with you both, always!

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  13. Reading this brought tears to my eyes. Your hubby is so lucky to have someone as loving as you!

    Sending prayers and positive thoughts your way - stay strong! <3

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  14. I completely understand where you are coming from. My boyfriend of 6 years has UC. He has tried different diets, tracking what he eats, when he gets flare ups, but you're right that it's different for everyone. It effects so much of life. All I can truly do is support him, comfort him, try to give him what he needs to eat, just take care of him in any way...

    You're amazing for all you do for him!! :)

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  15. wow girl i know it took a lot for you to write something like this and i really will keep him (and you) in my prayers. i cant imagine a life so different simply based on foods and health...you are two very strong people :)

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  16. This breaks my heart! Sending love and prayers your way.

    Love you, pretty lady!

    xo,
    Ash

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  17. Wow Jenn this post really touched me. My father has suffered from Colitis since he was in his early twenties. I can totally relate to the effects: him staying home instead of coming to eat out or get ice cream with the family, rearranged vacation plans, unexpected stops in awkward places, uneasy car rides. There is the seeing him in pain. Seeing him go through treatment after treatment and only getting worse. Knowing that my own issues could be related to what my dad has. I feel for you and your husband. It sounds like you are doing an amazing job, such a support for him! But really it's not easy on anyone involved. Wish there was more we could do for our loved ones. Prayers for you both <3

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  18. Lots of hugs, prayers, love and positive energy coming your way from me to you and your hubby! I have Celiac and it's very similar that it has a different reaction for all of those that have it. I understand his pain and I can tell that together you two can conquere it. Any kind of support you need, your bloggies are here for you! xoxo

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  19. My dad has Crohn's and has had it for over 10 years. It's a scary disease and can be SOO scary if something goes wrong!! I'll keep your hubby (and you!) in my prayers :)

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  20. Reading this makes me very thankful for my health. I think our health is one of those things we take for granted until we are sick. Hoping and praying for both of you, stay strong!

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  21. I can't imagine going through that. You are so strong and everyone needs a vent/pity session. So grateful for my health on this day!

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  22. ohh hun...bless your alls hearts. sending good thoughts and prayers to you and your hubby. hang in there! cleary you are one tough cookie.

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  23. A friend of mine (one of our groomsmen) just found out he has Crohn's Disease 2 months ago. He got insanely sick, was in the hospital for 2 weeks before they figured out what it was. It is very bizarre because he was the healthiest person I knew - never got sick, I don't think I ever even saw him with a cold. It really does make you realize you can't take your health for granted. I'm sending good vibes your guys way! Hope your hubby starts feeling better!

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  24. this was obviously lovingly written. thank you for showing us how important it is to be grateful.

    http://forallthatjas.blogspot.com/

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  25. Reading this immediately brought tears to my eyes. I can't imagine what your husband or you are going through. I will keep your husband & you in my prayers, stay strong!

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  26. Highlighted this amazing post on my blog's Lost of Link Love post!

    http://inarowe.blogspot.com/2012/02/lots-of-link-love.html

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