Drowsiness May Occur

Hey all!

For the past few weeks I have been battling the season's finest. Sore throat, cough, fever, headache, runny nose... I'm practically a walking list-o-symptoms on the DayQuil commercials.  All of this is pretty tolerable. 

Until, that is, I forget to keep hydrated. I'm not sure I have been so miserable since the peak of my illness as when I am sick and dehydrated. Dehydration is serious and dangerous for anyone. 

An ostomate has to be especially careful about hydration. Remember, the colon is the organ that absorbs the water out of a person's diet. Without a colon my body doesn't get all of the fluids from the foods I eat as easily, which brings on dehydration much faster. 

So, friends, drink lots and lots of water! 

Birthdays and Snow

Hey all! Just thought I would pop by with a short update!

Crohn's and Colitis Awareness Week was great! I loved seeing so many interesting articles on Facebook and so many people coming out and talking about their illness. Did you learn anything new?

Another fun part of last week was Mancub's birthday! While he slept we decorated the kitchen table with Mickey Mouse decorations so when he woke up he had a wonderful surprise! His happy little face was the most beautiful thing! He and I went to see Disney's Frozen, which he loved. That night the whole family took him to Chuck E Cheese!

I am so blessed to have this child. At the peak of my illness I was terrified of losing him. He is my reason to keep going, to keep fighting, to better myself every single day.

In other news, it's SNOWING! I love snow. I think it is magical and beautiful. However, I do not like that it makes driving difficult and cancels our holiday ostomy support group meeting! Rats!

THIS is What I'm Talking About!!!

Hey all!

Some great news in the ostomy community! Finally, some positive light shown on someone with an ostomy!

I don't normally watch Tosh.o. When I heard he was featuring an ostomate, I was intrigued. And, to be frank, a little scared. I like to think I have a good sense if humor but I wasn't sure I could handle someone like Daniel Tosh making fun of someone with an ostomy. It is one of those things, to me, that you can make jokes if you have experienced it or are close to it somehow. My illness is not fodder for your comedy! 

So, I took a deep breath and started the episode.

 I have to say, I owe Daniel Tosh a huge apology. The segment is fun and informative and pretty funny!
And, hats off to Laura for sharing and putting herself out there to share her story! 

In case you missed it. Check it out here! Let me know what YOU think.

Also, to view Laura's videos on YouTube you can find those here. She is so sweet and gives great information and tips. 

Crohn's and Colitis Awareness Week!

Crohn's and Colitis Awareness Week is in full swing!

What do President Eisenhower, Shannon Doherty and Mike McCready have in common?
The same thing they have in common with me! We all have/had Crohn's disease.

Crohn's disease is one form of IBD, or Inflammatory Bowel Disease. IBD can affect any or all parts of the digestive tract from mouth to anus. Crohn's Disease is literally the body attacking itself, causing dangerous and painful inflammation. There is no known cause or cure. Symptoms include diarrhea, fever, sores, fatigue... these are just a few.

My experience with Crohn's Disease is recent and resulted in the need for an emergency surgery but this is not the norm.

Please, take the time this week to talk to someone with IBD. (I'm always available!) Talk to someone *about* IBD. Join or follow a Facebook group or Twitter page for more information and education.