11/14/11

Happy Healing.

so, for those of you who know me really well, you know that i have a disease called crohns. i have had it since i can honestly remember. i don't really remember life without it. i got it when i was 11. i actually am grateful it happened that way because i hadn't really gotten in any bad habits yet when it came to food. other than the fact that i loved meat and cheese. but thanks to turkey products, i haven't really felt like I've missed out on a whole lot. :) i am grateful for that.
recently and unfortunately, i have been out of remission. about a month after i got married i started having severe problems again. part of me counts this a blessing as well...its a lot easier to be sick when you have such an AMAZING support system and someone so willing to take care of you. my family always did an amazing job, but living on my own made it that much harder and discouraging when i got sick. i am blessed that i married someone so compassionate and willing to take on such a trial and expense. but enough about him, we all know i adore him...now on to the purpose of this post.
the drug i am on, remicade, is roughly 5,200 dollars every eight weeks injected via IV. insurance does its part, but not to the extent that makes it anywhere near being affordable. it has been such a blessing in my life to have this medication, but all good things must come to an end....and its not doing the job it once was. being that it is so expensive, and not working like it should, i don't want to be throwing out the money it takes to keep it in me.
I've been working really hard and trying to train myself to eat healthier and lead a more active lifestyle (as i sit and blog hahha) it seems to really be improving my lifestyle and health levels. my goal is to be off meds by the end of 2012...wish me luck!!
now, down to business, i wanted to share with you some of the tips i have been using in an attempt that you may feel motivated to better your life.
WHOLE FOODS! not processed, not canned, not fried, baked or boiled. raw veggies, raw fruits...no additives. EVERY morning mike and i drink a green smoothie. you've probably heard the hype. they're popping up everywhere and our house is not the exception. we don't use any sort of special ingredients or organic foods. its just water, spinach (lots) blend. banana. blend. frozen, no sugar added, frozen fruit. blend. the flavor and color may be a little bit hard for some of you to get over, but keep it going. you'll start to CRAVE them. i cant wait to get home from work sometimes to make another one. if you have a Costco card you can get a HUGE bag of spinach for four bucks. bananas aren't too pricey when you shop local produce and frozen fruit at Costco can run cheap too. however, the health benefits are priceless!
cilantro. if you have digestive problems, i suggest you try this. i suffer from something called flair ups due to my crohns and the other night was making me suffer beyond belief. i was googling whole foods that acted as an anti inflammatory and cilantro popped up. i had some in my fridge, so i popped some straight in my mouth, chewed it to a pulp and swallowed...its not the flavor of potato chips by any means, but within ten minutes my pain in my tummy was GONE. and not just gone to the point where it was bearable, i mean, i felt nothing when i twisted turned or bent. it was gone. i was amazed.
i have slowly gotten into this health nut thing, but wont lie, in moderation, i am all for cakes cookies and sweets. i think there is room for all of gods great creations. ;) but for an already distressed body, i have turned to the green side, and haven't felt this good in ages. i know this is a lengthy post and don't blame y'all if you only got through the first sentence, but i felt like i had to share and try and help change lives like i have changed mine...try out this site for starters...http://www.healwithfood.org/.its AMAZING how all whole foods have some sort of benefit to your body...red onions for example, have more health benefits then i ever would have thought..colon cancer fighting? for real? red onions? ...and i love them in my salad! who knew they were good for me too!! explore! i beg you!! change your health! you wont regret it!!

til next time!

2 comments:

  1. Hey, so I'm familiar with infliximab, the non commercial name of that drug. But in school they mostly just said it was for psoriasis. But it's sad since it's a biologic (they took it from an animal and didn't genetically tweek it) so it looks like its not going off patent anytime soon! Sorry it's so expensive! I'm glad you're working on your diet! I've learned to ignore what dieticians say and listen to what my body tells me is healthy. Everyone's different and diet studies change their results twice a year! Take care!

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  2. i have been on it for nearly 6 years...the expense it the hardest part...but when it works, it works. my body isnt nearly as receptive as it once was, therefore, i am going to try and get things taken care of natually. thanks for reading the post. its fun getting messages from strangers. :) makes me feel like my blog isnt just for my own entertainment. :)

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