improve my health

only a few rough days in the past 5-6 weeks… not perfect, but why complain :) That’s of course, considering that I’ve been taking steroids to let my system calm down. For the first few weeks I was pretty much back to normal (well, except that I had to remember to take 12-14 pills a day! Oh, and they have mentioned a suspicious “false sense of well-being” in the possible side effects!)... have tapered down the in-take in the last weeks, and I’m not sure where exactly I am (sometimes I get confused whether some of the discomforts are the accumulated side effects or glimpses of what’s to come after I stop taking these).

Something strange is also happening that I can’t quite explain… while taking Prednisone, first I got acne like a teenager, and then a mild allergic reaction to synthetic leather that I haven’t had since I was 5! I wonder if I’m going back in time! _{There is no “case of Benjamin Button” in the official list of side effects, of course.}

to start keeping a diary of the food I eat, which I find to be a difficult thing to do… neither cared about food nor noticed what I take up to now, so it’d be a big change to keep track of every detail. I’m not sure whether it’s better to take note of the ingredients or the higher-level combination… (what if A is safe, and B is safe, but A+B is not!)

I guess I’ll jot down everything for now, and then it’ll be another day’s painful task to figure out what’s safe and what’s not.

9/7/2009

- Whole grain bagel and cream cheese spread (seems safe)
- Water (safe!)
- Roast beef sandwich [roast beef cuts, greens, onions, provolone cheese, tomatoes, potato chips, sour dough bread, and some random zesty sauce] (yummy and probably safe!)
- Green tea (suspicious!) _{For heaven’s sake, it’s tea! The ‘Nutrition facts’ says 0% everything! :)}
- Yogurt (undecided!)

Compassionist made a comment the other day about chronic pain making people self-centered… I guess it’s true. In the short term, of course, I’ll try to remove the pain, and make it a non-issue. But I have to also think about some other way to accept it and perhaps get detached from it, if it’s going to last long.

I’ve got a diagnosis, and the verdict is… drum roll, please… Crohn’s disease. Had it not been for Segsy’s story, it would’ve freaked me out, but now I know what the problem is, and have to find a way to deal with it, like any other day of life, right? Besides, I think the episodes of remission and relapse suits my slightly bipolar personality well! :) I’m actually relieved that the uncertainty is over… even better, now I have doctor’s orders to eat well, sleep well, play, and relax :)

“Do you have someone in the family with the same condition?” My doctor asks. “No,” I said, and I’m sorry doctor for disappointing you and messing up your statistics, I thought. On second thoughts, my dad might have it, but it’s hard to tell, because he never complains… about anything _{unlike me!} :)

up and went for a 3-mile group run this morning, and now it’s my first pain-free day in a month or so. It might be all inside my head, but, eh, I take it!

I have also been experimenting to find a less aggravating diet, and now I think I’m getting there… a diet that includes burritos, grapes, yogurt, cashew, and cranberry lemonade! It’s a weird combination, I know, but it works, and I’m not changing it… at least not until next week when I go in for more tests.

All that said, the grant proposal was submitted on Friday, so the improvements might be just the normal consequence of reduced stress.

1. Medical care: The (now chronic) abdominal pain… after a whole bunch of tests, my usual doctor couldn’t figure out what was causing the pain, so he referred me to a specialist. I have not contacted the specialist yet, though… should do this soon. Also, minor issues with calcium and red blood count… neither serious nor urgent, but these have to be taken care of too.

2. Food: Have been eating only sporadically lately. Besides, have been forcing my body to toughen up and deal with whatever junk I consume. Both are rather inappropriate behaviors. Have to pay attention to the quality and regularity of what I eat.

3. Exercise: Not much done lately… probably the side-effect of the other two above… I like running and playing soccer and volleyball… don’t have to force myself to do these, just need the time (and energy) by giving them a higher priority.