Duty Calls...

I am going to the National MSTP conference in Keystone, CO until next Monday. So no blogging for a while. But training will continue, don't worry! I'm still going to rock the Urbanathlon (I think). Send me good vibes for a safe trip!

Holla! (Vol. 2)

To continue the "Holla!" part of my website (where I talk about people who make my life with Crohn's easier), I am going to profile the one-and-only love of my life, my wife.



My wife, as regular readers of this blog know either first-hand or have intimated from previous posts, is named Eileen. Eileen and I met in medical school at the University of Chicago and completed our first two years of medical education together. After second year, Eileen went on to the clinic and finished up in 2006, when she became a doctor (or Suga Mama, M.D., to me. See picture above). She is currently in her second year as a Pediatrics resident at the University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital, where she does an outstanding job taking care of sick kids, and comes home every night with a request to adopt a new baby. Having a child will happen someday, probably sooner than I think, but I would like to finish most of my medical education and have at least one degree before I am responsible for someone else.


Eileen is Korean. There's really no point to me telling you this, except that I think it's cool that we are both children of immigrants. I never thought that when I grew up I would create a Swiss/Korean alliance, but I think it's awesome. My mom thinks it's awesome, too, because she thinks half-white, half-Asian babies are super cute (she has placed a request for a granddaughter from us). And most people thinks it's awesome because they think Eileen is awesome. To the right is a picture of us from our wedding.

Here are some of the things that make Eileen awesome to me:

1) She is a total babe. If she were a president, she'd be Baberaham Lincoln.
2) She's really smart. She's a doctor!
3) She likes a lot of the same things that I do: traveling, eating, cooking, running and watching movies, to a name a few.
4) She's really clean. She has a tendency to leave York Peppermint Patty wrappers on our couch, but other than that our place is super neat and orderly, and she keeps me in line so that I don't turn the place into a mess (Mom would be proud).



Oh, this is supposed to be a Crohn's related post? Almost forgot it's not just me telling the world why I love my wife. So yeah, it's totally sweet that I was lucky enough to marry someone with these qualities, but the list as a whole is admittedly a little superficial.

Do I love my wife for other, deeper reasons? You betcha.

1) Whenever I am sick, she takes care of me. I don't get sick very often, but Eileen is always there to comfort me, to think of ways to make me better and to pick up the slack when I am too tired to do anything.
2) She doesn't make me feel bad about my Crohn's. I know this is kinda like, duh, because what kind of a spouse makes their significant other feel bad about having a chronic disease? But I have some unfortunate consequences of my Crohn's, including bad gas from time to time, and Eileen never makes me feel bad about it. My family has experienced this unfortunate side effect when we are home to visit, and their response is "Whoa! Eileen is a saint for putting up with that!" And she is. Amen.
3) She encourages me to be active and live a normal life.
4) She participates in my GIRF things...she was my training partner for the marathon, comes to our Associate's Board party and Dr. Rubin's patient education seminars, and encourages me to support a wonderful organization.
5) Most importantly: No matter what, she always makes me feel loved.

OK, we're heading into personal, cheesy territory, so I'm going to cut this post short. But I'm still going to leave a parting message (either heart-warming or gross, depending on your level of cynicism and tolerance for public displays of affection):

Eileen, marrying you was the best thing that ever happened to me. You are the love of my life and the reason I can approach each day with optimism and contentment. Thank you for always standing by my side. I love you.

Holla!

Training: July 22, 2007

Today I ran 10 miles. I was excited because I have now broken into the double digits in terms of mileage, and I also felt really good the entire run. I think it took me about 1 hour 20 minutes (I don't know for sure because I don't run with a watch--it makes me hysterical and the run a little less fun, although I will probably start using one every now and then, just to push myself), so holding 8 minute miles for a training run is good, for me anyway.

Toward the end of my run, however, I was put in a dark mood. At mile 8 all of a sudden I hear this "whoa, whoa" behind me. My subconscious brain said to me "There is a biker behind you and he is about to run you over"...so I took a quick step to the right and narrowly avoided being bike roadkill. It was a little less dramatic than it sounds, but I was annoyed because 1) I almost suffered bodily harm and 2) why can't people realize that they aren't the only ones on the path? This gentleman (I'll be kind) was biking and jabbering his mouth off to the buddy with whom he was riding and neglected to pay attention to a small detail--the path in front of him. And more specifically, me running on the path in front of him. I'd say he at least had the presence of mind to make some noise so I knew he was behind me, but clearly he was just freaked out and that was what I heard. Hey, if I'm in your way, I'm all for stepping aside--bikes are faster than legs and it's easier to take a step to the side than to navigate a bike around someone. But warning would be nice.

To expunge my dark mood (actually, I felt better once I got home and went to church, but I'm sort of getting myself worked up again thinking about it), I'm going to list some Lakefront Path etiquette that would be nice for people to mind:

1) Watch where you're going. The world doesn't actually revolve around you, so don't expect that everyone will magically move out of your way (FYI: I need to remind myself of this more than I care to admit, too).
2) Stay on the right side of the path. The reason elementary schools tell kids to walk on the right side of the hall is so that they get used to being on the right side (for driving, for instance) for the rest of their lives.
3) If you need to cross the path (for instance, to get from a parking lot to the beach), look both ways before stepping onto it! The path is probably more dangerous than most major roads.
3b) This goes double for your kids. Please watch them, keep them in line, and remind them that the path is not a place for them to play.
4) If you are going to go for a run, please leave your Starbucks coffee at home. You wouldn't believe how many people I see doing this. Drinking a diuretic while you are running--ok, these people are mostly just walking kinda on the faster side, but they have better running gear on than I do--is not a good idea. Though caffeine may reduce muscle soreness after strenuous exercise . But the key word is AFTER (and "may." The study is probably too small to be meaningful).
5) If someone waves at you, or says good morning, be polite and at least nod your head in acknowledgement. The world's not all bad, is it?

Oh, my righteous indignation! Hey, the world's not perfect and I realize that everyone has their days. And I can do better with #1-5 myself. But if everyone just put forth a little more effort...ya know?

OK. I feel way better now.

Coming out of the Bathroom

One of the choices that everyone with IBD must make is how and when (if at all) to tell people of their condition. This can be a decision that makes IBD sufferers feel frustrated, ashamed, confused and in the end, hopefully relieved. But everyone has to decide for themselves how they want to "come out of the bathroom" to family, friends, co-workers, and love interests (aka future husbands and wives).

I decided for myself that I would just tell people straight up what was going on with me and my Crohn's. I'd like to say that it's only because I am super secure with myself and that I really just don't care what people think--if my IBD is too much of a problem, then I won't waste my time with them. But I think that mostly I am quick to disclose my condition because I can't be bothered coming up with excuses or having to deal with questions/whispers/etc. about why I have to go to the bathroom a lot or why I might suddenly lose a noticeable amount of weight.

Before I go on, I just want to make one thing clear: I'm a pretty open person in general, but it's not like when I meet someone I introduce myself and then say "Hey! I have Crohn's Disease, too!" I'm not a complete nutjob. What I'm referring to is informing people that I will (hopefully) have a longterm relationship with what the deal is upfront, so that we're all on the same page--whether it be a girlfriend, co-workers, etc. This has worked out pretty well for me. For instance, one of the biggest problems that I have with my Crohn's is that I have a lot of gas (or flatus, in medicalese). I know it's not the most polite thing to talk about, but imagine if you have to work around it! On certain days (it isn't that common) the people that I work with in lab should really be canonized for sainthood...but they know why I have the problems that I do and they deal with it and don't make me feel bad about it, loving me anyway (as well as plugging their noses. Again, sorry if I'm getting a little vivid).

In general, though, I think that people need to be more upfront about the condition that they have, instead of hiding it. This relieves them of their shame, and also helps educate others. As I alluded in an earlier post, the incidence of Crohn's and other forms of IBD is rising worldwide, and people need to be aware of it--in terms of making restrooms more available to IBD sufferers, being more compassionate when someone gets ill or needs to interrupt a meeting/get-together for an (all too frequent) bathroom break, etc. I think part of the problem is that our society has a big time hangup with anything remotely related to eating and processing food, so we don't like to talk about it. But that's exactly what we need to do.

Telling Eileen I had Crohn's was relatively easy because I think she knew it before we even started dating (I'll ask to make sure). I actually told my medschool class about my CD very early on, because it came out in a Clinical Skills class we had. We had to interview a "standardized patient", basically an actor who plays the part of someone with a disease. Well, this actor was supposed to have Crohn's Disease, and in my effort to NURS (Name, Understand, Respect, Support) this standardized patient, I mentioned that I had the disease too and so I could empathize with their difficulties. I wasn't sure I was supposed to do that (obviously it's all about the patient, not the doctor), but I went ahead and did it because I thought it would be a good discussion point for the class (we watched videos of our interviews together). Basically our class decided that it was okay to drop information like that as a physician if you are 1) comfortable doing so and 2) not making it all about your problems. Obviously it is helpful in engendering some doctor/patient trust. But, like all powerful tools, it must be used judiciously. Anyhow, this is a long way of saying that Eileen basically already knew that I had Crohn's and didn't care, which is good. I think in a way it has ended up making her love me more (if it's even possible!), because she will always have a very special way of taking care of me that nobody else can. :)

So, if you have IBD and are comfortable with it, tell the people who surround you every day about your condition. The more we talk about it, the less we have to be ashamed or worried about damaging consequences. If nothing else, it will make you feel better not to carry the burden of your disease alone. And I imagine you'll find (like I did) that if anything, most people want to go out of their way to help you.

On an only moderate tangent: I was reading Newsweek and found an interesting article about dating websites for people who have a medical condition and are worried about the "big reveal" concerning their problem. If you have CD or any other disease, have anxiety about telling potential girlfriends/boyfriends, but are still looking for love (and darn it, you should be), these might be places to start! Note, however, that I have no experience with either. I found my honey in medical school.

For people with Crohn's and Irritable Bowel Syndrome: http://www.irritatedbeingsingle.com
(Totally dig the punny name)

For people with medical conditions in general:
www.Prescription4Love.com
(I don't know about the name of this site; it sounds like a bad reality TV show. But hey, it's the intent, not the name, that counts)

Memories (Vol.1)

This is the part of my blog where I discuss a memory that is somehow Crohn's related (I have a bunch of good ones planned, so don't worry...these aren't going to be installations detailing the minutiae of my last trip to the gastroenterologist).

Today I'm going to start with a very happy memory: running the 2005 Chicago Marathon.

This "doing a sporting event to raise money for GIRF" thing is not new to me. In October 2005, Eileen and I ran the Chicago Marathon, and in the process I raised over $2000 for GIRF via donations from family and friends. An extra special thank you again needs to go to everyone who donated, but especially to my parents and their extensive network of friends (who, in essence, have served as my adoptive aunts and uncles since my extended family lives in Switzerland). You were all so generous, and I am still thankful for the support you gave me leading up to and on the day of the Marathon (and since)!

So, the Marathon was a really incredible experience. It was 26.2 miles through most Chicago neighborhoods, and it was such a great way to see the city. The coolest thing about the race was that you really got to see the different characters of Chicago neighborhoods. Running by the skyscrapers downtown, listening to techno music and seeing men in drag in Boystown, getting distracted by the traditional Mexican dancers in their bright-colored dresses in Pilsen, being offered sliced oranges from small kids in Chinatown--it was as though the city put all its (best) faces forward that day to support the runners and (especially at the end) help you fight through the pain (The picture above is taken at around mile 13, right smack in the middle of the Loop. That's Eileen in the lower right-hand corner).

The race itself went relatively well. Eileen and I had run up to 22 miles during our training, and we had been told (as marathon virgins) that our adrenaline would push us through the final 4.2 miles on race day. This basically held true for Eileen, but was an outright lie for me. At approximately mile 22, I thought that I was going to collapse. I stopped at every Gatorade station, held back my wife from finishing strong (I needed someone to throw me over their back and carry me in case I fell over) and just had a general sense of malaise for the last 45 minutes or so of the race. It's actually quite funny when you look at my times because we were holding about 7 min 30 second miles for the first 16 miles, and then they started creeping up to 8/8:30...and from 22 on it was all over 10 minutes/mile. In the end, I didn't care, because I crossed the finish line and did what I set out to do. And in case anyone was wondering, we finished the marathon in 3 hrs 49 minutes (Eileen beat me by a few seconds--which separated us by like 40 people in the standings(!)), but Eileen would have been even faster if I hadn't been the ol' ball and chain. Hey, that's the way love goes, folks!

When we finished, Eileen thought I didn't look so good--apparently I was even whiter than I normally am, with a nice tint of green to my complexion. But lots of food and water later, I felt better. However, I was left with one thing to ponder: what is up with the people who run 26.2 miles and then can head straight to the Miller truck to down free beers? That is some hardcore training, people.

The next week was pretty painful on the joints; my marathon-seasoned friend Holly told me that it would be much easier on my knees if I would walk backwards down the stairs, and boy was she ever right (keep this tidbit of info handy should you ever run a marathon)! Other than that, though, long-term pain was pretty minor.

Here are the lessons I learned from the marathon:

1) You can do anything if you decide you are going to. I had never run any sort of race before (I am, and always will be, a water baby), but I figured I might as well start with a marathon. It required a lot of training, a lot of early mornings, and a lot of convincing myself to get out of bed--but it was worth it. If you have a goal--to learn a language or to play an instrument, to run a marathon or fly a plane--go for it! You'll be glad you did.
2) Doing things with someone you love is a lot more fun. I never would have finished if I didn't have Eileen as a training and race partner.
3) Men need to put band-aids or athletic tape or some other similar substance over their nipples if they run long distances. Otherwise, they will bleed and be subject to infection (this happened to me).
4) Chicago is an even cooler city than I thought.
5) The world is full of extremely generous people (see the first part of this post).

When I think about my Marathon experience, it makes me even more excited for the Urbanathlon. I'm looking forward to another unforgettable day.

What Is Crohn's? (Part 2)

One of the most difficult things about dealing with Crohn's is that noone knows what causes it. If pressed, people give a hand-wavy answer, saying that it is the result of environmental influences inducing autoimmunity in someone with a genetic predisposition. In fact, a few genes have been identified that appear to be linked to developing Crohn's (they are mostly genes involved in intracellular signaling that senses bacteria). Actually, one of the first was discovered right here by one of our researchers in the U of C GI Section. Holla!

Beyond this, environmental factors definitely play a role: the incidence of Crohn's is on the rise throughout the world, and it is increasing primarily in industrialized countries, specifically in urban centers. Interestingly, Crohn's has also been linked to the advent of refrigeration--crazy, huh? So basically we might be too hygienic for our own good (Note: it's okay to worry about your kids and germs, but it's okay for them to go outside and play and eat dirt from time to time, too--advice from an Immunologist, not a doctor).

Anyhow, while I won't argue that genetics and the environment are both playing a role in Crohn's, that information alone doesn't help us much. For instance, when you get pink eye, you can basically narrow down the causes why (i.e. bacteria) and treat them (i.e antibiotic eye drops). When you get Crohn's, since we don't know exactly what the cause is, all we can really do is treat the symptoms (with anti-inflammatories, immunosuppressants, surgery). Obviously this is good, but not perfect for the long run ('cuz, ya know, you need your immune system for doing other good things)...and that's why I really want us to be able to figure out the cause of Crohn's (even if it's exceedingly complicated, which it probably is), and then work on the cure.

An interesting side note about Crohn's incidence is that it appears to be less prevalent in Asian populations (though incidence in Asia is also on the rise). Is it the importation of western culture in Asia (i.e. the fast food nation effect)? The rise of ultra-clean societies (Hello, Singapore!)? I don't know. Discuss! Anyhow, the reason I bring this up is because I'm hoping that, at least genetically, Asians are less susceptible to Crohn's Disease (and anyone with information on this, I would appreciate if you could fill me in). If so, when Eileen and I eventually have children, hopefully her good genes will overpower my own and our kids will be healthy and disease-free (yes, I also plan on letting them eat dirt--although incidentally, I played outside in a lake almost every day growing up, so that can't be the whole story for me).

Can you tell that I have been thinking about this extensively? I guess that when faced with the downsides of a chronic disease, I have found two things have helped me quite a bit: planning and controlling the things that I actually have control over (incidentally, I didn't marry Eileen because I thought she had superior, Crohn's-free genes; it was just a perk), and having a sense of humor about it all.

And in case you were wondering, my pink eye is gone.