Give or take a few tenths of a mile, I have now run a half marathon in my training. It was actually 13 miles, and I held about 8 minutes per mile, so I was really happy about that. It almost didn't come to pass, though.
I originally was planning on running in the morning, and it had rained overnight so I was prepared for mildly damp conditions. However, when I made it to the lakefront (about a mile from our pad), it started raining. And then it started pouring. And five minutes later, I could have been running through a waterfall or a stream and it would have been of equal difficulty. At first I thought I would just power through--what's a little wetness when you're running 13 miles? But I quickly realized that was stupid when my socks started holding about 5 pounds of water a piece. And then I remembered the potential for blistering. And I turned around to go home, covering 4 miles in the process. (Look ma! No blisters!)
Later in the day it got super nice, so once the sun had gone down a bit (I have sensitive skin and a family history of skin cancer, so I try not to tempt fate), I gave my 13 miles another shot. It actually went really well (see initial comments above), but when I finished, my body told me it was not happy with me. Running 17 miles in one day for a body that had previously built up to 11 miles is kinda a big jump. And my digestive tract revolted in protest.
I had the runs for the rest of the day, and then into the next.
(Again, sorry for the images in this one, but at this point I imagine there isn't much that I haven't candidly spoken about when it comes to my gut).
I have never eaten so much Pepto-Bismol (or Bis-Mate, because we buy Jewel brand) in my life.
Anyhow, I was trying to figure out what the deal was: did I induce a flare? Was my condition secondary to running too hard and maybe getting a little dehydrated? I wasn't sure if my symptoms were from my Crohn's or because I was stupid.
But I took it easy for a couple of days, and that helped a bunch, and I feel good about where my training is currently at. This morning I ran 12 miles, and again it went very well. So far, so good with my body's response.
But I think I learned an important lesson (which incidentally, I have learned numerous times in the past and then have promptly disregarded): don't push yourself too hard or too fast.
Otherwise, your body will make you pay.
:)
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Amazing, Scary, or Amazingly Scary?
I visited this website today.
If you're wondering how I even knew about this website, there was a two sentence blurb about it in Details magazine this month (and I am a dedicated subscriber). I read it, thought that I would go take a look, and then promptly forgot about it. But then Eileen reminded me.
So here's the question: Is this the coolest thing ever, or what? I mean, for people like me that tend to have the occassional gas problem. I have to say, if it works then it is totally awesome, because it seems like noone would ever know that you had one of these suckers on.
The weird thing is, what's up with the website? It looks kinda janky for a real company, and the guy in the upper left hand corner looks straight out of The Onion. But I'm pretty sure that this company is real. The other thing I found disturbing was this quote (straight from the website):
"Activated charcoal cloth [used in the product] was originally developed by the British Chemical Defense Establishment as a highly efficient filter medium for protection against nerve gas and other highly toxic vapors that might be used in chemical warfare. This is the reason for its outstanding advantage as a decontaminating material in commercial air and water purification applications."
So...the thing I'm using to keep people from noticing my bad gas was originally designed to combat NERVE GAS AND TOXIC VAPORS? That is frightening. On the other hand, I guess I can be pretty sure it works if they use it in war situations.
Equally unsettling:
"Flat-D now makes the Thong-D, a standard product for women."
I'm not even gonna go there.
I know I probably sound dismissive of this whole thing, but I actually think it seems like a great product...somehow the marketing is just a tad bit ridiculous, though. Either way, Eileen really wants me to try it out (bless her heart). So if you are on the fence about getting the Flat-D, check back because I'll probably order a pack and give 'em a spin to see if they work as claimed. It will probably be helpful when I go back to medschool.
All in the name of education and consumer awareness!
If you're wondering how I even knew about this website, there was a two sentence blurb about it in Details magazine this month (and I am a dedicated subscriber). I read it, thought that I would go take a look, and then promptly forgot about it. But then Eileen reminded me.
So here's the question: Is this the coolest thing ever, or what? I mean, for people like me that tend to have the occassional gas problem. I have to say, if it works then it is totally awesome, because it seems like noone would ever know that you had one of these suckers on.
The weird thing is, what's up with the website? It looks kinda janky for a real company, and the guy in the upper left hand corner looks straight out of The Onion. But I'm pretty sure that this company is real. The other thing I found disturbing was this quote (straight from the website):
"Activated charcoal cloth [used in the product] was originally developed by the British Chemical Defense Establishment as a highly efficient filter medium for protection against nerve gas and other highly toxic vapors that might be used in chemical warfare. This is the reason for its outstanding advantage as a decontaminating material in commercial air and water purification applications."
So...the thing I'm using to keep people from noticing my bad gas was originally designed to combat NERVE GAS AND TOXIC VAPORS? That is frightening. On the other hand, I guess I can be pretty sure it works if they use it in war situations.
Equally unsettling:
"Flat-D now makes the Thong-D, a standard product for women."
I'm not even gonna go there.
I know I probably sound dismissive of this whole thing, but I actually think it seems like a great product...somehow the marketing is just a tad bit ridiculous, though. Either way, Eileen really wants me to try it out (bless her heart). So if you are on the fence about getting the Flat-D, check back because I'll probably order a pack and give 'em a spin to see if they work as claimed. It will probably be helpful when I go back to medschool.
All in the name of education and consumer awareness!
Friday, August 24, 2007
Nourishment for your mind
I was forwarded this link from my friend Marla today.
Thanks, Mar!
Before I discuss it, a brief aside about Marla.
Marla is one of my BFFs from high school, and although we were supposed to attend Northwestern concurrently, she didn't disown me when I went to Kalamazoo instead. Good for me, because there are few truer friends that one could have than Marla. Although all my friends love me (I think) and know about my Crohn's, Marla is probably my friend who remembers it the most, and is most supportive of my various Crohn's/GIRF-related endeavors. I have convinced her to come to a lot of Crohn's-related events, and she always does, despite instances where she has been cornered by people who swear they know her from somewhere...
Anyway, Marla is getting married in October to Allen, who in addition to being our friend, is our insurance guy (If you are looking for an outstanding insurance agent in the greater Chicagoland area, drop me a line and I'll send you his digits). Also, Allen has Crohn's. Which is kinda fun for me because it is nice to have a friend that you can complain to about all your Crohn's-y things and they really understand, so I got lucky when Marla met Allen. And it needs to be pointed out that Marla has always been supportive of me (even pre-Allen), so if you think she's only nice to me because her fiance is saddled with the same disease, it's not true (though I'm sure it makes me even more sympathetic, if that's even possible). So basically what I'm saying is that I'm really glad that Marla and Allen found each other because they are an awesome couple, great friends, and Allen would be really hard-pressed to find someone who will take better care of him than Mar (except maybe Eileen, but she's mine). Holla!
OK, so now I'm mixing up what kind of post this is and I need to get back to the story. Basically, this group at Cornell found a link between the presence of a nasty strain of E.coli and Crohn's disease. I hadn't heard of this particular study before, but there have been many groups looking into associations between different bacterial species and Crohn's. The cool thing about the research going on now is that they can actually do something about it. There have been a lot of advances in genetic analysis, so it is possible to isolate gut bacteria and see what genes they might be expressing that can lead to an inflammatory response...and then it is possible to potentially target these genes so that the bacteria are not so pro-inflammatory. Also, comparing the bacterial composition of Crohn's people vs. healthy people can further give us an idea about what might be going on in the disease.
Did you know that you are mostly bacteria? Apparently we have more bacterial cells living on or in us than we do our own "human" cells. And because of this, the interaction between host (us) and symbiote (the bacteria--remember, they do good stuff for us in our guts, too, and that is why Dannon is trying to get you to buy their Activia yogurt that apparently is chock full o' bacterial goodness) can really influence our health. So researchers are trying to get at what signals are being transmitted between bacteria and human that might influence an individual's disease state...it's getting at a very central part of the environmental component of Crohn's (remember, Crohn's is thought to be due to environmental factors interacting with a genetic predisposition to induce disease). They are doing a lot of this kind of stuff at U of C now, also.
Always at the "Forefront of Medicine!"
PS I think eating yogurt is good for you, but any yogurt should do (just don't get ones sweetened with high fructose corn syrup. It's bad for you.)
Thanks, Mar!
Before I discuss it, a brief aside about Marla.
Marla is one of my BFFs from high school, and although we were supposed to attend Northwestern concurrently, she didn't disown me when I went to Kalamazoo instead. Good for me, because there are few truer friends that one could have than Marla. Although all my friends love me (I think) and know about my Crohn's, Marla is probably my friend who remembers it the most, and is most supportive of my various Crohn's/GIRF-related endeavors. I have convinced her to come to a lot of Crohn's-related events, and she always does, despite instances where she has been cornered by people who swear they know her from somewhere...
Anyway, Marla is getting married in October to Allen, who in addition to being our friend, is our insurance guy (If you are looking for an outstanding insurance agent in the greater Chicagoland area, drop me a line and I'll send you his digits). Also, Allen has Crohn's. Which is kinda fun for me because it is nice to have a friend that you can complain to about all your Crohn's-y things and they really understand, so I got lucky when Marla met Allen. And it needs to be pointed out that Marla has always been supportive of me (even pre-Allen), so if you think she's only nice to me because her fiance is saddled with the same disease, it's not true (though I'm sure it makes me even more sympathetic, if that's even possible). So basically what I'm saying is that I'm really glad that Marla and Allen found each other because they are an awesome couple, great friends, and Allen would be really hard-pressed to find someone who will take better care of him than Mar (except maybe Eileen, but she's mine). Holla!
OK, so now I'm mixing up what kind of post this is and I need to get back to the story. Basically, this group at Cornell found a link between the presence of a nasty strain of E.coli and Crohn's disease. I hadn't heard of this particular study before, but there have been many groups looking into associations between different bacterial species and Crohn's. The cool thing about the research going on now is that they can actually do something about it. There have been a lot of advances in genetic analysis, so it is possible to isolate gut bacteria and see what genes they might be expressing that can lead to an inflammatory response...and then it is possible to potentially target these genes so that the bacteria are not so pro-inflammatory. Also, comparing the bacterial composition of Crohn's people vs. healthy people can further give us an idea about what might be going on in the disease.
Did you know that you are mostly bacteria? Apparently we have more bacterial cells living on or in us than we do our own "human" cells. And because of this, the interaction between host (us) and symbiote (the bacteria--remember, they do good stuff for us in our guts, too, and that is why Dannon is trying to get you to buy their Activia yogurt that apparently is chock full o' bacterial goodness) can really influence our health. So researchers are trying to get at what signals are being transmitted between bacteria and human that might influence an individual's disease state...it's getting at a very central part of the environmental component of Crohn's (remember, Crohn's is thought to be due to environmental factors interacting with a genetic predisposition to induce disease). They are doing a lot of this kind of stuff at U of C now, also.
Always at the "Forefront of Medicine!"
PS I think eating yogurt is good for you, but any yogurt should do (just don't get ones sweetened with high fructose corn syrup. It's bad for you.)
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Holla! (Vol. 3)
In our continuing series, I will be honoring the people you can thank (or blame) for me and this blog...my parents.
When you have awesome parents like I do, it is difficult to really do justice to how they support me in both ways that are directly related to my disease, and ways that just make my life easier, which in turn makes dealing with my Crohn's less of a hassle. But I'm going to focus on the Crohn's-related stuff, because listing all the ways in which I appreciate them would take too long.
Basically, my parents were the ones who jumped to my rescue the minute I found out something was wrong with me. When I first found blood on the TP, it was my mom who I yelled to for help, and she put everything under control right away--she got me a GI appointment and my first colonscopy within a few minutes of my unsettling discovery. A few days later when I actually had to go in for the procedure, my mom was the one who coached me through my first bowel prep (among the most nauseating things in the world, and difficult for someone like me who basically eats constantly) and stayed in the hospital while I had plastic tubing inserted into my nether regions. That's more than enough, but then my mom let me stuff my face at P.F. Chang's afterwards to make me feel better (ask her sometime how much I ate).
Anyhow, my parents involvement in my care didn't stop there--when I returned to Germany they sent me my medication in the mail and generally checked up on me to make sure that I was doing okay. I can only imagine what it must be like for a parent to find out that their child has a chronic inflammatory disease like Crohn's, but I'm glad that my parents held it together because I might have gotten freaked out more than I did.
Since I've been on my own for the last number of years, my parents watch over me, but less directly. They call and email to make sure that I am still in good health, and when I am home my mom makes a CostCo run for me to make sure that I have enough peanut butter and cereal to eat, in the name of keeping meat on my bones. I think my parents freaked out when I lost a ton of weight a few years back, and they are happy to see me at a healthy weight again. Mostly, I am just grateful to know that my parents think of me, love me, and keep me in their prayers. Growing up it used to bug me that my mom referred to me as her "baby" (I'm the youngest of three kids). But now that I'm older I have a better appreciation for what sentiment really lays behind that name, and I'm just grateful that I am guaranteed to have two people (well, 3 now, with Eileen) who love me unconditionally and who will always be there for me, especially in case of emergency.
Here is a picture of my parents at their wedding:
And at mine:
I hope our marriage is as fruitful and long as theirs (and BTW, if I were a betting man (and in this case, I am) I'll bet it will be).
Mama and Papa, your guidance and support in so many ways has made my life easier and helped me to deal with this challenging part of my existence. You have made me what I am today, and I hope that what you see makes you proud. I value everything you have done for me, and I hope you know that I love you both very much.
Holla!
When you have awesome parents like I do, it is difficult to really do justice to how they support me in both ways that are directly related to my disease, and ways that just make my life easier, which in turn makes dealing with my Crohn's less of a hassle. But I'm going to focus on the Crohn's-related stuff, because listing all the ways in which I appreciate them would take too long.
Basically, my parents were the ones who jumped to my rescue the minute I found out something was wrong with me. When I first found blood on the TP, it was my mom who I yelled to for help, and she put everything under control right away--she got me a GI appointment and my first colonscopy within a few minutes of my unsettling discovery. A few days later when I actually had to go in for the procedure, my mom was the one who coached me through my first bowel prep (among the most nauseating things in the world, and difficult for someone like me who basically eats constantly) and stayed in the hospital while I had plastic tubing inserted into my nether regions. That's more than enough, but then my mom let me stuff my face at P.F. Chang's afterwards to make me feel better (ask her sometime how much I ate).
Anyhow, my parents involvement in my care didn't stop there--when I returned to Germany they sent me my medication in the mail and generally checked up on me to make sure that I was doing okay. I can only imagine what it must be like for a parent to find out that their child has a chronic inflammatory disease like Crohn's, but I'm glad that my parents held it together because I might have gotten freaked out more than I did.
Since I've been on my own for the last number of years, my parents watch over me, but less directly. They call and email to make sure that I am still in good health, and when I am home my mom makes a CostCo run for me to make sure that I have enough peanut butter and cereal to eat, in the name of keeping meat on my bones. I think my parents freaked out when I lost a ton of weight a few years back, and they are happy to see me at a healthy weight again. Mostly, I am just grateful to know that my parents think of me, love me, and keep me in their prayers. Growing up it used to bug me that my mom referred to me as her "baby" (I'm the youngest of three kids). But now that I'm older I have a better appreciation for what sentiment really lays behind that name, and I'm just grateful that I am guaranteed to have two people (well, 3 now, with Eileen) who love me unconditionally and who will always be there for me, especially in case of emergency.
Here is a picture of my parents at their wedding:
And at mine:
I hope our marriage is as fruitful and long as theirs (and BTW, if I were a betting man (and in this case, I am) I'll bet it will be).
Mama and Papa, your guidance and support in so many ways has made my life easier and helped me to deal with this challenging part of my existence. You have made me what I am today, and I hope that what you see makes you proud. I value everything you have done for me, and I hope you know that I love you both very much.
Holla!
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Spiritual Healing
No, not the type of healing that Marvin Gaye sang about.
I read an article in Men's Health today (if it seems like I'm totally shilling for them, I'm not. I just have a subscription and in general I think their advice is pretty useful. Although when they quote studies it often makes me cringe because they dumb down--and sometimes misinterpret--the results. But I digress). It was about spiritual healing and how it can be used to help manage chronic conditions. Apparently the author had a really nasty case of Crohn's Disease where he had over 40 inches of his small bowel resected and had been taking over 16 pills a day (!). That's a lot. Anyhow, his disease kept on getting worse (probably because he admittedly did little to manage his condition; he ate and drank and did whatever he wanted), and he eventually got so disenchanged with western medicine he went to Brazil to see a spiritual healer. Apparently a month after he went, his condition abated considerably, and it has been helpful to him. This article made me think: can we use our minds and our faith to heal ourselves?
I think so. I'm not a huge alternative medicine advocate (especially since a lot of these herbs and stuff are completely unregulated and as my Pathology teacher Dr. Meredith has told us many a time, "Nature is not benign."), but I definitely think there is a place for it, particularly with things like meditation. I can't help but think that the increased pace and stress in our lives contributes to all these inflammatory conditions (we're ALWAYS on high alert), and so to calm these things in your body by using your mind seems plausible to me. But I think that this type of stuff has to be incorporated into a broader lifestyle change: less stress, taking better care of yourself by eating well and exercising regularly and making time to relax. I don't think it's a coincidence that I was diagnosed with Crohn's after working 16+ hours/day for months at a consulting firm in Germany. I had gained 10 pounds since graduating from college (I was pushing 190 lbs; by comparison I am now about 170), didn't have time to really exercise and I always felt bad. So being able to change my lifestyle and do something that I enjoy (yay for science nerd-dom) and take time to take care of myself has probably been key in maintaining my health despite my Crohn's.
Kinda proving my point, the author gave up alcohol, red meat and spicy foods after his faith healing session. So it's a combo of mind and body (and hopefully only a little bit of meds).
When they put the article on-line, I will make a link to it, otherwise just go to the store and grab the issue with Jamie Foxx on the cover (apparently, he's a "Mens Health Guy"). In the meantime, I'm all for exploring alternative therapies that can SUPPLEMENT whatever you are doing now to manage your disease. Talk to your doctor about it.
What do you think?
I read an article in Men's Health today (if it seems like I'm totally shilling for them, I'm not. I just have a subscription and in general I think their advice is pretty useful. Although when they quote studies it often makes me cringe because they dumb down--and sometimes misinterpret--the results. But I digress). It was about spiritual healing and how it can be used to help manage chronic conditions. Apparently the author had a really nasty case of Crohn's Disease where he had over 40 inches of his small bowel resected and had been taking over 16 pills a day (!). That's a lot. Anyhow, his disease kept on getting worse (probably because he admittedly did little to manage his condition; he ate and drank and did whatever he wanted), and he eventually got so disenchanged with western medicine he went to Brazil to see a spiritual healer. Apparently a month after he went, his condition abated considerably, and it has been helpful to him. This article made me think: can we use our minds and our faith to heal ourselves?
I think so. I'm not a huge alternative medicine advocate (especially since a lot of these herbs and stuff are completely unregulated and as my Pathology teacher Dr. Meredith has told us many a time, "Nature is not benign."), but I definitely think there is a place for it, particularly with things like meditation. I can't help but think that the increased pace and stress in our lives contributes to all these inflammatory conditions (we're ALWAYS on high alert), and so to calm these things in your body by using your mind seems plausible to me. But I think that this type of stuff has to be incorporated into a broader lifestyle change: less stress, taking better care of yourself by eating well and exercising regularly and making time to relax. I don't think it's a coincidence that I was diagnosed with Crohn's after working 16+ hours/day for months at a consulting firm in Germany. I had gained 10 pounds since graduating from college (I was pushing 190 lbs; by comparison I am now about 170), didn't have time to really exercise and I always felt bad. So being able to change my lifestyle and do something that I enjoy (yay for science nerd-dom) and take time to take care of myself has probably been key in maintaining my health despite my Crohn's.
Kinda proving my point, the author gave up alcohol, red meat and spicy foods after his faith healing session. So it's a combo of mind and body (and hopefully only a little bit of meds).
When they put the article on-line, I will make a link to it, otherwise just go to the store and grab the issue with Jamie Foxx on the cover (apparently, he's a "Mens Health Guy"). In the meantime, I'm all for exploring alternative therapies that can SUPPLEMENT whatever you are doing now to manage your disease. Talk to your doctor about it.
What do you think?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
