My Crohn's Russian Roulette

I stole the phrase "Russian Roulette" in terms of my diet from my BFF, but it's perfectly accurate to describe how I've dealt with my nutritional needs for the last 15 years. A few years ago I decided it was time to stop messing around, and I made an appointment with a nutritionist recommended by my GI doctor. I went to the local hospital to meet with this woman in a what amounted to a closet next to the hospital cafeteria. When I arrived she had printed off the USDA food pyramid guidelines and generic information on Crohn's Disease. True story. I could've done that at home and saved myself a lot of time.

Last fall I decided I'd try to get a new nutritionist from my new GI doctor at the University of Michigan, and ended up not even asking for the referral.  I can figure this out right?  After a rough few Crohn's months, I've decided it's time to get serious.

When we were in DC a few weeks ago two of my friends mentioned they are seeing nutritionists. Interestingly these nutritionists aren't local - they do phone and email consultations. I'm fascinated by this. I've now contacted both of these nutritionists to get an idea of how to actually handle this disease I've been dealing with for 15 years.

 Not having a colon means there are lots of things I can't eat. Well things I shouldn't eat. Ask those who eat lunch with my regularly (my co-workers) and I will say, "Oh I can't eat ______" and I proceed to eat it anyway. It's a challenge to be in a profession where I eat out a lot. I also hate to cook, so it's challenging to figure out the right things to eat.

Tomorrow is my first consultation with the nutritionist. I'm excited to finally start to figure this out. I've been running now for seven years, and I want to maximize my health so that I feel well enough to keep running until I'm in my 90's. (Hey - it happens! These people are amazing.) So even if I have to give up caffeine and other favorites I think it's time I finally figure it out.

Comments

  1. AnonymousApril 23, 2013 at 1:17 PM

    Yeah, I'm sure you'll hear that you can't have Hunan Chicken. Hope you pronounced that correctly.

    ReplyDelete
  2. SamanthaApril 23, 2013 at 1:19 PM

    I believe you're referring to the U-nan chicken.

    ReplyDelete

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