Seven Years into Colitis (and what has worked for me so far!)
I haven't changed my medication for the past seven years (and neither have I skipped them). I haven't had any surgery. I haven't lost weight either (but I've lost a lot of hair which thankfully keep growing back!).
UC patients' have different stories, and not everyone has the same set of symptoms. How I maintained my mild-to-moderate UC is not simply luck, it also took a lot of experimentation, sacrifices, and "cleansing."
Here are the 7 things that have worked for me so far:
How can you treat your body better today?
What is your biggest challenge when it comes to taking care of your body?
Acknowledge what you need to change. Change what you can, while you still can, before it's too late.
𝘈𝘯𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘨-𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘨𝘢 𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘬𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘯?
𝘈𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯 𝘬𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘬𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘯𝘪𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘢𝘨𝘶𝘩𝘪𝘯 - 𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘢𝘨𝘶𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘯𝘪𝘺𝘰 𝘯𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘬𝘢𝘺𝘢 𝘯𝘪𝘺𝘰 𝘱𝘢, 𝘣𝘢𝘨𝘰 𝘩𝘶𝘭𝘪 𝘯𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘵.
Today on my plate: Ground Turkey with Kale
This dish is Ground Turkey Curry with Kale which I made with coconut oil, onions, garlic, ginger, turmeric, curry powder, and kale. I also added a dash of cinnamon and a teaspoon of honey for a touch of surprise (sorry curry purists, just experimenting!).
IBD Talk with Luna
Thanks to Late Nights by Luna Manila, a Filipina IBD patient like me had the opportunity to be seen and heard today. For this disease whose cure has yet to be discovered, every story counts.
Hiya | Pakikisama
How is it like to be Filipino and have an invisible illness and chronic pain knowing that you have to deal with Hiya (shame) and Pakikisama (fellowship or sociability) while trying to live a normal life? It took me seven years to come out and speak up about my Inflammatory Bowel Disease (as embarrassing as it may be) because I got tired of explaining.
Well hello, Colitis.
I wish we never met, but here we are – 7 years and counting. I didn't realize that you were never going away. Akala ko mawawala ka rin. It was July 2014 when I first "met" you – you revealed yourself in the most glamorous way – in the form of bloody diarrhea.