New Friend

So, today was actually a great day! I even met a new friend. Well, I met someone through my Crohn's support group. She is a year older than I and she an amazing person. She lives in Alaska and she has been blessed with the horrible life of health problems I have. I had anemia, asthma, and allergies growing; not sure but I don't think she dealt with that. We both were diagonosed with a blood disorder, went through cancer, completed chemo, beat cancer, endometriosis (she had a hysterectomy), and fighting Crohn's Disease! There are a few other health problems between the two of us somewhere in there, though.

I never thought I would meet someone who had even half the health problems I have encountered in my life. We instantly started writing emails to each other. She has visited other countries and created a life for herself. I hope to become that type of person some day.

Outside of meeting someone online today, I had enough energy to eat lunch with my family. It was a nice lunch but I am starting to see what foods hurt me. I quickly learned today that I can't handle bar-b-que sauce! Once I got home, I was hurting a little so I laid down for awhile. Once I woke up from my nap, I was feeling better. When I eat something that causes me pain, normally called a "flare up", I am down for hours to days. So, this wasn't normal for me. Then again, it could be because I ate something with seeds and that's a NO-NO when on a low residue diet!

I wanted to explain a little about a "low residue diet". A low-residue diet is a strict diet that requires constant control of food intake. Here is what you can have on a low-residue diet - Veggies and Fruits: must be peeled and seeded, must be cooked or from a can; Bread, Rice, and Noodles: all breads much be refined or enriched wheat; Dairy: Milk and Cheese but only up to 2 cups a day; Meat: Well cooked beef, chicken, pork, veal, and seafood, eggs, and peanut butter; Condiments: all if it doesn't contain whole wheat or seeds.

Foods you must avoid - Veggies and Fruits: raw vegetables and vegetables with seeds, sauerkraut, winter squash, and peas, raw or dried fruit, all berries, prune juice; Breads, Rice, and Noodles: NO WHOLE WHEAT anything raw and abran, seeds, nuts, coconut, or raw or dried fruit, cornbread, and graham crackers, any whole-grain, bran, or granola ceral, oatmeal and cereal with seeds, nuts, coconut or dried fruit, bran, barley, brown and wild rice; Dairy: yogurt containing fruit skins or seeds, strongly flavored cheeses; Meats: Tough fibrous meats with gristle, shellfish with tough connective tissue, meats prepared with whole-grain ingredients, seeds, or nuts, dry beans, legumes, peas and lentils, chunky peanut butter, raw clams and oysters; Fats and Snacks: Any made with whole-grain flour, bran, seeds, nuts, coconut, or dried fruit, nuts, seeds, and popcorn, pepper, chili pepper and other hot sauces, chocolate, raisins, seeds, seed spices, pickles, olives, nuts, mustards, spicy mustards and ketchups, relish, horseradish, vinegar, highly spiced salad dressings, jam or marmalade with nuts and seeds; Drinks: beverages containing caffeine which is a stomach irritant.

See how the CAN'T list is bigger? That's how it always seems to be. Most doctors will put someone on this diet when inflammation becomes too serious and causes too much pain. This diet is extremely important to follow during "flare ups" because it's a way of saving your life. What most people don't know is that Crohn's Disease can kill a person. So, be smart about what you put into your body, because different foods might not handle well with your digestive system.