My Crohn’s Journey and the road to wellness.

“At My Remicade Infusion 2 weeks ago“

This is a more personal topic rather than my usual recipes. Here’s a little insight to who I am. I am almost 34 years young, married for 15 years to my rock and hero, my husband Jeremy, and am the proud mother to our son Zachary, who is now 13 years old. I am a surfer, I love crafting and I love my Neil Diamond. Jesus is my best friend. My parents are both deceased( Dad in 1990, Mom in 2003), but I have my Step Dad who I love with all my heart. I have 6 siblings, 28 nieces and nephews, and one great nephew. I love my Ford Mustang. Music lover. Portuguese Smart ass. Former Paramedic, current reality TV cast member ” America’s Worst Tattoos”, and I love my cats. But what you don’t know, is I have Crohn’s Disease.

To make this a short story, rather than being on the New York Best sellers list LOL, here is my journey, and I hope at the end of this, you find yourself feeling NOT alone, and maybe a little even inspired, as I am inspired to share this with you. I began having symptoms right after the death of my Mother. Never ending trips to the bathroom, severe weight loss, fever, body aches. Doctors said I had the flu. Ha ha, um this is why I say “Doctors only practice medicine”, because they don’t know shit (yes I said shit) about whats happening inside my body. After being a lab rat for weeks, they finally discovered I have Crohn’s Disease. This diagnosis came in 2003. I was crushed and needless to say a “hormone casserole”. Doctors had me on numerous medicines that I swear could knock a buzzard off a shit truck. I was severely sick from 2003-2006. Seemed like I had a VIP suite at the hospital. Yeah, it was that bad. I could barely keep water down, without having to run with my buttcheeks squeezed together, just to pay homage to the porcelain god. I went from 120lbs to 72lbs in a matter of weeks. I looked awful. I lost a lot of friends because they thought I was anorexic. Ha ha yeah maybe in my ass! Naïve people I swear.

 

Anyways, in 2006, my Gastroenterologist put me on Remicade. WOW! After my 1st infusion, I was able to eat real food! After 3 infusions I achieved Remission, and I am proud to say, I am still in remission! Trust me, I don’t take it for granted. I know too many beautiful people with this disease, that haven’t achieved it, or have, and have flared back up.

People ask “Amanda, how can you eat those foods you cook, without upsetting your Crohn’s?”. Well its easy! I have a good palate, and I know what blends. I know what foods didn’t trigger a bathroom trip, and I knew what foods made me feel better. From that, I started experimenting with different foods I could tolerate. People with Crohn’s tolerate foods differently than others with Crohn’s. My best advice, is to take the foods you eat on a daily basis, and try experimenting with others you want to try. BUT PLEASE DO THOSE FOODS IN SMALL PORTIONS! I don’t want anyone having a flare up!

Now, I am on now doing the “Whole30” Plan for myself. I need to reduce the Chronic inflammation in my body, from Crohn’s and Gout, that we all have to some degree. Basically the plan is simple. Your eating only fresh veggies and fruits, and organic meats of your choice. This processed crap, chemicals, and preservatives is killing us. So I am taking charge and saying KISS THIS, and getting my body back to a healing state. Yes, that includes soul and mind. You can take a look at the meal plan by typing in WHOLE30 on Google. Its a fresher way to cook for the family. In my next blog, you will see the new healthy foods I am cooking with Whole 30.

Don’t be afraid to try new foods, seriously. Theyre not going to hurt you, but just small portions. None of us want to be constipated! Ha ha. If you have any questions on Crohnie food and recipies, hit me up at my email: Warriorchick32@yahoo.com, leave a comment below or find me on Twitter at @tweetsiecakes, and I’ll be right there for any questions you have! 

 

Love to all of you, Happy Eating!

 

Remember…. the key to wellness is an endless and loving support system. Connect your tummies with good food and laughs, that’s the best medicine!

First Ingredient in my food ….. is Love

Hi ya’ll, and thanks for coming by and checking out my new blog. I first want to thank my friend Barb Landry for inspiring me to do this. I am a total foodie. Kind of funny coming from the mouth of a girl with Crohn’s Disease, but its true! Good food makes everyone happy, and it makes me happy to be able to share some of my recipes with you!

As it is known in The Martin Household, when I am making a meal for my family, my husband Jeremy always says “The first ingredient in Amanda’s cooking, is Love”. He couldn’t be more right. I have always had the belief that “Love” should always be the first thing added to any recipe. Why? Because its the time and effort we put into preparing a delicious meal for family and friends, and for myself, cooking is a passion.

With all this said, I look forward to sharing the dishes (not the ones we have to wash ha ha) with you, and hope that the love from my kitchen is felt in yours.

Happy Cooking and Eating!!
~Amanda

Find me on twitter @tweetsiecakes