I thought I was just having allergy problems because of my ti plants blooming. Sneezing, runny nose, watery eyes, puffy face & all that stuff. Got up this morning with all of that still going on plus & my chest is croupy & my head is aching & I think it will explode any minute now. Guess I'll have to abandon the benedryl & go get some real cold meds after I wake up a bit more.

I think I might make a big pot of chicken soup later today too. I've been making it for years, of course, but if you have a recipe you want to share I'd love to see it. Other home remedies for a cold? I usually try other stuff first & then end up resorting to Nyquil. It works but it's just so nasty & knocks me out. If you have a secret cure, now is the time to share.

Labels: health, just stuff

I love my morning coffee. There’s no denying that I’m addicted. I just can’t start my day without those two huge mugs, brimming with flavor and aroma. I’m particular about the taste. I drank a dark rich New Orleans Roast for many years. These days it’s Kona for me (gotta support the Hawaiian economy, you know!) It would take something pretty special to make me switch.

I may have found one! Ganocafe coffee is special and I’m interested in trying it. What makes it unique? Well, it’s not just coffee. Gano Excel’s Ganocafe Coffee is organically grown. That’s a good start, but so is the coffee I drink today. What’s unique about the entire Gano Excel line is that all of their coffees, teas and cocoas contain an extract of Ganoderma Lucidum, aka: Red Mushroom, which has a long and honorable history in Asian medicine. I grew up in a time when Western medicine taught us to be skeptical of herbal remedies and supplements. We know now that Ancient Asian and other natural remedies can complement, and sometimes replace, harsh pharmaceuticals in our search for a healthier life.



My readers know that I have a chronic digestive disorder and have difficulty in absorbing some of the things that my body needs to stay healthy. Will I try Ganocafe Coffee? Yes, I’m ordering my free samples and information packet today. Will it replace my Kona coffee? I don’t know yet, but I’m glad Ganocafe Coffee sponsored this post so I can try it out!

Labels: coffee, health, natural remedies, payperpost

**********This in NOT a sponsored post.**********

See that Crohn's Forum Book Store notation in my sidebar? It's not a paid ad. I put it there because it supports a cause I believe in. A portion of every purchase from the book store goes to support research through the Crohns's and Colitis Foundation of Canada. Any profit remaining supports the Crohn's Forum. It's a safe and friendly gathering place for folks with bowel disease to talk to others who share similar conditions.

Bowel diseases impact every area of ones life. The diseases themselves can be incredibly painful, and many sufferers have to endure multiple surgeries to find any comfort at all. The medications that help the most also carry serious side effects, both physical and emotional. Many people with bowel diseases suffer from depression, brought on or exacerbated by the steroids and other drugs they need to take to combat inflamed bowels. The diseases can interfere with business, school and social life, leading to stress and further depression. We spend our days trying to find the right balance of safe foods and physical activity to avoid pain, flares and embarrassing accidents. We pass by the tempting party platters at holiday gatherings or just don't go at all. We scope out each new establishment to see if they are appropriately set up to accomodate the mad dash we sometimes have to make towards the restroom. Most of us carry spare clothes and a clean-up kit with us everywhere we go because, well, accidents happen. On top of feeling sick most of the time, we have a condition that is socially embarrassing and eats away at ones self-esteem. Family and friends can be great support, but if they aren't fellow-sufferers they most often have no understanding of just how huge the impact of bowel desease is on our lives. That's why the Crohn's Disease Forum and other support groups are so important in our lives. We know that we can go there and vent about all of the stuff that most of you don't want to hear and wouldn't understand if you did.

The Crohn's Forum Book Store is an Amazon Affiliate. There's a wonderful selection of books especially for folks with Crohn's and other bowel diseases, but you'll also find a variety of computer and video games, DVDs, music, toys and games available. I hope you'll consider doing a little of your last-minute shopping there.

Labels: Bowel Disease, Christmas gifts, Colitis, Crohn's Disease, health, Suppport Groups

Today was what I lovingly call BookBrunch day. Once a month the Table of Contents meets. Our meetings move around to different restaurants on Oahu, and we enjoy good food, catching up with each other's lives and swapping books. The Table of Contents is a group of local members of BookCrossing.com and has been meeting for several years. Our gatherings are one of the few things that can get me out of the house other than work and necessary errands, and it's the highlight of my month. Today was to be extra-special, because it was our Christmas gathering.

I left the house about ten this morning for our eleven o'clock restaurant reservation. It takes about forty minutes to get from my place, way out in the country, to downtown Honolulu. I allowed extra time today because the restaurant we had chosen is in a busy shopping complex and I knew I'd need extra time to find parking among all of the Christmas shoppers.

At 10:30 I was ten minutes away from my destination when IT happened. My belly cramped up. I had a ruptured gut twelve years ago and it left me with a condition called Short Bowel Syndrome. You don't want the details, but my son and I euphemistically refer to it as my faulty containment system. The little bit of food that I do retain does not absorb into my body very well, so I have numerous symptoms resulting from over a decade of malabsorption. My bones ache, my joints are failing, I've lost a lot of teeth and my muscle tone is lousy. I battle dehydration all day every day, my diet is very limited and I have frequent undesired weight loss. When my belly cramps up, I know that my day is over. There is nothing I can do but go home and wait it out.

I took my medication last night and this morning. It's supposed to slow things down in my digestive tract. The amount and scheduling of dosages is as much art as science, and varies depending on dietary intake, level of physical activity and a few other variables. I can't take the maximum dosage because the side effects can be as bad as the original symptoms. So I got it wrong this time and I missed the Christmas gathering of the Table of Contents.

Sometimes my life really sucks. Like I said, I'm bummed.

Labels: bookcrossing, Christmas, diet and nutrition, health, Short Bowel Syndrome