Well, the last 21 days have been HARD and I have counted every blinking second! In almost a month of no eating I had to tell more people that I have Crohn's than I have done in the past 6 years.
In a way it was really re-affirming. Many people who I work with or know through other people never had any inclination that I was sick and I had many comment about how I did not act like a sick person.... had to explain that I am not necessarily sick, just living with a chronic condition... a complex conversation to have with some one you sort of know at a wedding!
So, after an emotional and some what shell shocked few weeks, I had yet another clinic appointment today with the lovely prof.
After much convo with MH last night about how he is doing with all this, how he is coping and how we are both coping I put a proposal to him. Lets talk to the prof and see what he thinks about, after 3 weeks on the elemental diet, can we look to starting to scale up so I can enjoy my fish and chips on the wedding day and perchance a few meals out on the mini moon, maybe? I stick to the plan and when I get back from my mini-moon, we talk progress, we talk surgery, we talk options.
In this, I take back control. Take that demented guts, pow. And the prof agreed! So, after a impromptu meeting with the dietician I have confirmed the list of my safe foods that are also low residue. First stop, Marmite on white toast!
Now I can focus on the things that matter; my health & my love. My health is being looked after on my terms now (not really a compromise, more of an easing) and my love can have more attention and we can, after what feels like and age, focus on August cos WE ARE GETTING BLINKING MARRIED!!!
PS. The symptoms are lessening. Can't remember when I went to the loo so infrequently in a day. The fistula seemed to have let out a rather dramatic dying gasp on the weekend which was not pleasant. But, in an unexpected development, my body saw it off all by itself! Fingers crossed this is the right choice.... lets hang on and see! :)
Writings and ramblings of a sometime crafter, sometime trapeze addict, sometime creative bod...and sometime nemisis of Crohns disease and all the glamour that entails!
Wednesday, 13 July 2011
Tuesday, 5 July 2011
Craft zone
Hooray! I have an OFFICIAL craft zone, woo! An enthusiastic eBay purchase of a 50's Formica table meant that we spent Friday night re-arranging our little flat to accommodate it and create and official craft zone!
OK, so it needs a little organisation still and I think my next project will be to make a funky retro-fabric cover for my sewing machine but I love it!
OK, so it needs a little organisation still and I think my next project will be to make a funky retro-fabric cover for my sewing machine but I love it!
Craft Zone!
And the I managed to finish off the owl & pussy cat models I made for CC's wedding and they went down a storm! The did not make it onto the cake in the end as there we cakes plural so they took pride of place between the too! The picture I took of them is not brilliant but the pudding of a owl looked very happy to be in the embrace of the lithe pussy cat :)
Roll on the next project!
A social whirlwind
What a weekend! After a manic Friday night resolving my craft area issues (see blog article), a slight rush job to get the owl and the pussy cat done and being up at the crack of dawn to bake gluten free quiches (3 baked before 9am!), we attended the wedding of CC in the country side and the sunshine!
The intervention of the St Paul's carnival meant we were very nearly fashionably late and turned up carrying the hampers and booze that we had planned to drop off at the reception venue but had no time to do so. Luckily the very understanding groom let us stash it all in the boot of his car so we could pootle into the church unencumbered.
It was a gorgeous little church and gorgeous ceremony with gorgeous weather and the ceremony was, well, gorgeous! The walk to the reception was DEFINITELY more than the mile we were told but it was fun and the company was as good as the weather!
The night was a raucous one with much dancing and laughing and ridiculous photographs to remind us all of the occasion. And the events did not stop there. After a sluggish start on Sunday (a picnic hamper of booze probably not having helped the situation) MH and myself bundled into the car and we were country-side bound for a family BBQ.
And this is where I hit my wall. During the events of Saturday, I have to admit that I was quietly proud of myself for not losing the plot when surrounded by lots and lots of delicious food and felt weirdly glad when MH (a few beers in, it has to be said) asked if I wanted anything from the BBQ. It was lovely to think I was being so 'normal' that he would have forgotten, even for a moment, that I was on the milkshake plan. But I could get myself lost as my close friends there already knew about my special requirements so I was able to quietly drink my shake with no real fuss. But Sunday was different.
The gathering was a lot smaller for a start and MH was the only one there who knew, as I had not really had the opportunity to tell the in-laws and, besides, I wasn't sure I wanted everyone to know...
Anyhow. It felt pretty awkward as I felt like I was being really rude and offensive by not eating any of the lovely grub that MH's lovely Aunt had knocked up for us all. I'd brought my shake supply along in a mini cool bag but it stayed shamefully hidden in my handbag as my awkwardness grew. Ridiculous I know. So when it got to the point when I HAD to say something, it all came out wrong and I felt flustered and embarrassed and not quiet sure what to do.
Annoying. 13 days in now and I feel like I took a bit of as a backwards step in my 'coping' with my new normality. I think my usual manifesto 'accept, ignore and move on' is not working so need to work out what to do instead! But it is not going to distract me from the fact I had a great weekend and am lucky to have MH. friends and family who want to support me through this.
The intervention of the St Paul's carnival meant we were very nearly fashionably late and turned up carrying the hampers and booze that we had planned to drop off at the reception venue but had no time to do so. Luckily the very understanding groom let us stash it all in the boot of his car so we could pootle into the church unencumbered.
It was a gorgeous little church and gorgeous ceremony with gorgeous weather and the ceremony was, well, gorgeous! The walk to the reception was DEFINITELY more than the mile we were told but it was fun and the company was as good as the weather!
The night was a raucous one with much dancing and laughing and ridiculous photographs to remind us all of the occasion. And the events did not stop there. After a sluggish start on Sunday (a picnic hamper of booze probably not having helped the situation) MH and myself bundled into the car and we were country-side bound for a family BBQ.
And this is where I hit my wall. During the events of Saturday, I have to admit that I was quietly proud of myself for not losing the plot when surrounded by lots and lots of delicious food and felt weirdly glad when MH (a few beers in, it has to be said) asked if I wanted anything from the BBQ. It was lovely to think I was being so 'normal' that he would have forgotten, even for a moment, that I was on the milkshake plan. But I could get myself lost as my close friends there already knew about my special requirements so I was able to quietly drink my shake with no real fuss. But Sunday was different.
The gathering was a lot smaller for a start and MH was the only one there who knew, as I had not really had the opportunity to tell the in-laws and, besides, I wasn't sure I wanted everyone to know...
Anyhow. It felt pretty awkward as I felt like I was being really rude and offensive by not eating any of the lovely grub that MH's lovely Aunt had knocked up for us all. I'd brought my shake supply along in a mini cool bag but it stayed shamefully hidden in my handbag as my awkwardness grew. Ridiculous I know. So when it got to the point when I HAD to say something, it all came out wrong and I felt flustered and embarrassed and not quiet sure what to do.
Annoying. 13 days in now and I feel like I took a bit of as a backwards step in my 'coping' with my new normality. I think my usual manifesto 'accept, ignore and move on' is not working so need to work out what to do instead! But it is not going to distract me from the fact I had a great weekend and am lucky to have MH. friends and family who want to support me through this.
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