Associations

Do y'all have any certain smells or tastes that just take you back to a time or situation? I don't have many, but a strong one hit me this week.

One of my favorite smell associations is actually from Vegas. When my girlfriends and I went a few years ago for spring break, we stayed at the MGM Signature Grand. It is a non-gaming, non-smoking hotel that is located just behind the MGM Grand. It was amazing ... and even more amazing because we got our room upgraded to a penthouse suite thanks to a certain someones blond hair and big boobs (I can assure you ... it wasn't me). Anyways, our hotel smelled like a rich man ... seriously ... it always smelled of this strong manly scent that just reeked of money. And ever since, whenever I smell a strong manly cologne, it brings me back to Vegas.

That's not the strong association I've had this week. That one's a little more pleasant.

My taste association comes from Gatorade. And it reminds me of having colonoscopies. Cool.

I know a lot of Crohn's patients have a hard time drinking Sprite, or eating Jello, or with chicken broth. There are a lot of times that we're too sick to eat anything else, and GI doctors are really big fans of the clear liquid diet in order to give your gut some rest. None of that stuff really bothers me, and I still drink Ensure on a pretty regular basis just because I actually like it. Weird, I know .....

Last week, though, I bought some Gatorade to drink while training because it seems like the "runner" thing to do. I'm good at conforming. On my group run this past weekend, I mixed this orange/strawberry flavor with some water and carried it during my run. It brought me right back to my first colonoscopy ... and really grossed me out.

See, I don't know how many of y'all have had colonoscopies .... probably no one unless you're old. It's a nearly annual routine for Crohn's and Colitis patients, and I've found that the anesthesiologists really love to say "Wow, you're the youngest patient I've had all week for a colonosopy." Again ... cool .... it's not like I sign up for these things just because it's really fun.

The scope itself isn't bad actually. Once you're at the hospital they just give you an IV and some drugs and you're out. And when you wake up they show you some cool (and gross) pictures of your intestines. It's just the prep that's bad .... obviously ... I don't have to explain it.

For my first colonoscopy, they made me mix a bottle of Gatorade with a bottle of Miralax. In theory I think it's supposed to dissolve nicely, but mine sure didn't, and so when I took my first swig it was like I was drinking sand. It was disgusting, and I think I'll forever associate Gatorade with colonoscopy prep.

My second colon prep routine was different, but just as bad. I had to drink a whole gallon of this baking-soda-tasting liquid. They gave you different flavor packets, and I tried several of them and it was still disgusting. I even tried mixing the pineapple flavor up with the liquid in the blender .... you know ... like a pina colada and it was among the worst things I've ever drank. I usually end up vomiting during the prep and then I just stop because it's so traumatic .... but luckily I don't have much of a problem with getting cleaned out :)

Anyways .... while those adults with Crohn's and Colitis still dread routine colonoscopies, we survive because we know it's necessary in order to keep an eye on the disease. BUT .... could you imagine having to make your child -- a 6, 10, or even 15 year old -- do a colonoscopy prep?! There's no way to make it easy and there's no easy way to explain to a child that they HAVE to drink some nasty liquid that will put them in the bathroom for 5 hours straight ... only to be followed the next day by going to the hospital and going under anesthesia. Think about these kids with Crohn's and Colitis ...... this is why we need a cure!

Early Bird!

These early morning Saturdays are probably my least favorite part of Team Challenge. I really love sleeping in too much to get up as early as I do on a day off of work. I've definitely been burning the candle at both ends lately, and when I rolled over this morning I was pretty angry that I had to get out of bed. I did it ... and of course had fun on the group run, but I sure would have loved to continue sleeping in! :)

Every week there is a 'spirit award' that is given and a toy guitar that is passed to each winner. I won this week! I have to do something this week to decorate it, so I'm pretty excited. You know I live for that kind of stuff! I'll take some pictures to post!

We did 5 miles this morning. We're continuing to build our miles, with a shorter run every other week. Of course, next weekend is 9 miles and I'll be in Knoxville for the football game. It's going to be awful to have to do that distance by myself, but I know I have to suck it up!

My fundraising is going well ... getting so close to my goal! I have been so humbled by some of the donations from people. I have so many generous friends and family!

I've come so far!

I love our Tuesday night group training runs in Decatur. It's a nice break to the work week to go out there and see my running friends. I hate that sometimes (like tonight), it takes me almost 80 minutes to drive out there because of traffic, but it's always worth it to go and get my miles in with the group and just have a mid-week social outing.

It's also nice because we run the same route every week, and it's nice to feel the accomplishment I've made in finishing that route. It's a nice run through Decatur, and I feel so much better doing those 4-5 miles now than I did just 2 short months ago. I really like the 4-6 mile runs ... it's just long enough where I don't get super bored or exhausted, and it feels like a good accomplishment. I'm still kind of wondering how in the world I'm going to run 13.1 miles in Vegas!

I feel like I've also come so far health-wise! I saw my GI doctor yesterday and everything is going well! We've had some talks about possibly switching my medications, because I still have recurring abscesses and fistulas, but we're still waiting to see whether the Humira shots I give myself will start to make a difference in healing these fistulas. I've been on these shots for almost a year, with weekly injections for just about 2 months now.

I also think about how far I've come in terms of my recovery since my surgeries. I had my first surgery in July 2008, followed by my 2nd in September 2008, 3rd in December 2008, 4th in February 2009, and 5th in May 2009. I wish I had taken more pictures through the course of those surgeries, but they were all so whirlwind that I was just doing what I could to survive. I think I had no idea what my "new normal" would be when this picture was taken after my bowel resection last July ... or how 15 months later I would feel almost back to normal! It's amazing and I feel so greatful for my awesome doctors and my awesome medications!

Busy bee!

I've realized that I'm not a very good blogger. Good thing I've never wanted to start a blog about what's going on in my life because I'd probably only give updates every few weeks and that would be a really lame blog.

I have been SO busy lately ... it's like I finally bought a social life at the grocery store or something! Training is ... going. I'm finding it increasingly diffcult to manage my time and get my miles in. I wish I had been busier earlier in my training because the runs were so much shorter. We're steadily increasing miles now and it just takes so much more time. And my social calendar has exploded. I'm getting by though.

Last weekend, my Mom and I went to NY for the long weekend. My cousin Amanda and I went to run with her Team Challenge group on Saturday morning. Unfortunately, I got there and felt really sick so we didn't end up running. Sometimes I just get really faint and dizzy and feel like I'm going to pass out. I haven't figured out what causes it, but I'm pretty sure it's not normal and it happens probably more often than it should. Regardless, I missed my 7 mile run and felt pretty down about it. It's hard to look at increasing mileage when you've missed out on training.

On Tuesday night, I made it to our group training run ... but late. Traffic is usually so bad getting out to Decatur, and if I don't leave work at the right moment I struggle to get there. Apparently the group had just left, so I was certain that I could catch up with them, so I set out by myself. Wrong answer ... they apparently did a different route than I did, so I ended up running the 4 miles by myself. It was getting pretty dark by the end, but it's a nice route that I took and it is a pretty well-populated area.

On Thursday night, there was a Team Challenge half-way there party for the season! It was at a hotel down in Midtown and it was so fun! It's so strange to see everyone actually dressed up in real clothes and wearing makeup! My friend Jennifer and I went together, and of course we got there late because of traffic. It was a good time though, and we learned some interesting "fun facts" about some of our teammates! :) Afterwards, we went out to Twisted Taco for dinner and drinks and it was nice to get out! Unfortunately, that also meant I got home really late and missed running on Thursday. Whoops!

My weekend was busy yet again .... I need a break! Friday night, I went with some colleagues from work to the Auditory Verbal Center gala. It was lots of fun and even more fun to put on a cute cocktail dress and high heels and spend a night out! I woke up super early on Saturday morning and drove to Charlotte .... for my favorite event .... the Nascar race! Of course, this meant that I missed yet another group training run, but I was determined to get my miles in anyways. I got to Charlotte around 10am, put on my running shoes, and set out to complete 8 miles through downtown Charlotte. I had mapped out my route in advance and was set to make 3 loops. It shouldn't have been that hard, but I sure couldn't follow my own directions and I got lost. No big surprise because sometimes I'm not the brightest crayon in the box. I ran through some questionable parts of Charlotte. I ran ... and ran ... and ran. Because once I was off my course I had no idea how far I was actually running. It was SO cold too ... like nose running, eyes burning, windy bitter cold. I ran for 2 hours and 15 minutes, and I'm pretty sure it was close to 8 miles by my calculations. I was absolutely exhausted, and cold, and tired, and slightly cranky. It's definitely a lot harder to run by yourself than it is with the group.

After my long run, we all headed out to Lowe's Motor Speedway, and tailgated for hours in the freezing cold. I'm pretty sure I negated any healthy benefit of running by drinking beer and eating Bojangles for an entire day. Maybe all the shivering I did over the course of the night evened some of it out! :)

This week is busy again, but at least this coming weekend I'll be in town so I can train with my team again. I miss seeing everyone! My fundraising deadline is approaching soon, but I'm getting so close to my goal! Make sure to check out my fundraising website and donate to the cause!

Honoring ...

I will also be running in honor of two of my good friend Brittan's family members, who both had Ulcerative Colitis. So here's to Gary and Taylor, who are both angels now and pain free from UC!

This weekend we did a 6 mile run through Stone Mountain. It was tough, and hilly, but felt good! This coming weekend I'll be training with the Long Island chapter of Team Challenge with my cousin Amanda! I'm so excited to meet another group!

Camp Oasis

Camp Oasis is a summer camp that is sponsored by the CCFA for kids with Crohn's and Colitis.

Having worked at a summer camp during college, I totally support camp and the positive benefits children receive by going to summer camp. The kids that I worked with at camp spent the 10 months of the school year just counting down to the 2 summer months that they would spend at Trail's End Camp. And once they were there, it was such a supportive and loving environment where they could really be themselves and just be kids. And these were healthy, typical children from loving home. But just the summer camp experience for kids is something I feel strongly about!

I'm excited to be fundraising for the CCFA because of the Camp Oasis program they provide! I couldn't imagine being an elementary or middle school aged kid with Crohn's Disease. I mean, as an adult, it's bad enough that I'm in the bathroom sometimes 7+ times a day, and that I vomit, and bleed, and have to give myself shots, and have to take 10+ horse pills a day. Could you imagine going through that as a kid? And to try to fit in, and tell your friends and teachers why you're sick, and why you are in and out of the hospital, why you have to take medication on a daily basis, and to just try to live a normal life while going through all of that?

At Camp Oasis, the kids have a chance to be normal kids -- without the stigma of living with a chronic disease -- and have other kids and adults who get it.

There are some great quotes and photos from Camp Oasis that I'd love to share. You should feel good that when you donate to the CCFA, your money is not only going to research for Crohn's and Colitis, but to other mission-funded activites like providing a safe haven like Camp Oasis for kids with IBD!

"Camp means so much. Everyone is the same and everyone has to take medicine. When someone says they know what you're going through, they really do. Even though everyone is taking medicine and stuff, camp in a way lets us forget about our diseases."

"Without Camp Oasis, I don't think I'd be comfortable having Crohn's Disease at all. I know I definitely wouldn't be open about it, and by meeting all these other kids just like me, I've learned that it's ok to be different and people will just accept me for who I am, and if they don't, than they aren't worth it. I could never not go back to camp because of the amazing friendships I've made over the past few years, and because camp is probably the highlight of my whole summer."