Crohn's Disease Blog: AWESOME LIFE OF CROHNSBOY
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Whats Wrong With Medicine
This doctor does an awesome job of explaining why medicine will never work in the long run. Please make sure to check this video out as it is definitely worth your time. It's very important that we keep our mind open so that we are able to change our approach when required.
Peeing in the Gulf of Mexico- Trip To Texas- Taking Chances in life
So over the past few days I was contemplating going to Florida for the weekend just to get away from the cold here in Canada but the flight tickets were a little more than I was willing to pay. So I called up a good friend and asked him if he would like to go for a ride, he said where… I said The Gulf of Mexico and Galveston to be exact I told him lets drive 24+ hours to take a pee in the Gulf , stay a day by the ocean then drive back. He thought that was pretty crazy but was willing to come along for the ride. I assured him the best part of a road trip like that is being able to be with a good friend to shoot the shit and get things off your chest. While on a road trip there is no need to worry about schedule or responsibilities as the only thing you are focused on is relaxing and getting to your destination. My friend that came with me had a very rough year as his father just passed away from cancer this summer along with some personal setbacks he was in definite need to get away and clear his head.
During our ride there we hit one of the craziest snow storms to hit central United States in years. Even Las Vegas got bombarded with a record number snowfall..lol The conditions were so crazy on the road that we had to drive 60km hour instead of the limit of 120, and we did this for around 6 hours until the snow disappeared. We counted close to 40 cars that were in accident or in the ditch, and 10 large semi trailor’s that were also flipped over yet we still made it through the madness. During this time we both thought to ourselves numerous times that maybe we should turn back, but we kept focusing on our goal/destination and eventually we got through the storm. Once we arrived in Texas it felt awesome to know we were almost there and that maybe all the driving was worth it. We stopped in Dallas because we had been driving for about 24+ hours and we needed to relax and have a bite to eat. We ended up going to this awesome steak house and have a wicked steak dinner and after dinner we just wondered around the city for a few hours. We decided to get pack on the hwy to make it to Galveston before the night was over so we hopped on the Freeway and started driving. 2 hours later when were just getting to Houston we were both so drained since we never had a good solid sleep in almost 28 hours, crazy when I think about it now. I decided to just pull into a field off the shoulder of the highway and we both slept for almost 3 hours, it was awesome. After our little power sleep we started driving until we finally crossed the bridge into Galveston.
We came off the long bridge that connects the mainland to Galveston and it was so foggy we could not see anything. We also realized that Galveston was hit by a crazy hurricane a few months back which destroyed many houses and many businesses were still closed months later, I guess we should have researched this first lol We searched to find a hotel and most the hotels were packed by FEMA residents who were waiting for their houses to get fixed. Eventually we stayed at an awesome Quality Inn with an ocean view and a patio for like 89.00 USD, We decided to go wonder and to our amazement the sun came out for us and the temperature was at 25 celcius I was STOKED!!! We could see the ocean, the palm tree’s it was just awesome. Only 1 day ago we were sitting in the coldest city in the world and now we were eating at a Mexican restaurant overlooking the ocean. How kick ass is that? The island seemed so laid back as there were people surfing on the beach and walking the streets. Because of the Hurricane most businesses were closed and the population of the island was drastically decreased we were still able to make the most of it and had a wicked time. We ate like kings at a seafood joint on the beach then went back to our hotel to crash…….nah I’m lying we went and did a little partying J that’s another story in itself.
When we got back to the city many people asked why would you drive somewhere so far just to stay there for one day?? My opinion is that sometimes you have to be a little spontaneous sometimes and just go with the flow. A road trip is about what happens between the people who are in the vehicle and the stories, memories, crazy events that occur during the drive, and that’s what it’s all about. The destination is merely a finishing point but in our situation it was a beautiful island. Our whole entire drive was worth all 31 hours the moment the sun came out and we could see the ocean and hear the waves!!! I have done it before and I will attempt to do it many more times in my life. To me getting to see or experience something beautiful for a short time is worth a lot work or effort required.
If I can offer any advice to anyone it would be to pursue the things you want in life as a good friend told me “1 life one chance” . Do not feel that you have to justify your dreams or aspirations to anyone but yourself. When you seek out happiness and the things you hold dear to your heart you will be happy! You have my word. When I used to have a job that paid lots of money I had more money but I was not happy…? When I made my life less complicated and just concentrated and doing the things I wanted I really started to realize what happiness was all about. I believe at the end of life we will only regret the things which we did not do rather than the things we did do. So we might as well go out trying everything we can.
On the downside we went on the road trip to Pee in the gulf, and when we got back we realized we forgot. I guess we need to drive back to finish the job.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Acupuncture
In the last few months through research and speaking with people who are healed of their IBD's I have really started to understand that in order to fully heal yourself from any disease not just IBD you have to change your lifestyle as a whole. Changing something like your diet is a great start. You must also change things in your lifestyle such as working out, walking, yoga, breathing excercises, reducing pollutants & stressors, drinking lots of water, coming to terms with your emotional baggage, resolving relationship issues, discuss stress in your life with someone, focus on solutions rather than problems, living your life the way you really want to, having fun, wondering off the beaten path, always growing-achieving new things, and really feeling happy spiritually, emotionally, mentally, physically all that bla bla bla. When it comes down to it if you live your life doing the things that really make you happy any minimal sacrafice will not even affect you. Most of the time we are unhappy with our lives so these sacrafices such a eliminating certain foods in a diet are so hard because they are the only things we have the actually change our emotional state very quickly...think about it-over eating, smoking, drinking excessively..there are lots of examples. If we were overall happy with our lives and the things in it there would be no need to have to find destructive ways to change out emotional states.
as usual I got talking about something which did not totally relate to the title of my blog post lol I decided to try out acupunture today and it was pretty freckin cool! My crohn's symptoms are very minimal so this was not an urgent matter. I believe that our healing process is a life long sorta thing so I try to do a many things as I am able to do and that my wallet is able to facilitate lol. The Dr was a chinese doctor who did his training in China and has only lived here for about 10 years so I was very confident that his methods were not a knock off or some person who's motives are merely financial. I had to take my pants off and my socks and then he began to stick all these little needs in my legs, hands, and on my stomach. I thought this process was going to hurt but it did not hurt at all, actually felt sorta cool. I think it is important that any person who goes for one of these alternative treatments to make sure they believe the treatment will benefit them and aid in their healing process. Too many times we spend more time trying to discredit someone or a process it we do not see immediate results and this will get us nowhere. The session lasted about 30-40 min and I felt really good after I left. I did not feel CURED lol as I think these things take time so I have decided to go another 5 times over the next month and see how it works out. After I am done the next 5 treatments I will make sure to write a follow up entry so everyone can see what my results were etc.
Hope everyone is having a kick ass day and as usual thanks for tuning in.
Jay
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Todays Doctors Appointment
I totally forgot that I had a doctors (GI) appointment until yesterday when I got a reminder phone call. I thought to myself really why do I have to go see this doctor as what is he going to tell me? what does he have to offer me? Then I started to think maybe I should go tell him my story of how I regained my health back and that maybe he would tell other patients about my sucess.......Boy was I wrong!!!!
I got to the office and he did not really remember me and he spent like 10 minutes reading my file to remember what the scoop was with me. He then asked me questions about my symptoms etc like did I have blood or mucus in my stool? how many BM's per day etc. I answered his questions and told him I was doing awesome.
He then asked me since I wasn't taking any drugs what was I doing to stay healthy etc? So I told him all the stuff I was doing after I was finished he told me that although I may not feel symptoms it was very evident from my previous colonscopy, mri, etc that I had active crohn's disease and that I should consider taking medication and his 1st recommendation would be Immuran..........Are you kidding me is what I am thinking in my head. After telling him my story and telling him how awesome I was doing he still suggested medication like WTF?
I was a little frustrated with his response but I honestly was not expecting anything different. I asked him if he would ever tell any of his other patients about me and the stuff I have done to get healthy and he said NO. I then proceeded to ask him if he was religous. He was offended by this comment and believed it had no relevance to the situation at all, and perhaps he may have been right. I then told him let say he was religous (I asked him that if he was to die and he was speaking with God could he honestly say that he did as much possible to help his patients regain their health and overcome their health) Needless to say I did not get much of an answer. Although I do get frustrated with the doctors and the medical system I know they are just acting within the scope of their position. Even like my doctor said today I am not educated on alternative treatments so I can't refer people to these methods. He stated if his patients wanted to seek out a NP doctors opinion they would be welcome to, he sounded honest on this note.
I guess the sad truth our system is set up in such a way that almost every person will goto their doctor 1st. They are not willing to seek alternative methods until their disease is out of control when really the order should be reversed. This also really enforced the fact that we really have to get the word out there on all alternative treatments that may help a person regain their life from an IBD.
With all this said I don't think placing blame will get us anywhere. It is the solution we must focus on.............
Monday, November 24, 2008
A Dream & Speaking Out -Crohn's Disease-
Saturday, November 15, 2008
CCFC (Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of Canada) Seminar, actually a little suprised
I think it is great what this doctor is doing but I still think we have to focus our attention on other things. I was in this room and I’m thinking do most the people in this room really care what causes the IBD?? Or are they looking for an answer on how to improve their quality of life. With all their money and resources why wouldn’t we research the people who have overcome crohn’s disease and colitis and then see what these people did to beat their disease’s…..? that seems like common sense yet nobody has done it…..why? I got better my searching for people who beat their disease and then I modeled the process..the concept seems pretty easy to me. I just really think we have to focus our efforts on what is currently working for people rather than dumping excessive funds into drugs and research on what causes it etc. They have been studying for like 30 years and really how far have they come?? Still no medical cure?
There was a chiropractor doctor who has a practice that treats IBD patient using a holistic approach, and he has had many patients become med and symptom free. I was very impressed to see this guy up and talking at a CCFC event!!! I think I may have judged them a little to hard at first. I may not agree with all of their approaches but I do see some good in what they do and the people who volunteer their time etc. I am going to try and speaks at my local chapter etc. I may try to volunteer for some of the events etc, I think I am more suitable to talk to the group and maybe motive them and create a sense of hope etc rather than volunteering at individual events. I think everyone has their purpose and mine is being a good communicator so I might as well exploit it.
There was a dietician at this event and I did not agree with almost anything that she said lol I had to sit their and listen to a lady who said that it didn’t make a difference in which carbs and sugars that you eat?? I was thinking to myself does this lady really know what she is talking about?? What is her success rate when giving advice for IBD patient’s. If these here clients are not symptom free I wouldn’t even consider what she is talking about. It’s just hard because when you get a group together and you hear a professional “licensed dietician” say things you tend to take their word for it….right? but if I would have took her advice I know in my heart I would not be symptom free. I just hope each person is able to tell what info is legit or not.
There were 2 young girls names Janelle and who spoke about The Gutsy Generation which is a new networking branch under CCFC which is aimed at younger people with IBD’s. I think this is an awesome idea to concentrate on helping younger people!!!! Both these girls did an excellent job at presenting their info and making their sincerity in the cause out to be very evident. I also had an opportunity to speak with both of them and they were both super cool chicks. I think it is people like this who hold the power of really helping spread the word of how to help ppl with IBD’s get better and how to libe with the disease etc.
I just really want to give a shout out to anyone who is actively trying to promote the cause!!! Your doing awesome. I also hope that you always try to keep an open mind to treatment options for IBD’s etc it’s crucial to keep an open mind in order to overcome these diseases.
Keep up the good work!
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Family and Friends
I have mentioned in other posts that I grew up in a rough area, single parent family, we did not have that much money, over all family life was pretty shaky and I constantly get people that have asked me how did you turn out the way you are? Beating the odds etc. This seemed to be on my mind a lot in the last few months so thought it was worth writing about.
Even though my family life was far from the most healthy I still believe that both my parents passed on some of the attributes which have contributed to my success. My mother always showed my brother and I that it was important to treat all people equally, be compassionate towards others, told us that she believed in us, we could do what we want with our lives, how important it is to tell a woman she looks beautiful when you think it, and that it’s okay to voice your opinion and speak about your feelings. My father showed us the importance of keeping your word, fighting for what you believe in, how to master arguing lol, stick up for yourself and your family, keep your word, save money, how to be independent, and to make sure we learned not to give a shit about what other people think about us and not let people opinions dictate who we are or what we should do.
I am not going to bother commenting on any of the negative stuff b/c I really do not care about it and have moved on from that part of my life. One of my main issues in life was holding a grudge against my parents, or just being mad at the world for not dealing me a perfect hand. Only within the last year or so can I honestly admit that I let this stuff go and really moved forward in life. I can’t put into words how much this held me back in life, whether is made me angry, insecure, or resentful. Once I understood I could not change the past I was forced to deal with it and move on. I think every person deals with things different ways etc but one thing I can tell you is that “it wont be easy” but it will be worth it in the end. Once you deal with this you’ll be amazed that doing drugs, getting juiced, or other abusive actions will not be necessary to make you feel good in life. Yeah I am far from perfect!! I have been there done that and back again J But regardless the good stuff and bad stuff that has occurred in my life is what has made me who I am!! And I am pretty damn proud of myself so you do not hear me complaining.
The most influential people in the last 10 years of my life have definitely been my friends and their families. Most of my friends are from Portuguese decent, I didn’t go out of my way to befriend all the chops in my hood but it just ended up that way lol. Many of these friends invited me into their families allowing me to learn about their culture, morals, belief, and my favorite their FOOD mwuahh. What Portuguese people have taught me the most is the REAL importance of family and how important it is to be happy. When I say family I do not just mean blood line but the people in your immediate circle etc. They make sure that the family and friends stay close and get together on regular basis. I never learned how important family/friends really were until I was like 21. If any of my friends happen to be reading this just want to say you guys rock!!! And I love all of you mofos J
I think it’s important to make sure you have time for your family + close friends because these people have such a huge bearing on how happy you are. Sometimes we find ourselves too busy to make time but that is just a sad excuse that will send us on a road to NOWHERE which leads to the town of
Have a GREAT WEEKEND!!!
.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Someone who made a difference
When I was young I was raised in a single parent family in an an area with concentrated poverty (the ghetto or whatever you call it) We called it the North End, I’m glad to be a northender but regardless it did have its tough moments. Most people that I went to school with also came from poor broken families as you can imagine this kind of enviroment is not quite motivational…
When I was in grade 3 I had this teacher who was from Chicago his name was MR M and he changed my life in ways that he could never know. At the beginning of grade 3 my reading comprehension was below a grade 1 level, I was said to have ADD, also had to spent lots of time in the resource room as I was considered a “slow learner” needless to say I was far from the sharpest tool in the shed. Mr M's teaching approach was more of our class becoming a big family rather than just students. He taught us about different cultures including his own bringing in dradles for the class to play with, sharing with us some of his experiences he has being involved in the Vietnam War, and we also experienced and excellent music program which was done by another teacher named Mr R which we sang fun songs from the 50s,60s, and 70s I know it may sound gay but we had a blast!!!
Most of all Mr M showed that he believed in my abilities to be a better person and my ability to learn which gave me the confidence I needed to become who I am today. He use to call me the “little philosopher” because I always would stand up with excitement to answer a question or give my opinion on a specific topic etc-made me feel sorta special lol This teacher went out of his way to be more than just a teacher and he became a motivator!!! He never treated his position as a job not even for one day that I can remember. I think most teachers stick to a very structured ciriculum and teaching style which does not stimulate growth and inspiration. The truth is this Teacher is one of the very few of his kind and I wish the world had more of people like him.
To keep my story short I tracked Mr M down today at the school he is currently working at and I knocked on the door of the class he was teaching. At first he did not recognize me but when I told him my name I could see he knew exactly who I was and everything came back to him as if it happened yday. The funny thing is nothing in his class seemed like it changed as every student seemed like they were having fun an were intrigued by his prescence. I was there talking to him for no longer than 30 minutes and they had to try so hard not to interrupt as they wanted to speak with him and ask him questions etc. I coould tell this guy hadn’t lost his touch as he still was an “amazing” teacher.
I told him the purpose of my visit was to tell him how much of an impact he made on my life and that I was so grateful for his efforts. He told me in his whole teaching career I was the 2nd person to tell him this…I thought to myself that was crazy!, but also made me realize something really important-I think somewhere in the midst of life we really forget to communicate to the people who have greatly impacted and changed our lives that we are sincerely grateful for their efforts. Just like his intial encouragement gave me the motivation I needed to become a better person, I believe my gratitude gives him the motivation to keep doing what he is doing as it does make a difference.
So please take a few minutes to think of someone who made a difference in your life whether it be today, yday, 10 years ago.. GO OUT of your way to tell them you are grateful for their efforts. This will make them feel good and you will amazed how good you feel after telling them your thoughts.
Peace out
Crohnsboy
A year of growing
a year ago I thought that havnig a great job and making good money was priority #1 I know money is the 2nd most important thing next to oxygen..lol but it doesnt define a person.....god knows it only took me 25 years to realize this. But I once heard the only way to fail at something was to learn nothing.........
After being diagnosed with Crohn's disease I learned how much I really loved being able to enjoy life and all the awesome things in it. I was working at a great job with excellent pay, benefits, and the ability to advance quickly but I was still not happy every day... I knew sitting at a desk all day was not what I wanted for my whole life. Please do not take this offensive if you work at a desk it's just I know I was not built to work in this type of enviroment.
I took the plunge and left my comfy office and started my own landscaping business. It has been a great experience with ups and down but I have learned that I was meant to be self employed. There are days that get pretty stressful but ultimately I know Im the one who makes the "choices" so it doe not bother me at all. Although landscaping is a great industry and my business is doing good I have also realized that for an outgoing, hyper, energetic person who loves sales marketing etc I need to be in an industry where I am able to communicate with customers on a one to one basis. I guess what I am saying my search is still not over.
As I am in a cold part of the country my business does some snow removal for commercial clients in the winter time but I have decided to scale back the amount of customers I am taking on so that I can also experience more of life and work a little less.
I applied for a part time sales position at a large cellular network and found out that I got the job. The job pays very minimal compared to what I made at my previous job or the hourly rate which I charge my own clients BUT I took the job to have some fun and gain some more sales experience. It feels really good to do something because you want to NOT because you have to. I always use to say to myself " I wish I could have that attitude..." all it took was a degenerative disease to kick my ass into motion and I am thankful for that :)
I constatly hear motivational speakers speaking about the importance of "knowing your OUTCOME" I have finally realized how important this is in every aspect of your life and relationships with other people etc.
My desired outcome in life is to live by the ocean atleast half of the year-some place where life is slow and you take time to enjoy the atmosphere and people around you. Have a beautiful wife and a few rug rats who I love and spend time with as much as I can-family is KEY. I also want to be involved in something that makes a REAL difference ie running my website, youtube videos, podcasts, maybe IBD foundation helping spread the word on larger levels-I will do the craziest things imaginable to promote how myself and others regained our health and got a second chance. I also want to be involved in a business which I love and am challenged with on a daily basis as it feels great when you are a part of greatness especially is that product, service or good will etc changes the lives of others. I think the most important part of my life that I want is to make sure I am always growing and learning as this way things dont get boring and make you enjoy being HERE almost every day!!!! I think the ability to grow is one of the most signifigant human needs. I know I will get there as I really deserve to be happy and have the things I want and on top of that I have the balls to pursue the things which I want. I may fail 10 times in a row but you can bet your ass I will dust myself off and try again.
my two cents and nothing more lol
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Thanks
Just wanted to say thanks to all the great people who have checked out my site and sent me stories of encouragements etc. I also encourage anyone that wants to talk to me to drop me a line and don’t be shy for whatever reason.
Salsa Lesson
For me I screw up a lot lol and the the girl I attend these classes with (a good friend) is an awesome dancer so trying to keep up with her is pretty insane lol she usually makes me look good regardless so I can't complain. But I have learned that it really is okay to try things, get embarassed, put yourself out there and be a little vulnerable as the truth is that the process is almost always a little stressful...or atleast if you allow yourself to percieve it in that sense. Now I do not care as I just keep telling myself go through the embarassement with laughts etc but ultimately I will become AWESOME at whatever I practice at. Keeping this thought in my head has allowed me to try lots of new things over the last few years or so.
I remember hearing this one speaker say the people who are most sucessful in life are usually the people who have failed the most. There is some truth to this, take Babe Ruth into consideration and the dude is on the all time home run list, yet he struck out more than anyone??? In baseball the guys that strike out 7/10 times are considered really good Go figure?? So I'm thinking if I try something 10 times I can atleast prob make good results 3 times..right?? Also instead of thinking why I shouldn't do something I started asking myself what am I going to miss out if I dont take this chance or try something new etc?
I know many people that know me may think that I have never been insecure or scared to take risks etc, but the truth is that I was at one point in my life. I read and interacted with people who were not scared to take risks and that were confident in themselves etc and eventually it wore off on me. Only then did I realize all the stuff that I had missed out because of my own self constructed insecurities. I just want people to know that you dont have to be born confident, you simply can create it :)
I tell you sign up to go skydiving just 1 time, I can tell you after you touch the ground you most likely wont be scared to do anything in your life again. I'm not shitting you :)
I dare ya to try it...let me know how it goes...what's the worst that can happen SPLAT?
Monday, October 20, 2008
Light in Darkness
I have really realized that life is too short to hold off on the things that mean most. I remember before I was diagnosed I thought I had all the time in the world and I always thought I would do the things I wanted to "someday" BUT someday really is the path to nowhere.
This disease has shown me that I have to go after the things I want. When I say this I do not mean just financial goals I mean the great things in life I want to experience; moving to a foreign country for a few months, buying an ocean shack, becoming fluent in spannish, learning to be a kick ass salsa dancer, helping people on massive levels, and just making the best of the cards dealt to me.
I think sometimes our western culture forces us to be caught up so that we miss the things that really matter in our lives. Do you think at the end of our lives it matters how much assets we have attained or the nice car we drove?? NAH I think it comes down to the relationships we have developed, people who we have touched, and the experiences we were part of that really define who we are.
I really have taken this disease as a blessing from you know who. I am pushing forward to do the things that I want as who knows what can happen? right. At least when I am on my death bed I 'll know that I pursued the things that I wanted.
I also believe in the end we do not regret the thing we did, but it's the things we did not do that go through our mind.
With all that said my simple message is GET your ASS of the computer and do something you really want to do in life.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Pessimists
I have noticed that when I email people on the forums or message boards I seem to get some pretty negative responses pretty much telling me to shove my natural methods up my ass. I find it so odd that these private message boards always have people telling their stories of all the pain they were or are going through, how bad of a life they have lived etc, RARELY do I see posts of triumph, encouragement, of someone who has beat or managed this life for the majority of their life. Why is this?? If I was a newbie joining one of these groups I must admit I would probably think my life was pretty much over.
When these people respond to me they are very negative saying there is no cure as it is a degenerative disease, or that they have tried everything etc. I do not know everyones situation and perhaps some peoples diseases are very severe BUT I still stand behind my belief that the body is an amazing thing which can do miraculous things. I think that anyone suffering from an IBD will be able to iprove his/her quality of life using some natural methods etc.
I have changed my focus on only contacting the newbies on these sites as they seem to be more open minded in regards to alternative methods. The truth of the matter is that I am not here to convince anyone another method will work, I am simply here to INFORM people about another option which may lead someone to a better life. I provide them with the information and where they take it from there is in their hands.
The majority of people I have been speaking with are people who are seeking another way. These people are the best to deal with because they really want to learn about other ways. They see that I am just trying to help people not go through some of the days I had to endure. For all the people who have contacted me I give you the uttmost respect for searching for another way you deserve a huge pat on the back.
I think this will be a long journey, but I am up for the challenge. Even if I become sick again and I am so depressed, on the can most of the day, my ass will still be on this computer every day trying to help others out as I believe it has become my purpose. I read this quote that said "Life rewards those who contribute on massive levels" Even if it was not true I think it would only be beneficial for anyone to live by similar principles.
Starting my Blog
I am far from perfect and many people do not like my positivety almost like it's abnormal to happy and grateful instead of depressed and upset these days. But to tell you the truth I do not give two shits about what the pessimists think. I have had to put up with these types of people my whole life and I have yet to listen to them this far so I will not start anytime soon.
Hopefully I can get some people who will actually follow this thing lol