Diary of a Mad Colon—News = Stress = Flare

The news that plays 24/7 is bad for my colon. Seriously. There is never anything good to report these days. It’s non-stop catastrophes, intolerance and hate. I don’t remember being this affected by the news, but it never used to be on all the time. Plus, I had a life then, before I was sick. Now, watching television is one of the few highlights of my day. The problem is even with many channels to choose from, there isn’t anything worth watching so I usually end up on the news channels. Not anymore. I have decided that I have had enough. Every time I watch the news I end up angry and stressed out. And that isn’t good for my health because I end up with a colitis flare.

Stress is a funny thing because the right kind of stress can be good for you. Meeting a deadline is an example of good stress. I call it motivation. Being bombarded with negative news reports is the wrong kind of stress. It eats away at me and I want to lash out. I have reached the point where I don’t even care about what is happening anywhere. All the disasters, all the murders, all the politicians spewing crap—I am becoming hardened to everything and I’m not sure that is good. When they showed the Chilean miners being rescued, I didn’t give a crap. In fact, I was mad because they broke into my television show to announce the rescue. I didn’t care. I am so sick of it all that I have put armor on to protect me, but the armor also tunes out the rare good news.

Do I have to be unfeeling to protect my health? Probably not, but it’s better then having a flare. I still care about people close to me; I’m just tired of sympathizing with strangers beamed into my living room every day and night.

Cheers and good health!

Colitis Chick

My Mad Colon

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Exercise is Good for the Soul and Colitis

Anyone who has ever suffered from chronic pain knows how hard it is to get up and do any type of exercise. Just getting out of bed can be Hell and the thought of going for a walk seems impossible. But it’s not. And I have discovered that doing some type of exercise actually helps the pain. Doctors used to tell patients suffering from arthritis to refrain from exercising because it could do further damage to their joints. Not any more. Now doctors encourage people with arthritis and other types of chronic pain to exercise to help strengthen joints and muscles. The pain can get worse without some exercise.

http://www.arthritis.org/exercise-intro.php

Now, when I say exercise, I’m not talking about high impact aerobics. Certain exercises could hurt joints and muscles. It’s best to check with a doctor or physical therapist to see what type of exercise works for you. All of the exercises I do I learned while in physical therapy and I know what might hurt me and what is good for my body. I walk and swim. I also have an elliptical machine because it gives me an impact-free workout, much easier on my joints than a treadmill. I really like it because it works out my whole body. I also do some stretching for my back, abdominal crunches to strengthen my back, lift hand weights for upper body strength and butt lifts for those buns of steel that I yearn to have, but have yet to achieve.

http://exercise.about.com/cs/exercisegear/a/treadelliptical.htm

There are some days when my energy level is so low that I can’t exercise or can only handle a light ten-minute workout. It’s important to listen to your body and learn what you can and can’t do. If exercise causes the pain to get worse, it’s best to stop.

Exercise is also good for colitis and maintaining colon health. It is a bit challenging for me though when I am in a flare because walking and moving certain parts of the body can make things move too fast through my digestive system. Not a good thing when out for a walk. This is a good time to listen to what the body is saying and alter the workout to do exercises that won’t irritate the flare. During a flare, I might exercise at home so I am close to a bathroom and I might skip the stomach crunches, especially if I am having severe stomach pain.

Exercise is the best thing you can do for your body and mental well-being. I enjoy walking early in the morning with my husband. It is our quiet, reflective time and also our time to converse about things we want to talk about without any interruptions. The mornings here are beautiful, the rising sun painting the mountains in pink and gold, illuminating between deep shadows and splashes of light. When exercising at home, I watch television, usually reruns of Charmed or Supernatural—not as breathtaking as the mountains, although the hot brothers in Supernatural come close, LOL—but watching television is a good way to pass the time on the elliptical.

Cheers and good health!

Colitis Chick

My mad colon

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