UC Journey

  Recently, I finally got a good exercise routine going to help with my cholesterol and overall well-being. Every morning, I do three different workouts and record how I'm doing so I can see my progress. I do push-ups, crunches, and squats. Starting out, I did sit-ups but quickly realized that I could not quite do them properly. So, I switched to crunches, and this has been much easier in the sense that it is noticeably working my core better than the sit-ups.  Day 1 (about 3 weeks ago) I could do 5 push-ups, 10 sit-ups, and 20 squats. Today I did 10 push-ups, 25 crunches, and 30 squats. The most squats I have been able to so is 40, but it depends on the day. Some days I can do more than others. But, although this is by no means impressive, it is a big improvement for me, and I can feel myself finally getting stronger. I can still only do girl push-ups with my knees on the ground, but it feels good to see some improvement. In addition to this workout routine, I also try to take a w

  [Edit: Decided to put a different picture. It's similar, but it's a picture that I took of my favorite person during a walk. 💕] The GI Appointment A couple of days ago I went to the GI doctor for a wellness check-up. Thankfully, everything is looking good so far. I didn't have to do any tests for the first time in a while, and my medications are staying the same since it seems to be working well. I got the OK from my GI doctor to have veggies again since I'm in the clear from flares for the time being. My doctor did seem to be a bit concerned about my cholesterol though because of the medicine that I am taking. So, he told me to start eating more veggies and whole grains along with doing more exercise to naturally help my cholesterol levels.  I already do a little exercise, but not consistently. I enjoy biking and walking. However, in the area I live in, I don't necessarily feel safe going out for walks alone and I need to take my bike to a park to ride without h

  As I mentioned in a previous post, I have been feeling unusually tired all day for about a week now. I have always been more tired than most people my age, but it's been even more prominent recently. After looking over my results again a few days ago from the Simply Sensitivity test, I realized that it actually has a list of my vitamin deficiencies. My deficiencies according to my results are :  vitamin B3 vitamin D vitamin K Knowing this helped me understand why I have been feeling the way I have lately. Vitamin B3, or Niacin, is what helps convert the food you eat into energy. It gives you the energy you need. Vitamin D promotes bone health, boosts your immune system, and enhances your mood along with other benefits. Vitamin K helps with blood flow and is all around just good for your heart.  Knowing that I am low or deficient in these areas explains why I have been so tired, moody (or just sad for no reason), and why I may feel my heart race for no reason. So, I have started t

  "She is clothed in strength and dignity and she laughs without fear of the future." Proverbs 31:25 In case you couldn't read what was on the cover of my notebook there in the picture, that's what it says. It's a great reminder to not fear the future and to trust in God's plan. This notebook was a gift that my mother-in-law gave me, and it is now my health notebook where I write all of my findings and research on my condition.  Recently I had gotten off of those antibiotics that was for my UTI. About three days later, the infection came back along with a yeast infection. So, for the past week I have been fighting a UTI and a yeast infection simultaneously and had to get back onto antibiotics. It is very frustrating to say the least. Today is my last day on the antibiotic treatment and, miraculously, I have not yet gotten a flare from two antibiotic treatments back-to-back.  I have still been doing my best to avoid things I am sensitive to, such as dairy, vege

  A little less than a week ago, I got my results back from the Simply Sensitivity test that I did. My results were surprising and insightful. The biggest things that I learned is that I am slightly allergic to all forms of dairy, I am allergic to vegetable oil and peanut oil, sodium, peanuts, and apples. Vegetable oil was not surprising because any time I have even a little bit of that it makes me feel sick. However, dairy and apples were most surprising. I have never noticed either of these bothering me all that much.  My next step that I plan on taking is avoiding all of the foods that my results said I am either sensitive or allergic to. Hopefully, this will result in me feeling better in general and help in preventing future flares. If you would like to try the same food sensitivity test that I took, take a look at the link here to check it out:  Food Sensitivity Tests For The USA | Simply Sensitivity Checks USA– Simply Sensitivity Checks - US

 As I have mentioned in a previous post, I take biologics which weaken my immune system. I have recently realized just how careful I need to be when dealing with a weak immune system. Recently, I have gotten two infections back-to-back that lasted much longer than it should have. One of which got so bad I had to go an emergency clinic.  My most recent infection that I got was a urinary tract infection (UTI). This was the one I had to go to the emergency clinic for. When I went to the clinic, they diagnosed me as having a UTI and sent me home with antibiotics. Now, when you have ulcerative colitis, you are supposed to avoid antibiotics if at all possible. I had been dealing with the symptoms of a UTI for about two weeks before this trying to treat it on my own because I knew I would be prescribed antibiotics. When I realized I was not getting any better, I gave in and took the antibiotics.  Antibiotics can cause UC flares and are usually very hard on your gut. Everything I researched re