Eating Right, Relaxation, and Crohn's Remission

 Recently I took the past Thursday and Friday off from work. This comes after passing the Enrolled Agent exam (3 exams) last month and I really haven't taken much vacation from work this year. Friday I felt the best I had in quite a while. The nice thing about not going to work is you don't have the stress of worrying about what you need to do/have to do when you are off. However, I do still have a tendency to check my e-mails even when I am off (you know to make sure things don't blow up). Related to this I have been listening to an audio book called "A World Without E-Mail" by Cal Newport which essentially attempts to get you to check your e-mail less frequently given it tends to cause burn out (which I would agree with). Especially these days everyone is always "on"-nights, weekends, holidays and stresses everyone out. I tried for a day or so to check e-mail only once or twice a day and it felt nice. Unfortunately, this only lasted a few days since I guess we are all creatures of habit. I have notice stress does contribute to flare ups for my Crohn's. The main triggers for me are sleep, stress, and what I eat. Out of all those factors I would say sleep is the most important. Poor sleep leads to the more stress and making poor food choices. Taking Thursday and Friday off allowed me to get plenty of rest, eat light but yummy food, work out, and really just enjoy the day. 

In addition to this Friday evening I got a massage (at Massage Heights) and was amazed at how I earlier in the day had some light cramping but after the massage went away completely! A couple of months ago I saw a chiropractor off and on which does seem to help but I haven't made an appointment in a while. Saturday and Sunday (today) were somewhat of a lull. I woke up late on both days (super late today) and notice that if I look at my phone before bed too much is when I have issues. If I read before bed I am usually almost always better off. To try to help me sleep I have white noise videos from YouTube of the ocean, winter storm, or something else to relax me. One thing I have looked at is the Oura Ring which currently is about $300 and they just came out with their 3rd edition (however it looks like they will charge a monthly fee after 6 free months). I am curious at possibly looking at this for myself. Given sleep is pretty important and affects your productivity, mood, and ultimately life it may be worth the small investment. 

The key component is the good sleep because that essentially sets everything else. So many times I have either had major cramping or gained weight because I didn't sleep well and then would just be grabbing whatever. These small steps have made a difference in staying in remission with Crohn's. 

Rhino Virus and Current Health

Recently the past couple of days I have felt quite stuffed up with a runny nose and lots of congestion. At first I thought it was allergies (and even when I took an allergy pill it helped) however today I woke up pretty tired and was concerned I may have some type of infection and didn't want to go into work and possibly infect other co-workers. Last night as I drove home from work I was my nose was just dripping with gross stuff. 

This morning I called my doctor's office to schedule an appointment (since it is a Friday) and it would stink to not be able to have any relief before the weekend. The doctor's office required me to get a COVID test first (I have received 3 Moderna vaccines and given I was only congested and stuffed up the odds of this were pretty remote). At any rate I took the swab test this afternoon and it was negative (shocker). I then saw my doctor who said I could have a rhino virus or some type of sinus infection. When my doctor looked inside my nose she said it was quite inflamed and swollen. In terms of what I would take to help me she wrote a prescription for doxycycline which I am going to take for 5 days. Also she recommended that I take a probiotic given my compromised immune system which I agreed with. She had said I could take Claritin D if needed (I went ahead and got that) and also to get Flonase which I actually haven't taken in many years. I took all my medications with some light food before. Speaking of food I noticed this morning I had an odd taste in my mouth when eating which was bizarre but may be related to the fact that I am sick. 

The nice thing about this weekend is it is Daylight Savings Time so that means hopefully I will be able to rest and get an extra hour of sleep (hopefully). I slept pretty good last night but was still tired this morning but I think gradually I will feel better. Currently as I write this I am on the couch and a little sleepy but sure I will gain my second wind later on tonight. I feel overall pretty good and don't have any symptoms of being stuffed up or a runny nose even though I took my medications roughly an hour ago.

A few years ago in November 2019 (around Thanksgiving time) I was battling a upper respiratory infection. It seems as if around this time every year I come down with either allergies, some type of virus, or cold. Also I received my flu shot last weekend too! I thought I was all set for the holiday season but apparently not. All and all thought I can't really complain about my current health as I am in remission and have a slight set back with this virus or whatever the heck it is. I will be hydrating this weekend, resting, and just relaxing.