For Health and Strength and Daily Bread

I met with another GI doctor at the U of U Hospital to get a second opinion. It was very helpful, and we will try an increased dose of my current medicine before we rule it out as an option.

I also met with a surgeon at St. Marks. After 2+ hours of waiting for my appointment, I finally got in. I really liked the surgeon, and it was good to know what my options would be. Surgery would be a 3-stage process, with 3 major surgeries taking place over a year period. Each surgery is 3-4 hours long, plan on 1 week in the hospital, and 6 weeks of recovery. So that's a good 1/3 of a whole year I would be out of commission. So hopefully we don't ever have to go there.

With my diet, I haven't really identified any other triggers. There are a lot of different diets out there that have supposedly helped people with colitis. The frustrating thing is that many of them are conflicting. I have felt somewhat like Joseph Smith did as a young boy trying to decide on a church. "What is to be done? Who of all these parties are right; or, are they all wrong together?"

Thankfully, the Lord has revealed to us some things about health. I have studied the Word of Wisdom a fair amount over the past year. It's amazing how simple it is compared to all these other diets. I also loved President Uchtdorf's conference talk where he said

"Sometimes, the truth may just seem too straightforward, too plain, and too simple for us to fully appreciate its great value. So we set aside what we have experienced and know to be true in pursuit of more mysterious or complicated information."

So I have been trying to trust more in the Word of Wisdom. I have been adding grains back into my diet, and we have been trying to eat less meat. I am still avoiding milk, sugar, and processed foods. So just trying to eat real, whole foods with no added sugar. I do use honey as a sweetener.

When I first started adding grains back in, I was a little frustrated because I felt like I was doing worse. But then my aunt gave me some great information on how soaking and souring grains improves their digestibility. Basically, different cultures all over the world soak and sour their grains. But here in America we believe in instant everything. So we've lost that preparation of grains. And as a result, we have more and more people who can't eat grains.

Here are some links if you want to learn more:
Be Kind to Your Grains
Preparation of Grains

Also, baking bread with natural yeast helps break down wheat for better digestibility. I have really liked the book "The Art of Baking with Natural Yeast" by Caleb Warnock and Melissa Richardson. And after many failed attempts, I finally have a thriving yeast starter thanks to my visiting teacher!

I don't believe grains are bad, but I think it is possible that the way we prepare them makes a difference in how well our bodies handle them. I also think it is important to get out of the "instant food" mindset. Yes, it can be hard with small kids, but I think it is important to spend time on the food you eat. It becomes a part of you. You only have one body. It's one of the main reasons we came to earth, to receive a body. So I think we should take a little more time, energy, and thought in preparing the food that we eat. I think that could solve a lot of health issues that exist in America.

Also, I think we should take a little more care in the medicines we take. Ibuprofen can make colitis worse. I came home from the hospital with a newborn baby and a bottle of ibuprofen, and I think that was a contributing factor to developing colitis. All medicines have known and unknown risks, even over the counter ones. Take care with what you put in your body. A few months after developing colitis, I felt impressed to stop taking birth control pills. I have since read many claims that it could be a contributing factor to developing colitis. Whether it is or not, I'm not sure, but I feel better about having one less drug in my body. This book was very helpful and informative on natural birth control. It takes a little more time and effort than taking a pill once a day, but I think it is worth it.

Anyway, I've been learning lots! I'm not perfect at any of it, but I'm trying to slowly incorporate some of these things that I have been learning. I've been feeling well, and hope that it continues!