Thank you for stopping by on this blustery, rainy, beautifully cloudy first day of December!
I hope you’re toasty warm by the fire with a cup of coffee or cocoa in hand. (I know I sure am, along with mittens and two pairs of socks thanks to my perpetually cold hands and feet LOL).
Today is Day 1 of Crohn’s & Colitis Awareness Week, so I thought it’d be fun to make a mini blog series in honor of this week!
Day 1 will lay the foundations with a life and colon update!
Actually, quite a lot has been going on since mid-October:
- I dropped my nutrition classes
- I changed career paths
- I had a colonoscopy in November that, when I get the results, will show if I need a colectomy or not
- I’m moving to Tennessee!
1. Dropping My Classes
Back in May of this year, I had decided I was going to quit my job in recruiting & human resources to go back to school for a nutrition degree!
I was so stoked to go back to school for something I’ve been passionate about my entire life—I was finally on the road to becoming a registered dietitian!
But I struggled through my chemistry class over the summer due to the worst flare of my life. It ended up sending me to the hospital. And after I was discharged, I started the fall semester; but things got worse, not better.
- I was consistently getting Ds and Fs on quizzes and exams.
- I was exhausted and lethargic after class that I was too tired to study.
- If I forced myself to stay awake to study, it was a struggle to retain the information.
- I could barely keep my eyes open in class.
- And, despite the collection of medications I was on, my stools were still diarrhea and there was still pain.
I knew that this wasn’t me. Heck, I graduated with my bachelors in business summa cum laude! I knew my diseased colon was to blame.
So. I dropped my classes. I knew I wasn’t going to pass one of them. And I needed both to receive my associate’s in nutrition, so it made sense to drop both.
I remember staring at the screen. Glaring at the words “drop course.” The mouse hovering over the checkbox. The sick feeling in my stomach.
I changed my major from nutrition to business years ago and regretted it; am I about to repeat the same mistake in a different way?
I wanted to curse, punch my colon, scream, and eat a carton of ice cream simultaneously.
Instead, I checked the box and clicked “drop.”
2. Changing Career Paths
Welp. I’d need at least an associate’s in nutrition to be able to do any sort of clinical work in dietetics. So that was off the table. For now, anyway.
But, just days before dropping the classes, I happened to come across a career path I had never heard of before: Freelance Copywriting.
I looked into it, and, I say this truthfully, this career fits my passions and skills more than being a registered dietitian!!
That’s because freelance writing focuses on writing. There’s more creativity involved.
Specifically, I’ve decided to pursue both freelance copywriting and proofreading in the health and medical sphere.
So, it’s all about writing. It’s still related to nutrition, health, and wellness. AND, I’ll get to do it all from home. Or a coffee shop. Or the lake. Which is perfect, given the predictability of my erratic colon.
3. November’s Colonoscopy
Colonoscopy number five! But this one was different.
Since my last one at the hospital in August, I’ve started the biologic Entyvio. My GI is going to compare the results of this November scope to that of the scope in the hospital.
The levels of inflammation in my colon will inform us if Entyvio is working or not.
If Entyvio is working…hallelujah!
If Entyvio isn’t working, then the best course of action is getting my colon removed.
The thought of this excites me. I’ve lived with the pain of an unstable colon: barely making it to my brother-in-law’s wedding. Ensuring my friends are aware that my plans are always tentative. Dropping my nutrition classes.
But the downside? I’d have to stay here in California for months on end until I heal, apart from my husband in Tennessee.
Which brings me to my final update…
4. Moving to Tennessee
My husband Tyler grew up in Chattanooga, TN. About a year ago, he started applying for jobs there in the hopes that we would move there someday.
In September, 2018, he accepted a job offer! He left on October 1st. I stayed because I had plans to finish my associates degree.
Even after dropping my classes, I still can’t move there because I need to wrap up these medical decisions with my GI. (Ugh, it’s like my colon needs constant babysitting!)
If my colonoscopy results come back great, then I’ll pack up and move to be with my husband after the New Year.
If the results are less than desirable, then it’s snip snip for me!
I’ve come to terms with both outcomes, so now it’s just a matter of time.
: : : : :
That’s a wrap for Day 1 of Crohn’s & Colitis Awareness Week!
If you missed any of the days, catch up below! And let me know in the comments which day was your favorite!
Day 2: Book Haul: How Reading Converted Me Into a Self-Care Enthusiast
Day 3: Chronic Illness and Loneliness: A Poem From My Journal
Day 4: How an Ulcerative Colitis Flare Actually Improved My Perspective on Life
Day 5: Can’t Eat Dairy? Try This Heavenly Dairy-Free Cheesecake
Day 6: 4 Reasons People with IBD Should Exercise. (Plus My 3 All-Time Favorite Workout Videos)
Day 7: 3 Valuable Life Lessons IBD Has Taught Me (They Might Surprise You)