Living Well with PI-IBS/IBS
Prior to 2018, I rarely read anything outside of fiction and the Bible. Self-help books, biographies, historical accounts - they just weren't in my realm of interest. But then I was faced with something I've never faced before. And another thing. And another... And I decided to start reading a little nonfiction. I've gone through …
Last year, I wrote a blog post called "Looking Back and Moving Forward: A Spin On New Year's Resolutions". It was published on my "for fun" blog and was written prior to the "Cruise of Doom" in February 2018, prior to http://www.ibstakesguts.com, prior to low-FODMAP dieting...basically, it was prior to the gal I am now. …
Continue reading "Looking Back and Moving Forward: Another Year"
"Bloom where you are planted." That's a topic we discussed at worship tonight, and to be honest, it's one I've wrestled with a lot since February. If nothing else this year, I've learned that it's incredibly hard to trust God's big picture when you are fighting moment-to-moment for your life. But! I've tried really hard …
The holiday season is here! Thanksgiving memories, Christmas trees, sparkly lights, cheerful music...and, yow-zah...all the food. This is my first holiday season on the low-FODMAP diet, and to tell you the truth, I wasn't looking forward to it at first. As I've told you in previous blog posts, my family is a family of cooks; …
When I was a kid, there was a children's church song that I loved to sing. It went like this: "The Devil is a sly old fox; if I could catch him, I'd put him in a box. Lock the lid and throw away the key for all those tricks he's played on me. Second …
You know those really dramatic fight scenes in movies and television shows, where the underdog is down and the crowd favorite is about to celebrate his victory in the ring...but then, out of nothing but sheer willpower, the underdog gets up again and looks his opponent dead in the eye? That's the type of scene …
Last week, I got really angry. The Devil was working hard on my mind and spirit. I knew it, and yet I still let him get away with it. Over the last few weeks, two people I love dearly have faced scary, significant health moments. Another loved one lost her child. Our air conditioner broke. …
I have so many good memories involving special breakfasts. Every Christmas morning that I can remember, my parents would get up early and make the best Christmas breakfast - we're talking biscuits and gravy, sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, pancakes...the works. One New Year's Eve when I was a teenager, we had the New Year's Eve …
This year, I've had a lot of help from some wonderful people. I've also had a second, significant chunk of wonderful people who have said variations of: "I want to help, but I just don't know what to do!" In my neck of the woods, the most common way for people to help is by …
Continue reading "“How Can I Help?”: When You Care About a Stomach-Sick Someone"
Did you know that the fastest growing species of bamboo can grow up to 35 inches per day? Yep...nearly three meters in one single day. Due to its rapid and invasive growth, it can get wildly out of control very quickly if it isn't reigned in and grown with caution. Bamboo and fear are a …
IBS Takes Guts 