Heyyyyy! How’s your Monday going so far?
I still can’t believe the new year is a little more than a day away. 2013 flew by, didn’t it? It was an awesome year for me, and I can only imagine what the future holds. Here’s to 2014 being the best year yet!
Ok, time to revisit my goals from 2013 and see how I did on each of them.
Goals for 2013:
Keep my colon healthy
I can’t say this one was a total success because I was sick for 9 months out of the year, but I’m healthy now and enjoying it very much, so I am ringing in the new year on a high note. I also learned a lot about myself and my disease in 2013. I never blogged about some of this because I was trying to figure it all out for myself, but I spent a good portion of the year trying a holistic approach to managing my symptoms.
From May until late September, I worked with a holistic doctor, who ran food sensitivity and gut permeability tests on me. He set me up with all sorts of supplements and recommended a number of diet modifications. Oh, I tried so many diets last year to get my symptoms under control with no luck. I tried the Paleo diet in the beginning of 2013. In May, I moved onto the Repairvite diet and, after getting my food sensitivities test back, I went on an insanely restrictive (and miserable) diet for the entire summer until I got pregnant and my immune system regulated itself. I also tried acupuncture, daily meditation and relaxation techniques, taking time off from high-intensity exercise, and other crazy stuff like drinking bone broth to heal myself this past year. And you know what? NONE of it worked for me. I saw symptoms every single day and even had a terrible flare at the end of the summer.
I’m glad that my G.I. doctor allowed me to try so many different things before resorting to immunosuppressors, but, at the end of the day, I learned that I’m a much happier and calmer person when I’m not constantly stressing out about UC symptoms. I felt like I was making myself crazy trying to heal myself with no success. I thought (and talked) about the disease non-stop, and it basically took over my life because I was so obsessed with getting better. I couldn’t control the symptoms no matter what I tried, and they did horrible things to me mentally and, of course, physically.
I don’t want to live that way again, and I know there are (drug) options out there that work for a lot of people, so I am finally ready to stop fighting my doctor (and poor Mal) and take them. I just want to be healthy, which I know is especially important when I am caring for another (little) person. Of course, let’s hope I stay healthy post-pregnancy, but if my symptoms come back, I am (finally) okay with taking hard core drugs to manage them.
Ok, that got a little heavy… onto more lighthearted content!
Get organized
Mal and I definitely got more organized this year, but I still think we can do better, especially with a little one coming along. I hear babies need a lot of stuff and we have a small house, so I can only imagine the clutter everywhere. Oh, boy, we need to go to IKEA like now.
Throw my sister an amazing baby shower.
My sister loved her baby shower! It was a big success!
Go on one date night each month
Fail. Mal and I went on plenty of dates this year, but it wasn’t a monthly happening for us. We still spent plenty of quality time together, and that’s all that really matters, right?
Try surfing
I took a lesson in Oahu and loved it! It was easier than I thought it’d be!
Try (indoor) rock climbing
Mal and I went rock climbing together back in February, and it was a lot of fun!
Rx Fran
Yesssss! Best day ever!
Listen to NPR daily
Sort of. I listened to NPR a lot this past year, but not every day. Even still, I listened more than previous years!
Learn to Make Sushi
Mal and I had a blast making sushi together at a class this past summer. I was surprised to discover I’m actually kind of good at it! Man, I could really go for some sushi right now.
So there’s a quick recap of my goals for 2013. Overall, I’m happy with what I accomplished, and I’m already looking forward to tackling my goals for 2014 (post coming soon)!
