IBD Updates

Spinach

Well, my flare-up seems to have passed and I'm back to what is normal for me. I found the most interesting thing to be my ability to add baby spinach to my daily diet. I've not been able to eat anything green or leafy for about ten years without terrible, dire consequences. But, during my flare a fellow IBDer recommended spinach. He said that he found eating a serving per day actually really helped to calm his gut and improve his bowel movements. I have to admit I was dubious, I've heard it all at this point and while some things are very helpful, many things are just a little crazy. But, I figured it might be like coconut - it may not cure my IBD, but as long as it doesn't make things worse getting something leafy and green into my body couldn't be all bad. Well, I started with a handful of spinach cooked down in olive oil and a touch of garlic. I ate it that way for about a week and found that it did, indeed, seem to help improve my BMs. I then ate it uncooked like a salad. Again, only a handful dressed with a little olive oil and white wine vinegar. After not being able to eat a salad for a decade I can't tell you how GOOD this tasted. And, again, I had no problems from it. So, a small amount of spinach is now a part of each day. Sometimes I throw it into an omelette, or on a sandwich, but mostly I love eating it like a salad. 

By the way, I did talk to my doctor about this and she explained that spinach can have a "binding" effect for some people.

A Wonderful Toilet

Last week I found the most excellent toilet on planet earth. I was given the gift of a massage at a 5-star resort hotel in the city where I live. Before the massage I used the ladies room. First, the toilet seat was heated. I've encountered the padded toilet seats before, and even a heated car seat, but never a padded and heated toilet seat! Then, it had a built-in bidet that you controlled with a push-button panel that was mounted on the wall. You could have it clean the front or the back, and then it dried everything with a nice, warm woosh of air. I have to say, it was awfully nice to be clean and sanitized without having to wipe myself raw. When I got home I did a little research and found the toilet for sale for $3,000 plus installation. Come on Lottery! Oh, and the massage was heavenly as well.

Americans with Disabilities Act

In case you missed it, there was some good news last week for people with Inflammatory Bowel Disease. The American with Disabilities (ADA) Act of 2008 passed in both the House and Senate. The bill seeks to restore some of the protections given to disabled Americans that have been slashed in recent Supreme Court rulings. Of specific interest to people living with IBD, the ADA Amendments Act will make it easier for those of us living with Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's disease to seek coverage under the ADA Act. Specifically, it expands the definition of a disability to include a new category of "major bodily function."