Let’s welcome this week’s warrior, Jen C.!
     
     
Hello! My name is Jenn Capizzo. After graduating from college in South Carolina, I took a teaching position in the Houston area. I’ve been here for almost 11 years now. After a few years of teaching I met my husband. A few years later, we found out what I was expecting. I would describe my pregnancy as rather easy compared to most. It was toward the end of my pregnancy that I noticed that something was a little off. I didn’t think much of it as I figured the crazy pregnancy hormones were causing my symptoms. A year after I gave birth to my first and only child, I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. My diagnosis was rather quick. I had some tests done first and saw that many of my inflammatory markers were elevated. The following colonoscopy showed that I had ulcerations in my ileum, confirming the suspected Crohn’s diagnosis.Â
I decided to see if I could kick my Crohn’s into remission through diet and exercise. Changing what I eat has been one of the biggest changes for me. I very strictly follow the Specific Carbohydrate Diet and have been doing so for almost 2 1/2 years. I realize that diet alone may not be enough for me, but it is something that I wanted to try first before jumping to biologics/infusions. Something that I face daily is lack of energy and feeling tired. Occasionally I still experience other symptoms when I have a flare because of something I ate. Many times it will come on suddenly with not much warning, so I’ve learned the importance of always being prepared. Â
My health journey has taught me several things, but the most important one being that God is in control and has been directing my path my entire life, even when I couldn’t see it. It’s so neat to see things that didn’t make sense before finally starting to make sense now. Through this journey, I have become more passionate about nutrition and exercise, and in turn, have been able to help encourage other women to live healthier lives themselves.Â
I am very busy these days as a stay-at-home/work-from-home mom. I teach online ESL classes to students from all over the world and am also a health and fitness coach. I am still trying to find the balance among the three. Some of my hobbies are cooking/baking and playing the piano. I also enjoy taking naps when I can and going on nature walks with my family. I love drinking coffee/matcha… just as long as it loves me back! 😉
     
      
Thank you so much for sharing your IBD journey with us Jen C.! Be sure to give her a follow in IG @coffeepi7