Let’s welcome this week’s warrior, Jen!
Hello! My name is Jen and I live in Florida, land of the endless summer, with my husband and two kiddos!
I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in 2009 and luckily my journey from symptom onset to diagnosis was less than 3 months. I started experiencing severe abdominal cramping that would come on after I ate. I would literally be doubled over in pain.
I also began experiencing urgency to use the restroom. During one of those potty breaks I noticed blood and became immediately terrified. After a conversation with my mom I made my first appointment with a gastroenterologist and had my first ever colonoscopy.
My life changed dramatically in the years following my diagnosis. I went from an independent woman who traveled the world multiple times a year, to someone who instead traveled multiple times a year to the hospital.
After 4 years of countless hospital stays, emergency room visits, and near constant pain, I found a new GI doctor who recommended a complete diet and lifestyle overhaul. He suggested I decrease stress as much as possible and look into the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) to help control my ulcerative colitis symptoms.
I’ve been following the diet for over 8 years and have found that I feel best when combining it with medication and stress reducing activities like yoga, hiking, gardening, and talk therapy.
While this journey has been incredibly difficult and painful, it’s also taught me so much about myself! It has taught me that I am resilient. That seeking help from others is a sign of strength, not weakness. It has taught me how important it is to show more grace to myself and be more empathetic towards others.
It has also taught me that I LOVE cooking and baking, which is something I never would have said prior to starting the SCD diet! I spend a lot of time coming up with new recipes that not only taste good but make me feel good! In 2017 I started my blog, A Life of Happenstance, to share those SCD recipes with others who are also on the diet.
Being diagnosed with a chronic illness is life changing and it took me many years to grieve the life I once had and come to terms with a future that looked so different from how I’d always imagined. The biggest piece of advice I would give to others living with IBD is to seek out therapy to help work through those complicated feelings that emerge when diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. It’s hard, and there’s no need to go through it alone.
A quote that I think about often when I’m feeling down about my disease or in a flare is, “Not everyday is good, but there is good in everyday.” This really helps me focus on the positives and look for the little things that can easily be overlooked when in my darkest moments. Maybe it will help you too! Wishing all of you well
Xo, Jen
Thank you so much for sharing your IBD journey with us Jen! Be sure to give her a follow in IG @alifeofhappenstance and check out her blog at alifeofhappenstance!