Okay okay, I promise to be less, “philosophical,” (as one of my wonderful bosses and role models would say) and get down to the, “good,” stuff.

AKA

Crohn’s content time lovely ladies…

The reason I’m targeting the ladies today is because I am about to get down and dirty into the realities of life…that time of the month. Not sure if this will kill my vibe being one of my first articles going up here on the blog, buttttt gotta be real with y’all, and today is the perfect day for it.

To be honest recently I haven’t been keeping track of my cycle so when I started to get wild cramps yesterday, I became very fearful that the good old ulcers lining my intestines were starting to act up. (If you don’t already know, I recently came off antibiotics and haven’t started on a biologic yet. So my doctor basically told me to prepare myself in case I go downhill again.) Anyways, today I woke up feeling even worse, but to my relief, I got my period. I wasn’t expecting it, but hey, I was so happy it wasn’t just my body starting to reject itself again.

I’m curious gals, does anyone else with Crohn’s experience flare-like symptoms with their periods? I was reading on the Healthline that women can experience a heavier period and more Crohn’s like symptoms because of the substances, prostaglandins, that make your uterus shed its lining. Essentially, for those of you who don’t have Crohn’s and are absolute dolls for reading this, the urgency to use the bathroom that you feel on your period is how we feel every dang day. (LOL)

On another note, Crohn’s and menstrual symptoms are super similar and because Crohn’s symptoms are likely to flare up around your period, you’re at double the risk for, “nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, achiness, irritability, and trouble sleeping.” And for my ladies with iron deficiency (raising my hand here) and anemia (God bless you), the tiredness and sluggishness is real. So this morning when I got my period, I also got something to blame my bad attitude and laziness on when my mom called me out on it, amen.

So what can we do to combat these symptoms and flare ups, especially when we, “got things to do?”

1. Rest. Your body is tired for a reason. There’s only so much you can do. People with Crohn’s need more sleep than others to heal anyways. Just remember, if you push yourself, you’re probably just going to be increasing your symptoms and irritability. Your boyfriend is scared of hormonal you already. (JK he probably is looking forward to all the yummy snacks you’ll be stress-baking up tonight.) 

2. If napping isn’t your thing (guilty), do slow activities. Work in bed, read, draw…basically don’t move much.

3. Still work out! But gently. Getting blood flow to your sore tummy is super important to help it heal. Do a light workout and stretch! I recommend Yoga for Digestion on DoYogaWithMe. I take that class every single time I start to feel sick and immediately feel better for the rest of the day. And it’s free!

4. Avoid NSAIDs. I’m sure you Crohnies know this, but just making sure. Tylenol doesn’t typically help me that much, so I opt for a low dose of CBD oil. It tends to make me a bit tired, probably just because I relax more, so I take it in the late afternoon/evening.

5. Meditate. If you’re in too much pain to workout or even move, it’s important to keep your energy positive, something that’s super hard to do when there’s no easy fix to changing how you’re feeling. I love using the Headspace app. There’s also a 30 minute meditation from DoYogaWithMe (it’s actually included in the Yoga for Digestion flow) that focuses on chronic pain. I fall asleep, every. Time.

I hope these tips are helpful and please feel free to add your own in the comments. Us ladies need to stick together! I hope you have a lovely weekend.