Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Tummy Troubles and BlogHer

I have blogged about attending BlogHer before and my tummy trouble anxieties related to attendance. I wasn't going to do it again. My daily life is packed more than usual lately. (House guests, my mother lives with me now, uh LIFE)

But then the Queen of Spain, one of my daughter's heroes posted this: Spilling My Guts. Now, I follow Queen of Spain to some degree on Twitter, BlogHer and such. I had noticed her posting that she had puked or felt icky...but I also tend to blank out such things since, well, they can be a daily occurrence around here.

So, here it is my annual discussion of BlogHer and Crohn's

  1. I scope out bathrooms first thing. I will note the hidden tucked away ones. I will know which men's rooms turned into women's rooms. I will in an emergency USE a men's room...even if it hasn't been turned into one.

  2. I will likely pick at a lot of meals or excuse myself from food smells.

  3. I am a food blogger who avoids food blogging things...because of my tummy troubles and knowing that I will be in a situation where I will feel awkward for not eating this or that or smelling this or that, or gushing over food pictures.

  4. I will limit handshakes and hugs...but avoiding all of them is impossible (and damn it, I will want to shake your hand or hug some of you) because the drugs for the Crohn's give me the immune system of well...I can't think of a comparison. Likewise, even off the drugs, I will catch and my body will overreact to whatever. However BlogHer Bola is a real threat...take and use plenty of antibacterial gel. (This would be my dream swag each year)

  5. I may look like "death warmed over" even when having fun. Ignore it. I am not grouchy. I feel fine. I don't want the pity look. Do talk to me. Do know that I am something outside of tummy troubled. I am gorgeous and raccoon eyes are in.

  6. I may need a nap. That doesn't mean I didn't want to attend your session.

  7. I will pack my heating pad and meds...even ones I rarely use at home.

  8. I will pack extra pants and an extra nightgown just in case.

  9. I will need to not party all night. Even if I don't sleep...I need to have the quiet time and plenty of baths.

  10. I will have a good time.


6 comments:

Erin aka Queenofspain said...

This is going to be hard for me. I want to do it all. I want to drink I want to eat I want to NOT be in my room throwing up of feeling miserable. Of course if I feel good I will push it, and end up NOT feeling good the next day.

Gah. this sucks.

Thanks for posting. Will pack accordingly

Gena said...

OMG, I forgot about the BlogHer virus! How could I forget? I was a mess and I had to go back to work!

Yes, the clean bathroom hunt is going to be very interesting this year.

Nappy time is to be respected. I type this now but something happens and I get silly thinking I can do it all. Can't. Not this year.

Courage and endurance to all.

TW said...

Ah Erin, I understand wanting to do it all. I also understand pushing it and ending up feeling like death warmed over the next day.

Part of me goes "Oh, well, I will feel like hell the next day whether or not I do everything, eat everything, drink everything" part of me goes there is hell and there is a circle of hell I don't want to be on.

Call your doc and ask for nausea meds if you haven't already and explain why. (not the eating and drinking part...just that you have a conference you must attend and can't run out of the room to puke during it.) I prefer promethazine/phenergan because it is cheaper but it makes most people sleepy. Zofran is one that is non-drowsy but more expensive. On the other hand, you it also comes in a form that dissolves under the tongue and helps very fast in most cases.

Important things to pack:
Heating pad
the extra pants/nightgown
(most awful Crohn's moment ever-I went on a one day business trip a few years back, wasn't feeling any worse than usual when I left. I stepped outside my room, in my nightgown-only one I had packed.
Only had a business suit for the next day and what I had worn on the plane (also super professional) The door latched. I had to get to the BATHROOM RIGHT AWAY and ended up struggling with key card, oopsing, cleaning up the trail after myself, and rinsing in hotel sink...then sleeping cold and uncomfortable mostly naked the night before I gave a presentation. I presented in the morning but was trapped at the conference until late afternoon at which point the host wanted to take me to dinner. I pleaded migraine and "just take me to the airport." where I sat for 4 hours before my flight. It should have been 2 but there were flight delays and they canceled my flight out entirely but my desperate pleading for ANY plane that would take me to within 2 or 3 hours of home worked and they squeezed me on another very full flight on another airline.

Oh, I forgot-pack or pick up right away some "safe food" to have at the hotel. Mine is cheese nips. That way if a meal is really not going to sit well or I can't eat at a meal time or I find that I haven't eaten...there is SOMETHING.

I am not picky about clean bathrooms anymore Gena. Running water is good. LOL. Now a QUIET bathroom is good or ones with good solid doors.

Erin aka QueenofSpai said...

A safe food is brilliant. I have no idea what mine is yet...but wow. I LOVE THAT IDEA.

This morning I threw up just upon sitting up in bed. I have phenegren but yes, it knocks me out. I'll use it if I have to in the morning and just power through.

TW said...

You may want to hit the doc up for Zofran then.

Cheese Nips do the trick for me. Though rolls, saltines, etc work too. Fizzy water and Coke also are necessities for me. Peppermint Tic Tacs help with the icky mouth and with the queasy tummy too. We buy them in large numbers around here.

Crystallized ginger or ginger tea can be good as can mint tea.

A combo antacid/anti-gas thing can be a good thing to throw in your packing as well. I rarely use it at home but somehow it really helps when away from home. Or gives me that feeling like I am doing SOMETHING to feel better.

I also try at all costs to avoid raw veggies when flaring.

Sit up SLOWLY in the morning. Troubled tummies hate sudden moves.

DLP said...

Oh geez,,! Thank you ! Finally some one understands!..These stories,,,,are me! ..I started to cry reading ...I had the same experiences,...at an airport 12 hour delay,,,then 5 hours out of my way to fly back to my destination,,! ooops in the airport cause I had to eat (something) after 15 hour of nothing!Stomach pains!...I have Chrones...and UC....
Bathrooms,,I know where ever bathroom is in Philadelphia!,
Its gotten so bad ,,I moving to a small town close to my daughter, so she can help me!,Im quiting my ,after 17 years,,,I cant do it any more,,,Im exhausted!,I could sleep all day! I have iron treatments for a few months a year! For anemia,,,caused by so much blood loss! aaahh! Thanks!
Im not alone!~