Terre Pruitt's Blog

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Posts Tagged ‘IBD’

Kitty Concessions

Posted by terrepruitt on December 19, 2013

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Zumba, PiYo, Gentle YogaYou might know I love decorating for Christmas.  You might also know my cat is sick.  She has a chronic disease.  My husband and I work to keep her symptoms under control and make sure she is a happy cat.  One thing about cats though, they don’t seem to mind vomiting as much as WE mind them doing it.  They just hurl and move on.  I was not looking forward to having to spend the additional time needed to clean with the Christmas Decorations added onto her frequent regurgitation.  But so far so good.  Every year though, her and I fight over “underneath the tree”.  She thinks it is her spot.  I think presents belong there.  Last year the second the tree went up she cemented herself IN THE MIDDLE of the underneath and rarely moved!  This year I made some kitty concessions to allow for a happier kitty.

Cats with Inflammatory Bowel Disease can live up to five years after diagnosis, but you never know, so this year she gets special treatment.  For almost all of the 13 Christmases that we have had her we have put our tree up on a table.  Some think it is odd to put a 6 foot tree on a table, but it saves a lot of time and headache.  Our cat has never been one to climb the tree or even futz with the ornaments, but she does love “underneath” the tree.  And all real/live trees shed so when she would walk underneath it she would brush it with her tail and cause needles to fall all over.  While I love a real/live, I don’t care for the needles all over the place.  They are not called needles for nothing.  They hurt when they stab your foot.  So, we started putting the tree up to keep from having needles all over.

That also allows for more room for presents . . . at least so I thought.  Some years I have left room for her, but this year I hadn’t put any gifts under the tree, I was going to let her have the entire space, but after a few days of her having it all to herself she hasn’t been under there since.  So I did put a few gifts under the tree, but still have a bed for her there.

WDance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Zumba, PiYo, Gentle Yogahere she has chosen to lie is in my reindeer spot.  As I was decorating I was struggling with how I was going to get her to agree to a move.  We do not know why she has chosen this odd place near the curio, but it has been her spot for a few months now so I was not looking forward to the battle.  Then I realized, I probably wouldn’t really “win” no matter what, so I moved my reindeer spot.  They are now under the tree.

Also the last couple of years she has been chewing on the garland.  Last year I finally was so tired of scolding her I took it down.  This year, I decided not to put it up on the banister.  That room needs light though, so, I moved it to an impossible-for-a-cat-to-reach spot.  Yay!  Now I have my garland and lights up, AND no chewing.  Cat and decorations are safe!

Now, I mentioned this on Facebook earlier this month.  In the past we have had exactly 30 days for the tree.  At 31 days, the cat DOES swat an ornament.  I took that to mean that she was done with the tree, it was time for it to go outside.  This year since she doesn’t use her displaced tower as much now as she did then, she might let it stay longer, but really, in our house it doesn’t need to be up longer.  And I am happy for the time she allows us to have it undisturbed.

Ahhh.  I love Christmas decorations.  I think this year we have some good compromises going on.

Do you have to decorate in concession with your pets?  What do you do in order to keep your pet happy?

Posted in Cats, Spot | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Goodie Jar – Check In #37

Posted by terrepruitt on November 8, 2013

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Zumba, PiYo, Gentle YogaOnly seven weeks left until we get to read all the good things in our Goodie Jar!  Yay!  Oh my!  Only SEVEN WEEKS LEFT until 2014.  Time flies! WOW!!!!!!!!!!

So how is your goodie jar going?  Our cat almost made it seven days, but she didn’t so we started our “vomit-free” count down again.  Such is the life of a kitty with IBD.  At the time of this posting we are on 3 days and 21 hours.  Maybe we can make it past seven days this time.  It is really important for her not to throw up because she needs to gain some weight.  What happens is she start to look less skinny, then when she throws up it is like she is back at skinny cat again.  Ok, sorry, my goodie jar posts have turned into vomit reports, but hey, just proving that any good thing can go in that jar.

My jar is almost full.  I could press the papers down and it will probably make it until December 31, 2013, but I don’t want to crush them.  I will probably take some out.  As you can see they are all different shapes and sizes.

I hope you are still adding to your Goodie Jar.  It see some people are posting on Facebook everyday for the month of November about something they are grateful for.  Our Good Things jar kinda has a jump on that . . . .

Well, report in . . . how is your jar coming along?

Posted in Good Things in the Goodie Jar | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Glancing At Two Gastrointestinal Disorders

Posted by terrepruitt on November 7, 2013

As you know I am a Nia teacher not a doctor nor a medical professional, but I would like to share some things with you because it seems the situation is becoming more and more prevalent in the population.  I thought I would point out a few things so we can learn the difference and try to keep it straight.  I am talking about gut problems.  Stomach, intestines, and colon issues.  I talk to more and more people who are having issues.  You might even be aware of the fact that my cat has an issue.  Now, I am not going to get into what might be the cause of the issues because that is very complex and I think it relates to the individual.  Plus you probably already know that I believe much of our food “stuff” is partially responsible for ALL of our health issues.  This post though is just to help shed some light on the terms and letters you might be hearing.  Specifically, IBS and IBD!  What do those letters stand for:  IBS is Irritable Bowel Syndrome and IBD is Inflammatory Bowel Disease.  They are not the same thing.  And I don’t think you want one over the other.  They are just something no one wants.

Keep in mind I am just sharing what I have gleaned off the internet, so yes, the information could be faulty, but you might agree it makes sense.  Also, keep in mind that this post, nor anything you read on the internet–including my blog–should not be used to diagnose a situation.  Go to a medical professional for that.  This article just might help you learn somethings that will allow you to ask the right questions or perhaps point you in the right direction to get a diagnosis (from a professional) and work on the treatment you need.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome/IBS and Inflammatory Bowel Disease/IBD are gastrointestinal disorders.  The symptoms might present the same, but they are not the same . . . although some people think that you can have IBS if you have IBD.  With IBS the doctor might not see anything wrong.  The bowels appear normal, but they are not functioning normal and more than likely are causing pain and discomfort.  With IBD, the intestines do not appear normal they are inflamed and do not function as they should.  With IBD the entire digestive tract could be affected by inflammation.

IBS is considered a “functional disorder”, things look fine, but don’t operate fine.  With IBD there is damage and the damage keeps the body from absorbing the necessary nutrients.  A little like a gluten intolerance might cause pain and discomfort and Celiacs Disease keeps the body from getting what it needs from food.  IBD is an autoimmune disease, where the body’s immune system is on overdrive and ends up doing damage to the very thing (the body) it is supposed to protect.

The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America’s website states researchers are leaning away from the idea that stress CAUSES IBS, they now believe it has to do with a “disturbance in the way the brain and the gut interact”.  They think the nerve endings in the gut are overly sensitive and the controlling nerves are over active.

The cause of IBD is unknown.

Both disorders have digestive issues associated with them, and both can also have additional health issues arise in connection with the disorder.  There you have it, a really quick glance at the main difference between Irritable Bowel Syndrome/IBS and Inflammatory Bowel Disease/IBD.  Both have similar symptoms, but IBS does not have inflammation and show signs of damage, whereas the digestive tract with IBD is does.

What do you have to share about IBS/IBD?

Posted in Misc | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Goodie Jar – Check In #36

Posted by terrepruitt on November 1, 2013

Ooooo!  Only TWO months left to fill up the Goodie Jar.  It is never to late to note the good things so if you haven’t started yet, why not start NOW!?!?!  I have a few good things to put into my jar today.

I had a fabulous conversation with a potential Nia student.  I talk to a lot of potential participants, some actually do end up attending one of my Nia classes and some do not, but I have always had wonderful conversations.  While I would love to have everyone I talk to come to one of my Nia classes and I would love to meet them, I still feel fortunate to have been able to talk to them on the phone.  I love sharing about Nia and listening to their stories.  So many are inspirational.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Zumba, PiYo, Gentle YogaAlso, I received a wonderful e-mail.  The subject alone made me so happy.  (“Nia rocks my world!”)  How could it not?    The rest of the e-mail made my face hurt (from SMILING)!!!!!!!  I loved it so much, I printed it out and it is going in the goodie jar!

And, as some of you may know, our cat has Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) which is a chronic condition.  Basically it means that the intestines are not working properly so the body does not absorb the required nutrients.  When the body does not absorb what it needs it does not function the way it should.  And when the intestines are not healthy there are other issues.  So it is a matter of controlling symptoms and getting the body to a comfortable and a close-to-normal state as possible.  It has been about three months since we started treating this and today is a good day.  I think – as with many things – there will be days where she doesn’t feel as good as others.  I think that is just the way it will be.  But today we are half-way through our fifth day without vomit.  When I wrote my post Spot Update we were almost up to a three day vomit-free period, but that was as long as we got.  Now we are on our fifth day.  That is really huge.  Even if she throws up now we still made it almost FIVE DAYS!  I am sure she is as happy about it as I am!  To me four and half days vomit free is a darn good thing.  See there really is no rule as to what you can put in your jar.  THIS is a good thing for me.  THIS makes me happy.

When I read about it on December 31, 2013, I will be happy.

What are you putting in your goodie jar?  Any good things happen yesterday on Halloween?  

Posted in Good Things in the Goodie Jar | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Spot Update

Posted by terrepruitt on October 26, 2013

About three months ago I posted about putting my cat to sleep.  We did not do that, but she seemed so sick I thought we were going to have to.  Then when I took her to the vet he had a completely different opinion.  He is accustomed to seeing cats with the disease our cat has.  So he said she did not look as bad as he has seen.  She had just lost so much weight it just seemed so unlikely that a cat could survive being so skinny.  At one point she weighed over 12 pounds and at that point she was down to less than half that.  At the time I wrote the post I just kept thinking we were faced with that decision.  But we were not.  We might still get to that point, but since then we have come a long way.  The disease the cat has is not curable so it will be an on going situation, but hopefully she will live for AT LEAST a couple–few more years.

When I wrote that post everything coming out of the cat was liquid –  and had been for over a month.  And it lasted almost two months.  Part of the liquid was her throwing up.  She would eat then throw up, so she would stop eating the item that made her sick.  I think that part of the problem (and you will probably agree) was that I would give her something else so she would eat something.  I don’t think that changing her food that often was helping matters.  But she was so thin my main goal was just to get her to eat.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Zumba, PiYo, Gentle YogaThe treatment for the disease she has (Inflammatory Bowel Disease) is steroids and a chemotherapy drug.  Well, the steroid we were giving her made her retain so much fluid it affected her heart.  So we stopped that.  Now she is just getting the chemotherapy.  It is a very small amount three times a week.

At this writing we are headed into our 37th hour without vomit.  Yay!  But she did that earlier this week, almost made it 48 hours.  But that is still better than multiple times a day or even once a day.  Maybe it will be that she will make it past the 48th hour then it will happen, but then maybe the next span will be even longer.  That would be nice.  But at least the other end hasn’t had any issues since August.

She was settled on one particular cat food, but then the pet store owner gave me a can of another type of food.  When the cat hesitated at her dish, I thought, well, I’ll try this one he gave me because I liked the ingredients better.  Well, she seemed to like it.  And she seemed to like it more than what she has been eating for the past two months or so, so we made the switch.  But this time we switched slowly and today was the first day she had the new stuff “straight”.  I had been mixing the two.  They are the same protein, just different brands with different ingredients.  The new one has less ingredients (chemicals) than the other stuff so I am happy.  The new one does not have “meal” in it and I think that is what was making her vomit.  We will see.

Since IBD is where the body does not absorb all the necessary nutrients from the food, I am giving her Vitamin B12 shots.  Normally a cat can produce it, but without all the nutrients needed to function properly I don’t think her body is able to produce it.  So I am giving it to her.  I have increased it from once a week to twice a week.  It really seems to help.

The last visit (Thurs., October 24, 2013) to the doctor was good.  Again, she is frighteningly skinny to my husband and I and she even lost a couple of ounces, but the vet was pleased with her progress.  He said it seemed the heart problem cleared up . . . while there still might be an issue it is no longer the problem that he was hearing when she was on the steroid.  Her latest blood work came back fine.  They test it often to see how the chemotherapy is affecting the cat.  He seemed happy with her.  Again, he is used to seeing cats with IBD so he thinks she is fine.  Yes she is skinny, but her blood work was fine, her coat is great, no temperature, her eyes are bright, and she is stronger than she was two months ago.  Aside from being so skinny she is good.  So we are staying the course and enjoying every minute we have left with her.

She is a very good cat.  So we are doing our best to make her happy.  Fat and happy would be AWESOME, but I’ll settle for happy.

Again, thanks for listening.  I thought I would give you an update since I brought the situation up in August.  She has days when she feels great and days when she feels not so great, but I believe for the most part she is good.

Do you have a pet?

Posted in Cats, Spot | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 10 Comments »

Turmeric – Flavor With Benefits

Posted by terrepruitt on April 12, 2012

When I wrote the post regarding anti-inflammatory foods, I decided to buy some Turmeric.  At the time I was not able to claim knowing what it tasted like.  I figured since it was used a lot in curries I would be ok with it.  I thought that it would be a good thing to add to our diet.  Since there are so many things that work as an inflammatory, I am always trying to add anti-inflammatory foods and ingredients into our diet.  I wasn’t sure exactly how to use it, but I was wanting to give it a go.  Turmeric has been used in food and as medicine for centuries.  Seems like the West is doing a lot of research to see what health benefits it has.

According to the University of Maryland Medical Center:  “Turmeric has been used in both Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine as an anti-inflammatory, to treat digestive and liver problems, skin diseases, and wounds.  Curcumin is also a powerful antioxidant.”

Remember Curcumin is the phytochemcial that give turmeric its color.

And Eat This! has a list of 20 Health Benefits contributed to Turmeric including;

-When combined with cauliflower, it has shown to prevent prostate cancer and stop the growth of existing prostate cancer.

-Has shown promise in slowing the progression of multiple sclerosis in mice.

-May aid in fat metabolism and help in weight management.

Well, I’ve had it for a while now and I really like the flavor.  I’ve added it to soups, to veggies, and to meat.  You know my standard ground turkey and whatever veggies I have?  Well, it really makes that taste wonderful.  I had cooked broccoli, mushrooms, and ground turkey for dinner a few nights ago, today I decided to have the leftovers in a tortilla.  Since we have a few cucumbers I decided to use some up by slicing it really thin and putting it in the tortilla with the meat and a bit of parmesan cheese.  WOW!  The turmeric and the cucumbers were a party-in-my-mouth flavor.  It was really good.  So now I am going to serve cucumbers with my turmeric ground turkey.  Many people can describe flavors, I can sometimes, but I cannot describe the flavor or turmeric.  I would say that it is somewhat mellow so it won’t necessary overpower what you are using it with.  It is not hot or bitter.  I think it can be used with anything savory.     
 
Dance Exercies, Nia, Nia Campbell, Campbell Nia, Nia classes in Campbell, evening Nia, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia,Wiki says “it has a distinctly earthy, slightly bitter, slightly hot peppery flavor and a mustardy smell” but I don’t agree.  Maybe I will give it the mustardy smell, but not off the top of my head.

But there is a problem with turmeric.  It dyes everything yellow!  I now have several bowls and utensils dyed yellow because I used them to stir, serve, or store something with turmeric in it.  It is just as bad as tomato sauce when it comes to dying things!

I am familiar with turmeric in its powdered form, but it is a root like ginger, so if you get it in root form you can use it just as you would ginger.  You could chop it, grate it, cut it up . . . the same as ginger. 

If you like the flavor it seems like a great thing to add to just about everything.   Since it is touted as an anti-inflammatory, an antioxidant, help in the treatment of  inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), helps treat the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, improves liver function, prevents some cancers, lowers cholesterol, helps treat and prevent Alzheimer’s, reduces risk of childhood Leukemia among other things — why not add it to things?

Do you cook with Turmeric?  If so what do you add it to?

Posted in Food | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments »