Diverticulitis Trending!

I can't believe that @ 11:20am today the number 6 trending topic on Yahoo was Diverticulitis. I was diagnosed with this a little over a month ago. Just touching on my last blog, finally something other than a celebrity and what's going on in their personal life made the top 10!

This disease is no joke. It's very painful...a real pain in the butt! However it gets kinda downplayed because it can usually be controlled with small changes in your diet and most people will only have what's called a “flare up” once or twice a year. People with diverticulitis have to stay away from things like poppy seeds, corn, and peanuts, along with many other foods.

I followed this strict diet plan ordered by my doctor for a month. I payed extreme close attention to everything I ate. I did all the right things with fiber and Guess what? I had a “flare up” 4 weeks later!

So I go to the Doctor again, I get the usual antibiotics prescribed, she tells me to stay away from physical activity, and I'm off and on my way.

Here is where it gets interesting... My Father came to visit and spend the night at my house. I only get to see him once or twice a year so I was excited but I was in pain and in the middle of this “flare up”. My yard needed cutting badly, and I know when Dad visits, Cuba Libres are going to be on the menu! So I decided to go against everything the Doc said and was determined to have fun. After verifying with the Pharmacist I would have to wait 2 full Days after drinking alcohol to take my antibiotics, I spent 2 hours in the blazing sun working on my yard, mowing and weed eater and all. Oh yeah I almost forgot....I made a big 92 proof rum and coke to drink before starting the “physical activity”. Two rum and cokes later, Dad shows up. We enjoyed the time together, we joked, reminisced, and he played a lot with his Grand Daughter. All the while, the rum and cokes were being poured one after another. Later we get hungry and decide to go out to eat. I ordered food that I have been craving for the past month but was not on my food “list” or special “diet plan” and per Doctors orders stayed away from. After all this, a strange thing happened. The “flare up” and the pain went away! I was fully expecting to wake up the next day in bad shape due to my neglect but instead I felt better than I have the past month! No pain at all and no more “flare up”, and I haven't taken one antibiotic!

Am I just lucky? Does Rum have some secret hidden healing powers? Lol  Coincidence? I have know idea. There is no reason why I should feel so great today. In fact I should be worse!

OK, “It's 5 O'clock Somewhere” so I am on rum and coke number 2 and writing this blog and feeling just fine. No symptoms. HAHAHAHAH

I'm not telling you people out there with Diverticulitis to do anything against doctors orders at all, or to go out and do what I did. In fact, if a doctor reads this blog, I will probably catch a bunch of grief over it. I'm just sharing MY story.

Maybe it was my mindset. I was having fun and talking a lot about the “Old Days”. When I was growing up in Key West it was very rare that I would get sick. Maybe there was something magical about the island. I'm sure I did get sick as a kid but I can't remember one time I had to go to the hospital when I was young for anything serious. In the Old Days if we were sick, it seemed like no matter what it was, we had to take a few tablespoons of some nasty Castor Oil, then we would go snorkeling and catch a few crawfish and spear a couple grouper for dinner and everything was all better.

So for me....to heck with rest and special diets and this and that. I will still kinda watch what I eat because there is no way around it, but I'm getting exercise and physical activity in whenever I can and I will keep the islands in my thoughts like they always are and say to everyone SALUTE and have a Cuba Libre once in a while....