Article

When You Know Better But Still Do It Anyways

Published on Monday, July 04, 2022
by Kari Tallent

Health & Wellness

Have you ever had a period where you haven’t had a flare-up in a while, and that little voice in your head says, “You must be CURED!!!”

You then proceed to chow down on anything and everything you know that you shouldn’t be eating, only to send yourself into a full-blown flare-up.

Yup, this was me.

Long story short, I had multiple days of eating things that I know can cause issues. Any outsider could see this was not going to end well for me. Sure enough, after day three of my trip around the cuisine carousel, it all caught up to me. Abdominal cramping and bloating, loss of appetite, and the biggest giveaway, black stools. I desperately called my doctor to see what I could do to ease the symptoms and control this self-induced flare-up.

I will openly admit that just because I may know better doesn’t mean I am not human, and I will also, at times, pretend I don’t have to watch what I eat. I thought it fitting to share my personal experience as I thought many of you could relate or maybe get a good laugh at my expense.

So that you can understand my issues, I can eat pretty much anything within moderation, and I am generally good at listening to my body. I have discovered over the years, especially after having my daughter, that there are just some things I need to avoid.

For me, excess whole nuts and seeds can cause problems, along with cabbage or other cruciferous vegetables (raw), certain carbonated beverages (sparkling waters are very triggering), and, worst of all, whole kernel corn. I am from the Midwest and grew up on a farm; being unable to eat corn on the cob is devastating to me.

So, what happened during this particular situation?

I went to a couple of cookouts where there was grilled corn on the cob, and I just had one. The next day, we went to another cookout. street corn was one of the side items, so I thought, “I can have one.” I didn’t stop there. I ate a nut and seed-based granola in my yogurt the next day. Finally, the cherry on top was the cabbage-based salad I had for lunch. That was it; my stomach was done.

I could barely sleep that night because of the pain and discomfort. The next day, I went to the restroom, and things were very black. Working in the medical field, I know this means mid–to upper GI bleed. I contacted my doctor, who called in for a prescription and referred me to the Gastroenterologist I had been trying to put off going to (because living in denial is fun!).

The not-so-funny part is the mental and emotional aspect of this happening.

I was mad at myself for “feeding in” to the instant gratification monster. I didn’t think about the consequences, what I should be doing, and what I teach people not to do. I am an avid runner and am currently training for a marathon, so I had to scale back for a few days, which is not ideal in a training cycle. I would try exercising and running, and it felt like I was going to poop myself every step of the way.

Refer to my article from earlier this year.

This was a humbling lesson for me and an important one. I must listen to my body and recognize that I am feeling well because I am taking the proper steps to feel better and prevent flare-ups. This was a catalyst to see a GI doctor, which was overdue.

Lastly, I am back to training for my marathon. I was very blessed that this flare-up wasn’t worse and didn’t take longer to recover from. Hopefully, you can learn from my mistakes and keep being the healthiest version of yourself.