Wrestling

Hi everyone, Well the weekend was a little more sedentary than I planned...this is a new commitment for me so I'm trying to be mindful that moving forward is what counts - even if it is by baby steps!

Friday was a planned day of rest. Per the ASMSU trainier, resting our muscles is just as important in building them, as working out is. And, I needed it...WOW was I sore! Saturday we got up early to go to Dylan's first wrestling meet in Townsend, then rushed back to Belgrade to catch the last 30 seconds of Jackie's basketball game. We were out of light by the time things got settled, so I stretched out really good and did a quick 15 minute jog. I can't tell you how good that felt. Sunday,Jackie had a competitive basketball tournament - three games in a row, and then I had to head into the office to work for a couple of hours so I didn't get in any exercise.

Today I went to the gym ready to roll and my locker room area was CLOSED!!! Oops, I didn't notice the signs last week that said there would be absolutely NO access today so they could fix a couple minor construction issues. I have a meeting after work tonight but I shall will myself to get in at least a short jog this evening. I think getting into the habit of working out again is my first big challenge...one I'm sure I can meet.

I'm going to share for a minute about wrestling. Dylan wrestled two years ago as a 7 year-old and really enjoyed it tremendously. Last year he was excited to get signed up, but then ended up getting the flu. Or so we thought. Whether it was the flu that triggered things, or whether his immune system just got out of whack, we'll never know. But unfortunately, Dylan quickly went from a lean, but energetic, 55 lb kid, to an exhausted, skinny and lethargic 48 lb kid. Seven pounds may not seem like a lot, but when you have about 2% body fat to begin with, it is startling. He missed 13 days of school just trying to get his feet under him. At first I didn't worry any more than a mom does when her child is under the weather, but after a week or so of him refusing to eat much, I found myself begging him to just try SOMETHING.

His response cut me to the quick. He was pretty little during the time that I was really ill, and Kody lives far enough away and was early enough in his latest bout, that Dylan hadn't been exposed to "Crohns talk". He looked at me with tired and frustrated eyes and said, Mom ~ it hurts too much to eat. I asked for more details and he said that no matter what he tried to eat, within a few minutes he felt like a roller coaster was pushing through his gut. He said that it felt like something was grabbing him high in the gut and then rolling into his back so hard he thought it might just go through. Then it would stop for a minute and start over again. This is EXACTLY how I feel when I'm sick. It is not a description that I've ever heard from someone who doesn't have a bowel problem - not the flu, but a problem. I was floored. All I could do was hug him and pray. What else is there?

We had a number of visits to the pediatrician. They did tests to make sure he wasn't celiac and that he didn't have some kind of worm or something. They monitored his weight and blood and took some stool samples. They suggested that we could go to Denver to see a pediatric GI and have a colonoscopy and tests of that nature. We decided to take a slighlty conservative path instead by trying some of the things that I do to get well when I first start flaring. We took him completely off gluten and processed sugar. This is not easy to do, but Dylan was a trooper. We made sure that he slept a ton and when he had energy we did gentle exercise. We gave him lots of liquids and supplemented with vitamins. Within a month or so, he was back to his good ol self. We slowly let him get back to a regular diet. Since then he has had another period where it hurt him to eat and his energy level just completely dropped off. We did the same thing and it seemed to make a difference. He only missed a handful of school days. He is not diagnosed with Crohns, but a mom knows when something isn't right, and it isn't.

I can't begin to tell you how proud I am of Dylan. He turned 9 last week. Even in his youth, he is already willing to be responsible for his health. Two weeks ago he told me very calmly that he should probably lay off the gluten for a bit. He doesn't want to feel badly and already understands that being well may take a little extra effort for him from time to time. He is a brilliant child.

As you know, raising money is a big part of the goal of Team Challenge. The other part, raising AWARENESS, is just as important. Hindsight is 20/20, and most of my family now believes that Kody suffered from Crohns even as a child. At that time, we didn't know anything about the disease. His symptoms were not SO absolutely acute that they demanded response. Like many people who develop chronic disease, the symptoms were gradual and they would come and go. Through NO fault of anybody, he suffered for a long time. AWARENESS of bowel disease is SO important to making sure that people get help in a timely manner.

I solemnly vow to do whatever I can to help with this goal. If anyone reading this would like more information, PLEASE let me know and I'll do whatever I can to help. In the meantime, I will remember to be grateful for the opportunity to sit all day at a wrestling meet....because it means my baby is healthy, and in the end, that is what this is all about.