Me and My UC

It sure has been a long time but everything should start getting busy from here on out.

I've always liked gardening and growing plants but it all turned serious abour six years ago when I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis (UC). I was hoping if I lived the good life then it all might go away.

Well as hopeful and optimistic as I was it wasn't to be, stubborn and persistent disease is UC. About eighteen months ago I saw a few specialists and the verdict was I need an operation to have my Colon removed. The last and only permanent cure for UC.

I went down hill in the last twelve months and as such the veggie garden has suffered greatly from neglect, but on the fourteenth of June I received the phone call I'd been dreading but also needed and with only five days notice I was operated on on the eighteenth of June and by the end of the day I was colon free, had what's known a a J Pouch and a stoma and a stoma bag. (I need a second operation to reverse my stoma and attach it to my J Pouch and apart from a few extra visits to the loo each day I'll be basically, for the want of a better description, normal)

I'd like to say it's been easy since then and I'll spare you all the gory details but I've had more twists and complications than a Batman Movie. Needless to say I'm about a month behind in my recovery but, and this is a good but, I'm glad to say I'm well and truly, fingers crossed, on the mend.

Besides being on the mend and colon-less I am also free of all the symptons of my UC, big yeah there.

So with renewed health, vigor, and passion I'm chomping at the bit to make my self the best veggie garden I've ever created. While it is still at least a month away that is going to give me a great start on a spring veggie garden.

Until then, happy veggie gardening.
Cheers
Stewart

Touch wood

Touch wood. Today is the best I've felt for at least the last six to eight weeks. The 'low dose naltrexone' I've been taking for my UC since the fifteenth of August seems to be working on certain areas of my illness and I'm beginning to feel hopeful 'we' (my doctor and I), are onto something. What I've been calling my 'silver bullet'.

Six weeks ago it was painful to walk, it seemed all the bones in my feet ached and I had sore lumps forming under my skin. Today both these symptoms have gone. I don't feel as bloated and my cramps are not as painful as they were. I'm feeling a little excited right now but I still have my fingers crossed for a good end result (cautiously optimistic). I don't want to get too far ahead of myself though in case it doesn't work on all my symptoms, ie the UC itself.

Burke's Tomato seeds I planted at the end of August. 

On a lighter note I had a lovely morning in the veggie garden before I had to set off to see my doctor. I chipped the weeds out of one of my veggie beds that I've been trying to get to for the last month and I managed to get eight seed spuddies planted. Also cleared a few beach heads in the war against weeds and cleared a space for where I'm going to plant the Burke's Backyard Tomato seeds I planted that have sprouted (here's the video of me planting the seeds). And now it's time to go back out and do some whipper snipping and mowing. The weather is warming up quickly so I hope I can keep some of my new improved health and get this veggie garden tamed before the up coming Summer.

Cheers and wish me luck

Stewart.

Hi there

Backyard rabble

Hi there, it sure has been some time since my last post and I feel I should put up some sort of an explanation for those of you whom (I so hope that's right, I hate who and whom) are regular readers of my veggie garden blog.


Some of you will be aware that I have Ulcerative Colitis. I don't talk about it (UC) much because I don't see there is much to talk about but the reason I am mentioning it here is that it does cause me long periods of poor health, including needing to sleep alot, a lack of energy, along with a few other things which takes some time to get over.  Top this off with a poor immune system and I get every cough and cold going around and this is basically why you haven't heard from me for so long. I've hardly pulled a weed or planted a seed for over a month now and it's frustrating the heck out of me but there seems little I can do about it for now. I have a few options in front of me, none of which I like.

At the moment though the sun is shining and it is an absolutely beautiful day, but I know if I go and do any work in the veggie garden I'll regret it tomorrow when I need to be as good as I can for my "real" job.

I'm thinking I can post a few 'things to do in the veggie garden'  or 'what to plant when' stories just to keep things ticking over and would appreciate your feed back on this idea.

Cheers for now and I wish you all great health

Stewart