Hey Zip,
I'd be much more comfortable taking a strong hand if she was younger and not quite so almost-out-of-the-house, but I worry that if I don't push her, she might not be ready when the time comes...
You know that's a very good question and one which answer differs from situation to situation. This is a critical part in C's life into becoming an adult, its a time in which the child is becoming more dependant and looking to seperate themselves from the paternal and maternal roles she grew up with. But yet at the same time this awful disease has turned on your strong paternal instincts and you probably feel the need nurture her in this trying time.
This was something I could tell that my mom was struggling with when I was diagnosed just 2 months before I was set to go to college. She wanted so badly to nurture me and just be that mom while at the same time she could tell I was trying to become my own individual.
I think the best way to deal with it is to be that Dad that goes on forums for her and researches the best ways to deal with the disease (as you are now
) Provide her the information and let her decide. When the time comes for her to live on her own and go to college, she will learn.
When it finally became the time for me to go to college, my parents and my doctor hinted at them wanting me to stay at a local community college so I could be monitored but I knew that I had to throw myself into a real world situation, a very situation that I would need to face sooner or later and I felt sooner was better... better for my social, mental, and physical health. So I went to college 8 hours away and I lived the freshman dorm experience
. The first few months at college, I learned so much about my disease. It forced me to become more hyperaware and yes maybe the first month or two there is a drawback to being on your own and not having the necessary support and understanding around you, but you learn to be your own advocate. I started researching Gobs of studies and reports and clinical trials and drawing my own theories and that how I got into the world of nutrition.
She very well might not be ready when the time comes, but no matter what she does there will be that time when she is finally on her own and she won't be ready. She will learn, as did I, and as did many other crohnies
What I'm saying here is I think it's best to just let her know you are there if she ever needs anything, but let her fly
Enough about that... I better get on the topic for which I was paged here for:shifty:
Oh man I was cringing after reading the ingredients for those carnation breakfast essentials. David covered it, it has some things in there that I wouldn't touch with a 20 ft poll.
Learning the ins and outs of diets when it comes to crohn's is a very tedious process but one of the most important and basic things I think that everyone could do that is effected by this disease is to simply read the ingredients list on everything you buy. I don't even look at the nutritional facts sheets, because that doesn't tell me what I am actually eating and I can assess for myself what nutrients I would be truly getting. It is a good rule that if you can't pronounce the word or never heard of it then it most likely isn't good for you.
If diet is something that C is currently toying with, please do check out the diet fitness and supplement forum that David linked. The sub forum is full of great diets that have worked wonders on people and also talks about the many commercialized ingredients to avoid.
Personally I am a vegan and have chosen so because I believe that vegetables are extremely healing and that nutrient dense food is much more powerful than we ever thought
One way that I make sure I attain all these wonderful nutrients is juicing
Juicing, for me, is the most important component of my treatment plan. It is great for Crohnies because a juicer will remove the fiber from the fruit or vegetable and only output the nutrient, mineral, and enzyme rich juice.
You can read my opinion on why I think Juicing is a viable treatment option here:
http://www.crohnsforum.com/showthread.php?t=41838
And you can read some of my juice recipes here:
http://www.crohnsforum.com/showthread.php?t=41839
In retrospect, looking back to my first year of having Crohn's I now realize how wrong my approach on diet was and how little I really knew about nutrition. I think it would be best to question everything you think you know about nutrition because Crohn's is a whole new ball game and demands a whole new way of thinking to successfully manage the disease. So please do utilize the diet fitness and supplement forum and please post the specifics of Claire's diet; I would love to hear them.
All the best
Gianni