Hope and Inspiration Part 2 - Essential7 Oils and Support

In the previous post I shared some pretty amazing stories of recovery and as promised will share more in a moment.  I woke up with some thoughts about how to talk about these approaches, being I myself still struggle quite a bit.  The last thing I want to do is provide false hope or offend anyone. So, just a brief idea of where I'm coming from as five years of blog posts may be a lot to review or remember!

Hope and Inspiration: Part 1 - Testimonies

Essential oils have had a place in our home for quite some time.  You might be familiar with some of the basics.  Lavender next to the bed to help with sleep and in the bath for relaxation.  Peppermint for a headache and nausea, and tea tree oil to help clear the sinus gunk that comes up every winter.  Little did I know how many existed and how much they have helped people overcome some serious downfalls.  A few weeks ago a fellow GP friend (who had to share her own success) put me in touch with a woman who not only has been researching these oils and healing properties for 18 years but has found a way to put them to use specifically for gastroparesis.  So naturally my curiosity peaked and I began to give them a try with a little of my own research.

The New GP Cookbook

Back in December, during the holidays that seem so far gone already, I noticed G-Pact sharing a post about the new cookbook coming out in January written specifically for gastroparesis.  Well, this was something I definitely had to check out!  Looking it up on Amazon and not yet released I contacted Colleen Beener, a lovely lady I volunteered with at G-Pact years back when first diagnosed.  She was able to get in touch with the publisher who kindly sent me a copy to review.

Coping, Stress and Anxiety Summit Giveaway

I'm not sure how many times I can say this but, "where did the time go?!"

This year has been a busy one between traveling, work, organizing the GP Walk, home life, and of course my own self-care.  The summer is coming to an end and I hope to have some time soon to share more stories, updates, and photos.  However, today I have a wonderful giveaway and event that I am very excited to tell you about!  

SmaryPants Wellness Package Giveaway

"We are on a delicious mission to put health in reach of more children and grown-ups by bringing simplicity and sanity to our supplement routines."

As someone with digestive trouble, you most likely know how difficult it can be to get the important nutrients in when eating food and even drinking at times can be such a challenge.  We are advised to take vitamins but how do we do that when many of them are enormous, chalky, hard to swallow pills, ones that come back up with fish-burps, or require 4-6 a day?!  And can we trust the ingredients and the bio-availability?

4th Annual GP Walk & Ride!

The last few months have been busy and though I've been a bit absent on the blog there is a lot of work going on behind the scenes.  Aside from the advocacy work I do with ThriveRx (supporting others with living on enteral and parenteral nutrition support), the next GP walk has been in the making.  

This year will mark our 4th annual event, it's hard to believe how far we have come since the first walk, small but immensely effective, in 2012. Due to personal plans in August and September the walk will be held on July 25th, again here in Bellingham, WA.  We've added bike riding as an options so the official name of the event is now: 4th annual Walk & Ride for Gastroparesis and Digestive Health.  Now that's a mouthful but pretty much covers our intentions!  

Webinar: The Dysmotilty Diet in Action

ThriveRx will be hosting a live webinar this coming Wednesday, February 11th at 1pm EST (10am for my friends out here on the west coast) - The Dysmotilty Diet in Action.

One of our clinical dietitians at ThriveRx, Kristen Roberts, will present an overview of the dysmotility diet and I will be sharing my personal experience in addition to tips for how to put this into action.  Topics include the important components of nutrition - protein, carbohydrates and fats - and how to think about this when it comes to dysmotility.  Other areas to discuss include diet when it comes to SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) and a brief look at FODMAPs.  So first step, click here to register.  A link will be emailed to you prior to the online event for signing in day of as well as after, just in case you missed it and want a chance to check it out later.  Oh, and the best part - a live Q & A at the end of the presentation!  Kristen has a lot of experience with dysmotility and I'll be on the call to answer questions as well about my own experience over the years.

Now we know how challenging it can be to figure out what to eat.  What each of us tolerates varies and may even change day to day for each individual which can easily drive a person mad (trust me I know).  However, having some basic guidelines to start with can make a difference.  Having support can make a difference. 

Looking forward to (and a tad bit nervous!) to this opportunity to work with Kristen.  So please join us as we talk about some ideas and continue to walk this journey together.