For The Health Of It All

Question for the girly-pops: Without being diagnosed as a neurodivergent in your thirties, with anxiety and/or depression, and a spicy tummy, can you really call yourself a millennial?

It all started with poop.

I always knew that I was lactose intolerant, though I am one of the lucky few who can get away with low-lactose foods; hard cheeses, goat/sheep dairy, even cream cheese! However, at some point in my early thirties my digestive system became a complete menace.

Cheese, ice cream, yogurt were no longer the culprits. Every single thing I ate/drank was a betrayal to my digestive track. I did what every logical adult would do: fall down a Reddit rabbit hole. I wasn’t sure if I had Crohn’s, IBS, or something else entirely. I mainlined Imodium, nothing. I made the brilliant decision to just live with it for longer than I should have, because I knew I would have to go to a specialist and my insurance was rudely expensive.

In 2022 I ended up in the emergency room twice within a month, both times staying several days. I knew that I would hit my Mount Everest sized deductible, so I told the doctors about my…shitty situation.

After eventually getting setup with a G.I. doctor, and lots of testing, I was diagnosed with Microscopic Colitis, an auto-immune disease. I was also put on the best steroid for MC, and after about a month, it really helped.

After being on the steroid for about two years, I started to notice some strange swelling around my ankles/legs/abdomen, and hands. I stopped taking the steroid (bad idea), went back to the G.I. doctor, and since I am on the lowest dose possible, I will most likely be on it for life. The swelling, Cushing’s Syndrome, is a very not awesome side-effect.

I have a standing desk at my 40 hour/week day-job, and although I do move around a lot when I am at Tocororo, I often have to sit or stand to do all of the editing, posting, file organizing, etc. I probably spend an additional 15+ hours per week with my face buried in a laptop.

So what’s a swollen kid to do? Move. Movement is the best way to circulate blood and reduce swelling. Dave and I now are Fitbit wielding, nerdy gym-rats. And as much as I really loathe the gym, the swelling improved a lot after a week or so. That and consuming more water, and stretching. When I remember.

My dislike for going to the gym can mostly be summed up into one category: time. As mentioned, I work a lot. When I am not working, the life things that people do need to be done: cleaning, laundry, taking care of pets, grocery shopping, etc. People also have needs like rest, socializing, hobbies/hyper fixations. I wasn’t sure how to fit it all in.

I also tended to neglect the latter. Stupid priorities, and bills (rude). If I rarely have the alone time to recharge, or read a book, or see my friends on the regular, sacrificing even more time wasn’t ideal. Except, I didn’t have to.

Once the weather became warm, Dave and I opted to take walks outside instead of at the gym, which ended up being a great way to recap our days, and noodle out ideas. Because we do have days where our work leads to opposite shifts, I often started going on walks alone. Blasting music while charging down the Dequindre Cut, or along the Detroit River Walk became therapeutic. And, probably why I haven’t slain any of my coworkers.

One of my biggest hobbies is reading, and despite my clumsiness, I am pretty good at walking and reading. My day-job is two miles away from Tocororo so I often will walk there after work, reading along the way. I now bribe myself to go to hit the treadmill, because I can most likely knock out a couple of chapters. I read like, six books that way. Awkward high school years spent avoiding people while wandering the halls reading comin in clutch.

Some weeks are better than others, and I have had a few where I set a goal of 20k steps per day and managed to hit it. I do love my newfound alone time, but I have also had friends join me on walks a couple of times this summer and it has been an enjoyable and therapeutic way to catch up. Bonus: cute selfies to hold accountability.

I have always been a decent walker, but if you told me circa 2007-2016 when I thought that my 3-5 mile walks per day were a lot, that I now can occasionally breeze through 7-10 miles? Crazy pants.

I guess there is something to physical movement, staying hydrated, and eating healthy (when Dave is around, because when I am left to my own devices it’s chicken nugget city). So with that being said, I will continue going on my stupid walks for my stupid mental health. And swollen body parts.

Until next post, xo.

📍Detroit, MI.

Sara Bellum