Giving In to a Craving… and Paying the Cost in the Bathroom

I will admit, I have an addiction. It's a good addiction. I promise. I am addicted to coffee. I really love it, and have acquired such a craving for it. I know, go ahead and say it. It isn't good for my Crohn's. 

I do enjoy the taste of it, and it really does not make me hyper or keep me awake. Yes, it is true that I can drink coffee and go to bed without a problem. Sometimes I will have a cup of coffee as I go to bed! True story!

Coffee and Crohn's

I know that coffee makes people go to the bathroom, and with my Crohn's, that is the last thing I need. I usually have about 24 ounces of coffee (1 mug) on the way to work. I also stop and get a 20-ounce of coffee, which I drink through lunch. So for the day, I will have about 48 ounces of coffee, but it is pretty spread out. 

Two weeks ago, though, I really overdid it. I drank my usual 48 ounces but I drank it all within a 1-hour timespan. My co-worker then surprised me with 2 more coffees at my desk. As I was teaching, I drank another 40 ounces of coffee. So in a few hours span, I had consumed 84 ounces. I was doomed.

Thank gosh for my teaching assistant. I looked at her and she knew! I ran out of the room to relieve myself. And I was angry at myself because I overdid it. 

Sometimes we choose to suffer the consequences

As I was running to the bathroom, I remember a story from a fellow Crohn's patient I met in the hospital. She really took care of herself, but she loved ice cream. She knew that ice cream would make your stomach upset. She made a deal with herself that once a month she would eat ice cream and suffer the consequences.

I wasn't going to be that diligent, but I figured, "Today is a day that I cheat my Crohn's diet." So be it.

Running to the bathroom

There were a lot of bouts of running to the bathroom that day. I know I deserved it. I left school tired, worn out, and very thirsty. 

Because of the increase bathroom usage, I probably made myself dehydrated. I got home and fix myself a cold drink which had electrolytes in it.

Going forward I vowed not to drink that much coffee ever again. Coffee is good, but drink it in moderation. See, I have to practice what I preach! 

My Crohn's-plus-coffee promise

As I return to school next week, I will only have my 24 ounces in the morning. I vow to finish all my coffee in the car. If I need a "pick me up" on the way home, it has to be a small coffee, which should be about 12 ounces. Too much of anything put into your body can make you sick. 

Remember, I don't have a large intestine, so the digestion process for me is much quicker. With everything, moderation is the key. Too much of anything put into your body can make you sick. 

But yes, I forgot my own advice a few weeks ago! And I'll never put 84 ounces of coffee into my body in less than 2 hours ever again. I sure did learn my lesson!

Sometimes we give in to a craving... And we always pay for it.