Welcome! Here Is My Story:
Welcome!
Here's My Story
Hi there. My name is Danielle Fecht and like many people I am a mom, a wife, a sister, a daughter, a friend. I'm a country gal who loves life, lives on a farm, and happens to have Esophageal Dysmotility, Crohn's Disease, and am allergic to almost all my favorite foods. It's true: Wheat, Eggs, Milk, Gluten, Corn, and Sugar...all the good stuff!
I was diagnosed with Esophageal Dysmotility when I was 29 and Crohn's Disease when I was 30. If you are thinking "I've never heard of Esophageal Dysmotility and I'm not exactly sure what Crohn's Disease is?" It's okay, I didn't either when I was diagnoses. Both ailments seemed to come out of left field. I did not see them coming.
Let me tell you a little bit about them. Esophageal Dysmotility is when you have abnormal muscle contractions in your Esophagus and you are unable to properly propel food down to your stomach. It occurs in about 1 in 3,000 people. It is very rare for people my age to have it and unfortunately it is not very well researched so the doctors don't know very much about the cause of this disease or proper treatment. In my case, food often gets stuck which then leads to choking, coughing, spasms in my Esophagus, chest pain, and difficulty breathing. It's really fun and not embarrassing at all. Just kidding...wink, wink. Crohn's Disease is even more fun, so I'm finding. The good part about this disease is it is well researched, and all though there there is no cure for this lifetime disease, they are working very hard to find effective treatments for it. Crohn's Disease is an Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) that can effect any part of the digestive system from the mouth to the anus, but is normally found in the last part of the small intestine, the first part of the large intestine or the colon. Crohn's Disease causes inflammation of the lining of the digestive tract and can lead to ulcers, abdominal pain, diarrhea, weight loss, fatigue, and many other symptoms.
Both of these diseases are very difficult diseases to have, and for a while I was really struggling and was very frustrated. I felt like I was losing control of my life. I had just turned 30, and I couldn’t keep up with my then 2 year old son. Life is too short, and I was missing out. I needed to embrace life and make every day count. Which bring me to now: my body needs nutrients and I need to regain my strength and heal. The best way for me to do this is to focus on low impact exercises and to eat foods with the highest nutritional content available. Since I have difficulty eating food with hard-solid textures, I found that eating foods with softer textures and blending most of my meals works best. Once I started eating this way on a more regular basis, I could feel myself regaining my strength. I could live life again. It was my “Grace In A Glass.”
I started this blog as a way to encourage others. Writing is a form of therapy for me and I hope to share with you what I have found to be helpful for me in this healing process. I hope my story speaks to you and that you find comfort here. Especially if you are searching for healthy meals, have food allergies, or even have a similar chronic illness. The food I prepare has to be both kid and husband friendly too, so I hope that is also helpful. I will make sure to include the exercises that I am doing as well as the recipes I’m making so you can try them, and please feel free to make any alterations you’d like.
Thank you for visiting "Grace In A Glass."
I hope you walk with me on my healing journey and I will walk with you on yours.
Much Love,
Danielle
Here's My Story
Hi there. My name is Danielle Fecht and like many people I am a mom, a wife, a sister, a daughter, a friend. I'm a country gal who loves life, lives on a farm, and happens to have Esophageal Dysmotility, Crohn's Disease, and am allergic to almost all my favorite foods. It's true: Wheat, Eggs, Milk, Gluten, Corn, and Sugar...all the good stuff!
I was diagnosed with Esophageal Dysmotility when I was 29 and Crohn's Disease when I was 30. If you are thinking "I've never heard of Esophageal Dysmotility and I'm not exactly sure what Crohn's Disease is?" It's okay, I didn't either when I was diagnoses. Both ailments seemed to come out of left field. I did not see them coming.
Let me tell you a little bit about them. Esophageal Dysmotility is when you have abnormal muscle contractions in your Esophagus and you are unable to properly propel food down to your stomach. It occurs in about 1 in 3,000 people. It is very rare for people my age to have it and unfortunately it is not very well researched so the doctors don't know very much about the cause of this disease or proper treatment. In my case, food often gets stuck which then leads to choking, coughing, spasms in my Esophagus, chest pain, and difficulty breathing. It's really fun and not embarrassing at all. Just kidding...wink, wink. Crohn's Disease is even more fun, so I'm finding. The good part about this disease is it is well researched, and all though there there is no cure for this lifetime disease, they are working very hard to find effective treatments for it. Crohn's Disease is an Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) that can effect any part of the digestive system from the mouth to the anus, but is normally found in the last part of the small intestine, the first part of the large intestine or the colon. Crohn's Disease causes inflammation of the lining of the digestive tract and can lead to ulcers, abdominal pain, diarrhea, weight loss, fatigue, and many other symptoms.
Both of these diseases are very difficult diseases to have, and for a while I was really struggling and was very frustrated. I felt like I was losing control of my life. I had just turned 30, and I couldn’t keep up with my then 2 year old son. Life is too short, and I was missing out. I needed to embrace life and make every day count. Which bring me to now: my body needs nutrients and I need to regain my strength and heal. The best way for me to do this is to focus on low impact exercises and to eat foods with the highest nutritional content available. Since I have difficulty eating food with hard-solid textures, I found that eating foods with softer textures and blending most of my meals works best. Once I started eating this way on a more regular basis, I could feel myself regaining my strength. I could live life again. It was my “Grace In A Glass.”
I started this blog as a way to encourage others. Writing is a form of therapy for me and I hope to share with you what I have found to be helpful for me in this healing process. I hope my story speaks to you and that you find comfort here. Especially if you are searching for healthy meals, have food allergies, or even have a similar chronic illness. The food I prepare has to be both kid and husband friendly too, so I hope that is also helpful. I will make sure to include the exercises that I am doing as well as the recipes I’m making so you can try them, and please feel free to make any alterations you’d like.
Thank you for visiting "Grace In A Glass."
I hope you walk with me on my healing journey and I will walk with you on yours.
Much Love,
Danielle