Recovering From the Crawfish Boil

Recently, I went on vacation this year to New Orleans, Louisiana. I have in-laws who live there, so my wife and I decided to visit since it has been a while since our last trip. If you know anything about the Big Easy, then you know that a crawfish boil is one of their biggest food traditions.

Enjoying IBS trigger foods

Well, every time my wife and I go down to visit our family, we always have a crawfish boil and boy is it always delicious, yet painful at the same time. My IBS sometimes goes into high-gear whenever I partake in this feast because it’s not just the crawfish, it’s also the sausages, corn on the cobs, mushrooms, garlic, onion, potatoes, and turkey necks that end up on my plate as well. Also, don’t forget the few beers I drink to wash it all down with. Despite all the triggering ingredients, I truly have a great experience every time I’m in NOLA.

Painful, but worth it

Some of you might be thinking, “How is he having a great time? If that were me, I’d be in a lot of pain!” Well you’re right. I definitely was in a lot of pain after devouring all of these delicious, yet triggering foods. Garlic and onion right off the bat is a big NO in my diet. Also, any processed meat such as sausages can trigger a negative symptom for me. Needless to say, I was taking a HUGE risk eating all of these foods. But heck, why not?! I’m on vacation baby! And if it takes going through pain just to find some kind of enjoyment, then so be it. My mentality is: since I have gone through this for so long that I already know what to expect, therefore my tolerance for the pain is a little higher than it used to be. All in all, I’m willing to sacrifice pain for a little normalcy in my life. Why should I let the pain stop me from having a good time?

I know I sound defensive but that’s because a part of me feels guilty for putting myself through that torture. It’s almost like what’s the point of complaining when I’m doing it to myself? That’s why I try my best to always think positive and not place blame on anyone or anything for my pain. It’s always going to be there, whether I like it or not, so I just try to live my life accordingly as best as I can. That crawfish boil was something to die for as usual, and I can never say NO to such a delicacy from NoLa. I can probably eat less than I normally do, but not having any at all would be a disgrace to the culture, and I really don’t mind sacrificing some pain for the enjoyment of eating it with all those tasty seasonings. Plus, I only get to enjoy it once a year, if that, so why not devour a couple dozen of them delicious “mini-looking-lobsters”?

Damage control

If I lived in NoLa, I’d probably lose control over my diet because the food down there is just too good. When I finally got back home from my trip, I drank so much water and made sure I ate salad every day since I’ve returned. My body NEEDED greens because I was definitely lacking them in my diet down there. The recovery process has been a long one, but well worth it because I am finally able to get back on track. I am not overeating like I was in NoLa and I refuse to taste any alcohol for a while. I’ve also been using the toilet a lot more than normal since my body needs more time to get rid of all the damage I did while I was on vacation, but I expected this and I’m looking forward to dealing with less pain soon enough.