I want to start off by saying this is not a happy fun camping post showing photos of pretty locations, sunrises, sunsets and maybe a random animal. This is a post about me and living the life I live and camping with an inflammatory disease called ulcerative colitis.
Prologe – Colitis history, can skip to ‘this is where it starts’ if only interested in the camping related story:
I have been wanting to tell this story for quite some time, in hopes that it will possibly help someone in some way who may be experiencing issues that might inhibit them from doing the things they love. I am not looking for sympathy, suggestions, advice or any of the like. My only objective in publishing this post is to share my story, as I normally do, in hope of inspiring others.
In 2003, I was living in Niagara Falls and working as a server in a few different restaurants. Life was moving along. I had a nice house, good friends and what I thought was an okay life. I honestly don’t remember how it began, but like a bout with the flu, one day you are fine, the next you are in the bathroom 5, 10, 15, 20, 30 times a day and you wonder what you ate or what awful person gave you ‘that bug’ you can’t seem to shake. I would literally eat and as the saying goes, it would go right through me, like within minutes on some days, in and out.
My Doctor told me I had the flu and put me on a clear fluids diet. I was on that clear fluids diet waitressing 3 jobs for almost 6 weeks. I lost 43 lbs and was down to a size 1, the smallest I’d ever been and I was very unhealthy. I couldn’t keep food in me at all and could not gain any nutrients and it was awful. I was constantly nauseous and hungry and just sick all the time.
I began doing research on the computer, yes, we had them back then, but it was time consuming and not nearly as easy as it is today. Still, I persisted and believed from almost the start I had Ulcerative Colitis. I went into chat groups, talked to others and learned everything I could. I booked a colonoscopy and had to wait 3 months. At the rate I was going, I might be close to death by then. They wouldn’t give me any medication until the colonoscopy confirmed what I already knew, so the only thing I could do, was manage my diet. Most believed that colitis was triggered by two main things, stress and diet, except for that one doctor I fired after our first consult. LOL. He thought food had no impact on colitis…. what?
I was desperate. I needed to pay my mortgage, my bills and it was very hard waitressing in restaurants when food was making me sick, so I had to find a solution on my own. Many people I’d met online suggested a food journal so I could find my triggers, so it began.
I had a small booklet that I wrote in every day. I wrote every single thing I ate and started with only one food. Day 1: Dry Toast. Day 2: Toast with butter. Day 3: Toast with butter and strawberry jam. TRIGGER. Each day I would add only one new food item and went by suggestions of what the triggers would be from what I’d learned in my research. The main ones being, nuts, seeds, fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, dairy, spicy food and greasy food. My personal triggers included cooked fruit and vegetables and even juices. Basically, I had to eat unhealthy foods until my colon healed and I was out of the flare and without medication this was not easy to resolve, but I had no other options, so I continued on, learning what my new body loved and hated, what made it have cramps and/or immediately rejected it.
By the time I had my colonscopy 3 months later, I had healed quite a bit of my colon. My symptoms were still bad but I was keeping certain foods in me and getting some type of energy from it and had a very good idea of what I could and couldn’t eat without issue. The colonoscopy, an entirely horrible event all in it’s own, confirmed what I had told the doctors all along, I had UC, Ulcerative Colitis and needed medication. I went on Asacol taking 12 pills a day and reduced them significantly after about 6 months. I continued eating what I now knew wouldn’t hurt me and in no time I was out of my flare. By the end of 2004, I was back to my old self, more or less. I had gained some weight back and I was now going to the bathroom maybe two or three times a day as opposed to 20 or 30 as I was in the height of the illness. Soon, I was totally off the medication and good to go.
I watched what I ate over the years, eating trigger foods once and a while with no issues. Every so often I would eat too many things that weren’t on my approved list and I would have issues, I would cut back and be okay again in no time and so life went on.
In 2011, I went for one of my follow up colonoscopies and was told that my colon looked great and I didn’t have to book another colonoscopy for 5 more years. I continued doing what I was doing and everything was good. Every so often I would forget I had colitis and eat things over and over again that were triggers and eventually they would catch up to me and cause issues. I would learn my lesson, eliminate those things and move on once again.
In 2014 I tried green smoothies, totally forgetting I even had colitis anymore. It was a very bad choice. After 4 days on green smoothies, the colitis came back in full force and didn’t let go. I had to go back on medication and it took me almost a year to get back to where I was. From then on, the symptoms came back on and off and I had to be even more mindful of my body and the things it told me.
In July of 2015, I started my blog and Camper Christina was born. I began adventuring on a weekly basis and spending as much time outdoors as possible, year round.
This is where the camping part of this story begins:
I consider myself lucky to have had to initially wait 3 months for my first colonscopy. It was hell, but it forced me to keep my food journal and note every single thing that bothered me and didn’t. From then on, my mind always knew what was what and what I needed to be cautious of. For example, if I wanted ice cream, I would have to consider where I was and if a bathroom would be nearby, just in case. If I was planning a trip, what foods could I eat that would let me mostly sleep through the night etc etc.
Camping with colitis is difficult in some cases, but super easy in others.
Camping with colitis is easy because when I am in the backcountry, I am usually alone and in a remote place, most of the time. As long as I have my little shovel with me and some TP and some ziplocks, I am good to go. (things any good colitis camper has with them always). I can dig a hole pretty much anywhere as long as it’s the suggested distance from a water source or a trail and I have no issues. Done and done.
In the city, this is much harder. I have to actually locate places with washrooms and not only places with washrooms but places that will allow me to use their washroom and places that the washroom isn’t on the 2nd story of a giant maze to get there, for example Zehrs or Superstore. They tend to put their washrooms up on the top floor which you have to first ascend a spiral staircase in front of everyone, so if you don’t make it, people will see you, then walk along a hallway, again, in sight of the entire store, to get to the washroom. This makes porta pottys my favorite. Yes, they smell and they are more or less unpleasant, however, you can literally pull off a road or highway and are experiencing relief almost instantly. These are the things I think about on a regular basis and on most trips I venture out on.
So, in the backcountry the biggest issue of ‘going’, is almost always easy and covered making backcountry camping easier with colitis than real life in most cases.
However, backcountry camping with colitis has other issues in store for colitis that make it more difficult.
For starters, the food. A very large amount of camping food, trail food, etc, is super high in fiber which is the opposite for me, as it is for everyone else. Yes, it gives you energy, many types are non perishable, it is easy to carry, easy to pack and all those awesome things, but it’s also horrible for me colitis-wise and so I tend to stay away from it on trips. There is a decent chance that I could eat some trail mix, or a granola bar, etc, and be perfectly fine because at the stage I’m at, I usually have to eat something bad repetitively before things go south, but as most times I’m not in a convenient place, such as paddling on a lake for an hour in a canoe, on a portage with other people, in a dry suit….. (worst!), I don’t even attempt to test that theory out and avoid all the things. Did I mention dry suits are the worst?
So for my snacks, I pack things like chocolate chip cookies, fudgeos, corn chips, chocolate etc. These things do not give you a lot to go on and therefore it is harder for me to do as much as I want to as I don’t have those nuts or seeds or fruit or things that give the nutrients my body needs to push harder and do more.
When I do succumb to attempting to consume some of these things, I often regret them and instead of my body getting those nutrients I need, the item is rejected almost immediately from my body and instead of feeling better, I feel much much worse because I’ve not only eliminated the item that was supposed to help me, but anything else that was inside of me, giving me energy along with it, and now I am also feeling nauseous and dehydrated, maybe a bit sad or down due to what happened, and just overall drained. You know that feeling you get when you have the flu and you just want to curl up in a ball and watch Netflix all day, but here I am 2 portages and 2 lakes away from my campsite, so the show must go on, so on I go.
Nightime is generally difficult for me and pretty much the hardest part, except for winter camping which is obviously harder. Regardless of whatever I eat, I almost always need to visit the privy at least once in the middle of the night, lately, like on my Temagami trip, when symptoms were worse, it was more like 3, 4 and 5 times a night. This doesn’t leave much time for sleeping and resting which many times on portaging trips, is something I desperately need. I’m already low on energy due to the inefficient foods I need to consume to avoid the issues, but with lack of sleep added, I really am not in the best situation. When my body should be repairing and restoring itself, something I badly need on these difficult portage trips, it’s doing the opposite.
The last 5 years or so, even though most of my symptoms are in remission, I still have continued to have a symptom of extreme urgency when I wake up in the morning. Basically, within a minute or two of my body becoming upright, this includes just sitting up to get out of my sleeping bag, I need to go. So if my zipper gets stuck on my sleeping bag, or my tent, or I can’t get my shoes on fast enough, or put on a rain coat or jacket when it’s raining, I am doomed for an accident. This has been one of my biggest hurdles to get over when I’m camping and one of the unrevealed, until now, reasons, I prefer to camp solo. I have made a few modifications to things to assist this from happening, but it is always on my mind when I am lying down to sleep at night. Things I do to try and prevent any issues from happening is ensuring the toilet paper is by the door, the zipper is in a certain place on the tent, the flashlight is in my pocket in case it’s still dark, and my shoes are in the same spot, pre-tied at the door but not too tight so I can slip them on. I also have to sleep on my back as it gets closer to morning. I have even, in some instances, slept with my raincoat or rain pants on, because if it’s pouring rain when I run out, I’m getting soaked. I don’t have time to do anything when I wake up except hurry as fast as I can to wherever the privy is or wherever the hole is that I predug the night before. The funny part about this is, it happens every single time I wake up. So, if I get up at 5am, and go through it, then decide to go back to sleep until 6:00 or 7:00, it happens again then, and again if I go back to sleep again. For this reason, I always pack lots of extra underwear and ziplocks in case I don’t survive the departure in a timely fashion.
The hardest thing for me to do with colitis, is winter camping. Not only do I have to do all the pre mentioned things above, but I have to also get my coat on and make sure I have my gloves, my hat and am warm enough while I am out at the privy. If I am on crown land or in a place that doesn’t have a privy, I have to predig my hole and ensure everything is totally set for me to just get up and go. Also, getting up in the night is one thing, but doing so when it’s -20 or more, is so much harder. But I do all these things to follow my dreams and live my passions. Again, I am not looking for sympathy and am not complaining, I just want people to understand, the struggle is real, and some things can be overcome if you want them badly enough. I know there are others in worse situations, and I don’t know how they handle it, this is just my story and how I deal with it.
I am perfectly aware that this is not a pleasant post for anyone to read. It is not one for me to write either, however, it was one that I believe needed to be written. I have contemplated writing this post for years now and I finally think it’s time. I want to get it out there. I want people to know, things aren’t always easy. Things aren’t always as they seem. I have issues and going camping isn’t always an easy thing for me to do, but it is my heart and it is my passion and due to that, I do whatever I have to do to make it work. I want people to know that you can do things you love too, even if you have obstacles in the way. Yes, it might be hard, maybe even embarrassing or something you don’t want to hear about or talk about, but if it helps just one person, then it is worth it to me.
I have had an amazing run here on CamperChristina.com over the last 3.5 years. I have published at least one blog post every single week since my very first post in July of 2015. I believe this may very well be my last official weekly written blog post. I have some seriously wonderful and dedicated readers here at CamperChristina.com, however, the views have been declining greatly over the last few years and it seems to me that people are far more interested in the video versions of the trip, than the written version. As I become busier, it has been extremely difficult to keep all the balls in the air, so to speak, and something has to give. It actually breaks my heart to stop writing my weekly posts, however, my energy will now be focused on another type of writing which I will be announcing in the next year if all goes well. In the meantime, I will continue to publish posts here as I see fit, such as instructional posts or some that are needed to be written, as well as put to video. The blog will continue to be here to view all previous posts and I will be posting to it occasionally as mentioned above, but just not on a regular weekly basis.
I am truly grateful for every view, every comment and every kind word I’ve received through this medium and hope that everyone can understand how difficult this decision is for me. I encourage you to check out my youtube channel which will still give the same accounts of my travels, but in video format. I hope everyone can understand and will support me in this very tough decision.
Happy Camping!
Camper Christina
Christina, I admire you more than ever! You’re just fabulous to be so honest, I’m sure this post WILL help people! UC may not be their issue, but there are so many other things that hold people back, may cause them to isolate themselves, but 1) you took PERSONAL charge of your problem and did the WORK you needed to do, and 2) you make the best of it! You’re realistic without being entirely discouraged. And I have to say what a terrific WRITER you are too!!
Keep on keeping on! Can’t wait to see what you bring to us in 2019!
Thank you so much Patti for the kind words and encouragement. I greatly appreciate it, especially the terrific writer comment. I had someone just recently tear my writing apart and this definitely helps negate that. I write from my heart and am not always perfect with my grammar or commas or wording but I always write how I speak and hope that is conveyed through my words. I thank you for letting me know that it is actually happening. It give me courage to continue with the next step I will be taking in my writing pursuits. Best wishes to you in 2019! I hope to hear from you again soon! Cheers! 🙂
Thank you for writing this post, I’m so glad you did. I have severe IBS and because of it have stayed away from doing things that interest me. I too watch what I eat depending on where I am, or what my plans are going to be. I love hiking but generally just do small hikes due to the same washroom issues you have (and come sometimes come out of nowhere after feeling great for days). I’ve never gone camping, again because of my concerns, so I’ve followed you so that I can live vicariously through you! Thank you for writing an uncomfortable post for someone like me who is soaking up this information, taking note of how you deal with different situations. This gives me hope that I can probably come up with a plan so that I can get out there and enjoy life and the great outdoors!
Hey Michelle. I am sorry to hear that you are suffereing from severe IBS but happy you have chosen to share that with not only me, but my readers as well. Nothing worth having is ever easy, as my mom always says, so give it a go. When you are out hiking alone, there is always a good spot to stop and visit the forest if need be. Just prepare and plan for it and if it happens, you will be okay. I have lost many a pair of underwear visiting the forest due to accidents, but they just get replaced, messes get cleaned up and sooner or later, you just get used to the way things are for you. I hope you get out there and I hear from you again. Please dm me anytime. hugs and love to you! 🙂
Christina, I read every word. It was not unpleasant as you feared, other than I’m sorry you have to go through this. I thank you for posting it, so we all understand, as you said, that things are not always as they seem. They usually aren’t).
I admire your courage and self-respect in persisting to do what you enjoy. You say this is mainly why you camp solo. I’d say that any real friend would understand and not be put off. I would not be.
No, I do not have colitis, but I have two relatives who so and a couple friends whir Crohns , which is similar in a lot of respects. I do have a cheinuc disease that also causes me issues although different than yours.
Thank you for sharing how challenging it is and that you can still do what you love.
I admire you.
Thank you so much Catherine for leaving such a lovely comment and checking out my post. I appreciate the kind words. I have a few real friends that I do camp with that totally understand. It’s just easier for me to be alone and I quite enjoy it actually. There is nothing quite like being out there solo, in my opinion and sometimes bad things bring good. 🙂 I hope you check out my videos and continue to follow along in my journey. Also I wish you luck with your disease and hope it gets better and doesn’t keep you from doing what you love. Best wishes for 2019. Cheers!
I love that you wrote this. I just wrote about my own health struggles, and I get how hard that can be. Isn’t it amazing how everything is easier in the woods?! I don’t have all the problems I’d face in the city either.
I hear ya too about the blogging. You have to go where your heart is, and to the platforms where people will see your material. I’m kinda done myself, (for now).
Anyways, I’m super proud of you! ❤💜
Thank you Joyce. Sorry to hear about your health struggles. I hope you are okay? I greatly appreciate you checking out the post and taking the time to leave such kind words. xoxox
Brave girl!! Susan loves camping with you and looking forward to the end of the month when you do a winter camp. Perseverance pays!! <3
Thank you so much Ann. I appreciate you checking out my post and taking the time to comment. I also, love camping with Susan. She is a wonderful girl. You should be proud. 🙂
Sharing is caring …. thanks for sharing your struggles and solutions with your caring followers. If there was more of this amongst us, we would realize how caring humans really are in general. Most outdoor enthusiasts hate to see our fellow campers suffer so I think that’s why they like to share advice and experiences with others. I hope in the future you find that one thing/solution that will finally end your suffering with colitis. In the meantime, I will continue to follow and learn from your adventures. Because of your bravery and others, my husband booked us for an 11-day Woodland Caribou Prov. Park fly-in trip. We fly in on my 60th birthday. A dream come true ! Keep dreaming, Christina, I see a trip like this in your future.and can’t wait to see your adventure on YouTube !!!!! Thanks for the time you take to tell us great stories. See you in the Backcountry where I hope to shake your hand and thank you personally….. watch for our Hunter and Harris maple leaf paddles and Swift Canada 150 canoe with the caption …… “….. and let the adventure begin ! “
Aww thank you so much Tina. Such a beautiful comment I had to read it twice. How amazing your trip sounds! And yes, you are right, I would love to do a trip such as yours as well, but when you camp 3/4 weekends a month, it get a bit tricky to also do 2 week long adventures. I just can’t take that much time off of work unfortunately, but maybe one day. I am completely happy with the adventures I go on now, but there is a very very long list of things I want to do piling up. Will you be attending any of the outdoor shows this year? I hope to meet you one day soon as well. Best wishes for 2019 and your amazing adventures. Thanks for your continued support. xo
Hi Christina
I just recently discovered your videos and this is my first visit to your website. Sorry to hear about your colitis, it’s not something that a lot of people can really understand since it really is an invisible disease. You’ve done a great job writing about it and explaining how it’s affects your life. I myself have severe Crohn’s disease throughout my entire digestive tract ( from mouth to butt ) so I can really relate to a lot of what you’ve said. Bowel disease and it’s effects are not a lot of fun to say in the least that’s for sure. What bothers one person can be okay for another persons diet and by keeping a journal you’ve taken one of the best approaches to finding out what is right for you, well done 👍😊 How much these kinds of bowel diseases can affect your life is truly a giant obstacle at times when your experiencing a bad flare. You hang in there and just remember your not alone with this and there’s a number of great groups on Facebook if you ever need to vent or just chat with people that can honestly relate to what you go through at times. I really enjoy your videos and hearing about your outdoors adventures, you have a lot of fun on them and your audience really picks up on that. So happy trails and keep well 😊🏕
Dave
HI Dave! Thanks so much for checking out my post and leaving such a great comment! Sorry to hear about your Crohns. Way worse situation than I am in and I totally feel for you. I totally agree with you about the differences. I know many that can eat things I can’t and vice versa which always makes it harder to explain to others, right? I appreciate your input and advice and I am glad you are enjoying my videos. The ones going up this week are super fun about a trip I just did with my friend Sue. Hope you enjoy them. Cheers! 🙂 Be well! 🙂
Although I don’t have Ulcerative Colitus, I do have IBS and have had to deal with it for 30 years. The medical community still maintains that food has nothing to do with it, but I’ve known for years that certain foods will cause a reaction while others won’t. For me. the biggest challenge is eating out or while traveling. I never know whether the food will affect me or not. In my case, preservatives appear to be a factor, so I try to stay away from foods with preservatives. When I get packaged foods, I always read the ingredients first and decide whether to try the food or not. This matters because packaged foods are often what I take with me into the woods. Stress and anxiety are real factors that may exacerbate the symptoms, but they are not that easy to deal with. Oftentimes, it’s difficult for someone who hasn’t experienced these things to appreciate how they affect us. The medical community often tries to look for a psychological cause instead of a physiological cause because it’s easier for them.
Hi Bill! thanks so much for checking out my post and taking the time to leave such a wonderful comment. It is true, the things you say on so many levels. Recently I was visiting someone and I explained my food issues. I advised I can’t really eat dairy, fruit, vegetables, spicy food or greasy food. When I made up my plate I put some shredded cheddar on my pasta and got a comment about it. Well, cheddar is a hard cheese and for me that is usually okay. It is also being eaten for dinner and the last meal of the day so it doesn’t affect me as much as if it was for breakfast. Blah blah blah. I can’t even explain it anymore. It doesn’t make sense to me or sound right so I know others must think I”m full of it half the time but after so many years, you learn your body and what things affect it and how they do, what times of day they do, etc etc. It’s always nice to hear someone else understands all this and gets it. Thank you for sharing that you do and some of your story as well, for others to see. I appreciate your support. 🙂 Cheers!
Thank you !!!
Thank you so much! Same to you! 🙂
Thank you!
A brave piece of writing. It isn’t always easy to share and put yourself out there but what a gift to all of us struggling with our own issues. Great message that you can still get out and do what you want to do. Thank you so much.
Thanks so much Barb. i appreciate you checking out my post and taking the time to comment. Cheers. 🙂
All the very best to you now and forever! Keep traveling, camping and paddling.
Thank you so much Mark! Same to you! cheers!
I just found your motivating and instructional blog and have been devouring it! Although all the posts I’ve read so far are wonderful, I wanted to comment on this post specifically.
Thank you for sharing your challenges with UC. Although I don’t have UC, I have other health concerns that have me doubting myself and my ability to fully immersed myself in backcountry camping. I appreciate all the preparations you make, all the more so with having to make adjustments for dealing with UC.
I will continue to follow along with your adventures in any format, and look forward to perhaps saying hello in the backcountry some day. Keep up the fabulous work!
Thanks so much Marie! I am so glad you are enjoying my blog. Just recently I have decided to scale back on my posts here but I have a very active youtube channel where I vlog about all my adventures. I hope you check some of them out. Everyone has something happening whether it’s mental or physical. I hope you are able to overcome whatever has you doubting yourself and get out there and enjoy the things you love to do. What’s the worst that can happen? Best wishes to you and I hope to hear from you again soon! Cheers! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgmeysN2_1SZ4b1Q379j1SQ/videos
Thank you for sharing. I myself have MS for over half my life. I love the outdoors. Hiking and camping in the backwoods is what I love the most but I have to be very realistic with what I do. My MS causes extreme fatigue, weakness, balance issues, etc.,and also bathroom urgency(when I have go, its like not now, but right now). Also 2 years ago I was in a very BAD car accident(not my fault) it took over a year to recover and now I have more issues, but I still get outdoors.My MS is relapsing remitting type but as I found out it will become relapsing progressive meaning eventually I end up in a wheel chair. But before that happens I hope to get outdoors as much as possible. I always felt it was better that I got MS than someone else, because I’ve seen too many with this illness just give up. Yes there are days when I feel horrible but that’s the nature of MS and so many other illnesses. Keep blogging and I’ll keep reading. P.S. I’m almost done reading your entire blog only a few posts left,but when I saw this one I felt I just had to comment.
HI Donna, thanks so much for sharing your story with everyone and with me. It must be tough dealing with that. Then getting into a car accident. 🙁 So sorry. I hope you get outdoors as much as possible. You sound like an incredibly kind and generous person. I can’t believe you’ve almost read my entire blog. That’s crazy. I hope you are enjoying it. Have you watched any of the videos? They are quite entertaining as well. Thank you for commenting and being so committed to my posts. I hope to meet you one day. 🙂
Hi Christina,
Thank you for bravely sharing a personal part of yourself. I also suffer from UC and truly admire how you keep moving forward with your love of adventure/camping despite the pain and inconvenience of this horrible bowel disease. I recently found your videos and my daughter and I look forward to watching your adventures. Your videos are our reward for the end of our day. We are happily addicted.
Your fans,
Cindy and Mia
HI Cindy and Mia! Thanks so much for checking out my blog and taking the time to comment. I am sorry to hear you also suffer from UC. It does suck doesn’t it? I’m glad you are both enjoying my videos. I hope you continue to enjoy them and I greatly appreciate your support! You can also leave comments on the videos below each one. Hope to hear from you again soon! Thank you!!! 🙂
Thank you for your comment. I finished all your posts, now I’m almost done your videos. They’re wonderful, funny at times and informative. I wish I lived where you do,so close to the backcountry. I myself I have a 3 to 4 hour drive to get to anything that remote. I promise you this, you keep posting I’ll keep reading.
WOW! That is amazing! Thank you so much. I actually used to have that drive but I sold my house, put my stuff in storage, found a job up here and moved. Now I have shorter drives and am close to the places I love to explore. Life is short. Do what you love. Thanks again for your continued support. My blog posts will be very intermittent going forward. I am focusing on my youtube channel going forward and may also be writing a book, (nothing official has been announced as yet but keep an eye out). Have a great day!
I have been very fortunate that I have, so far, been pretty healthy. I was sick once while camping, although nothing like what you go through, but even that was not pleasant. You are an amazing person. Your trips are inspiring.
HI Gary. That is so great to hear! It is tough being out there and being sick sometimes but we do what we have to for the things we love. I greatly appreciate you checking out my post and taking the time to comment. Cheers!
Hi Christina, that is a great write and such an inspirational piece, thank you for courageously sharing that. I only just recently started following your videos and activities and have to say I find you to be a great role model for anyone wishing to take hold of life by the horns and experience and enjoy life, in the face of adversity. I love to camp/canoe/backpack and often go it alone as I am single and not many of my friends enjoy camping/backpacking. I have been inspired by your stories and maybe, just maybe, I could get to meet you one day. 🙂
Thank you so much for your wonderful comment and words. I greatly appreciate them and am so glad you are enjoying my blog and my videos. I hope to hear from you again! Cheers!
I appreciate you being so candid. I too keep myself isolated, or have learned to because stress has always given me lower GI issues since I was a young fellow, not UC, but diverticulitis, and have been in the hospital once for acute diverticulitis. Several colonoscopies. It flared up bad again taking care of my dad in Peterborough before he died and it came back. I went to the clinic in PBO and the doctor but me antibiotics again. Coming back home to Montreal the pain was, well, you know, and my local clinic put me on Modulon, which worked like a charm, so I always keep a prescription of that handy. Ergo, I have to be very careful about my stress control. Past few years have been much better, thankfully as I’m in my mid sixties. I do a lot of aerobic cycling, xc skiing etc. to keep the stress levels at bay. Gave myself a two nighter solo backpacking trip and handled that well, even having to back pack out in heavy rain. Enjoying your tripping blogs quite a bit. Hope to get my first canoe this summer. Keep us stoked, Christina! Cheers!
Christina: I was searching for a Temagami video on Youtube and there you were. I admire your courage for canoe tripping on your own. To find out that you have colitis struck home and I’m sorry to hear that. I had colitis starting in the 90’s and after 13 years, had my colon removed. To make a long story short, I too use the washroom several times a day, so when traveling, I need to be prepared. But getting back to Temagami, I have a seasonal residence there. I have travelled thousands of miles canoe tripping when I was younger, which helped lead me to becoming a Forest Technician. I also thought about going on a solo canoe trip this past summer but it didn’t materialize. Keep on canoeing !
Hi Bob! I’m so glad you found me. I’m so sorry to hear about your colitis issues. Mine are thankfully not that severe….Most of the time. I had a bad flare just a few weeks before my big solo trip in August, but I seem to have resolved it just before I left thankfully. I started tripping in Temagami last year. And absolutely love it. I have done quite a few solo trips there now and will be doing a few more before the end of the season. I hope you stay tuned and continue to enjoy my videos and check out some of the others. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment!
Hello again Christina ! Tripping in the wilderness with IBD is probably more convenient than being out and about in other areas. With all the crown land to use , as the old saying goes, “Mother Nature calls” !
Bob Lake, which I dream is named after me, haha , is a lake which I was stationed on , working for MNR , living in a trailer , seeding cutovers by hand and foot. I have travelled almost all of the lakes in the region , yet I am surprised we didn’t as youth from our summer camp . It’s rough going on portages for sure in spots. To see your video with the muck and logs on the trail reminded me of the old days. There were some brutal portages. Being by oneself outdoors has it’s risks of course. I believe you said you have a beacon if needed ? I try to spend a few weeks off and on at my cottage by myself. I go for walks and small canoe rides and am always thinking about how careful one must be with every foot step, every movement. I did a face plant onto my nose , broke it a bit with a small concession too. Lesson learned ! Don’t fall, and tie up those dangling laces. I saw your post about concussions too. You’re working my side off the street with clumsiness LOL ! Though it’s not funny. It is what it is and I try to look at the humorous side of things. You can find me on Facebook at Rob Boatman. Fall is pretty much here. My favourite time of the year !
Ahhhh yes, soloing and being careful are what I do best. LOL. I received 3 concussions last year. I’d never had one in my life before that. They all happened at home. It was somewhat funny, but not funny, as you said so well. All the trips I go on and I hurt myself where I live. It sounds like you have lived a wonderful life so far. I have added you as a friend on facebook. I will chat further with you there.I don’t post in the blog any longer. It was a hard thing for me to do, but I had way too many irons in the fire and had to give something up. I love the videos and would rather spend more time on making them better. Plus, youtube pays me, albeit, an extremely small sum, but the blog was costing me $400 year and it made much more sense to continue with the youtube whole heartedly. I do miss writing in the blog but have been working on a book. I made it to chapter 5, then canoe season hit and well, i got too busy again. LOL. Thanks for another great comment. Look forward to talking to you more about temagami and picking your brain. Cheers!
Hi Camper Christina – nice to see you again at the symposium!! My father in law had the same. It is a huge struggle to gain control. I’ve not read through all of the comments above but I will make the time.
Take care my friend – and yes I order the hoodie.
Thank you Brian. It was so good to see you as well and I’m glad everything is good with you. thank you so much for ordering the hoodie. I appreciate it. Have a great day!
Thank you Christina for being so open and honest about your health and struggles. You are making it ok to not be picture perfect. That is real life!! I also have health issues that most people would tell me to just stay home. Instead, i find solutions and substitutions that work for me. I discovered your videos while preparing for a trip to Temagamy and i was instantly inspired due to your natural, open and honest videos. You make it believable and inspire women to fall in love with canoe camping. Honestly, yours are the best videos i have seen due to your fun and honest clips. I really dont need another video on how to build my own shelter out of wood (i have good tent :)) Please continue to educate and entertain us all.
Thank you so very much for the wonderful comment. I greatly appreciate it. Happy camping! Cheers !
Thank you so much for writing this. I love to camp and hike but I’ve been struggling a lot due to IBD issues and urgency/chronic pain. This gives me the extra push I needed to keep going and looking for solutions! I won’t ever give up on my dreams. You are an inspiration. Thank you!
You’re very welcome. I hope you find a way to do what you love to do and overcome your challenges. If you ever need any help or advice please feel free to PM me. Cheers!
Christina, first I think you should make yourself a hoodie with the words “Still, I persisted…”
Secondly I, like many others, appreciated your honesty. Many of us have issues we have to deal with. When I did my LOTN survival trip, the first night we could sleep in the hot tent with Kie and Jordan Jonas or if we wanted we were free to do a makeshift shelter till the second day, when we would build a group shelter. Jordan offer to help me, and I couldn’t resist the chance to hang out with my Alone hero (Kie’s season 7 of Alone hadn’t aired as of yet, and she wasn’t allowed to share her accomplishments). I made a little one man lean to against a huge rock wall. That night my prostrate drove me nuts and I had to get out of my sleeping bag and pee, 8 times! Next day we built the group shelter, but I said I would stay in my little lean to, because I was too embarrassed to be be waking everyone up through the night as I got up and peed. Turns out the second night my prostrate and bladder decided it wasn’t so bad and I only had to pee 2 or 3 times. By then I was happy to have me own little castle and stayed in it all 7 nights.
You are an inspiration. keep on, keeping on.
PS thank for all the equipment reviews. I always helps to learn from those a little further down the road then ourselves.
HI Joe! Thank you so much for the great comment. I can’t believe that you got to build a shelter with Jordan. That is just amazing! I really appreciate you sharing your story and experiences here for others to see. I’m sure it is of great help to others, as well as myself. When I decided it was time to stop writing in my blog regularly, I had to write this post. It was something I wanted to talk about for a long time but just hadn’t gotten the courage to do so. It’s been favorably reviewed and received well. I hope it’s helped someone out there. I also totally understand what you said about not wanting to bunk with others. I have been in that situation many times and have always chosen to do my own thing because I too did not want to disturb anyone with my frequent evening privy visits. It gets very difficult, especially when I do really hard big trips and can’t get the rest I need to keep my body going during the day, but I do it because I love it and just continue on. I’m grateful for your comment and your support. I’m assuming your Ps about equipment reviews is in relation to my gear page on my website? Let me know if I missed anything or there’s something more you’d like to see? Over the winter season, I am planning to add a food tab which will add my thoughts about freeze dried and packaged meals I have tried. I haven’t been able to get to it since I set it up earlier this year. Cheers!
Thank you Christina for writing this & know you are not alone. I have camped my whole life, although car camping with my husband & kids, because no one wants to back country camp but me ;). I have not back country camped since I was a teenager & really long to try it solo. My trepidation is my ulcerative colitis & the exact same things you go through & describe. I hike every day in the woods with my dog & like you have to be prepared, always with my backpack of TP, shovel, baggies, wipes, sanitizer. I have kayaked for day trips into interior sites at Algonquin, but never the overnight. I have had UC for close to 25 years now, so I know my food triggers mostly, but as you know, sh*+ happens.
I commend you for doing what you love, pushing through those tough times and taking charge of your life. Sharing this with others is a whole new level of courage. I hope I can muster the courage to do the solo overnight trip (and get the equipment-my travel trailer won’t fit in a canoe!). I just started watching you YouTube videos, and made my first comment , where you replied & told me to check out your blog about colitis.
Guess what, you did help one person-me!
[…] Camper Christina – Camping with Colitis For another perspective on UC, Christina is an avid camper with UC who blogs about her experience. […]
Hi Christina!
Thank you for sharing your story, I struggle with the same first thing in the morning emergency poo, so camping with other people is an even bigger struggle when there are no restrooms. My question to you is, have you ever tried one of those portable toilets? Or recommend another type on sitting device to do business with? Squatting hurts my tummy, and I hate having my booty hanging out in the wind like that.
Keep on getting it girl, and thank you!
HI Robin. So sorry for the late reply. I don’t get notifications here and have to check manually when I remember. I have a video on my youtube channel on how to make a privy, one where you don’t have to squat and is more comfortable. Here is the link. If you have any other questions, please email me at camperchristina@outlook.com and I will be able to respond more quickly. Another trick I sometimes use when things are not the best for me, health-wise, is bring a few liners or pads to wear, back there, just in case. They’ve definitely come in handy. https://youtu.be/wuFlC4ceItE
Hi Christina and Robin, something I find that helps at times is marshmallows, I know that sounds a bit silly but I have found with my crohns that a few marshmallows will help slow things 💩🧻 down. Lots of UC and Crohns people and especially for people with a colostomy or ileostomy swear by this as well. Have a couple marshmallows awhile before you go to bed and see if it helps. It’s also a good excuse to eat s’mores while out, one of my favourites anyways when I’m out. Hopefully this may help out 👍😊
Hi Dave. That’s definitely a new one. I’m not a big fan of marshmallows, but I will definitely look into it. Thanks for commenting. Cheers!
I didn’t know about that with marshmallows until I had a colostomy of my own for a little over a year due to an unexpected severe health incident. I found even after my colostomy reversal that marshmallows still help so I thought I’d share that, I know your not much of a marshmallow fan from chatting with you before but since you do love chocolate ( everyone loves chocolate 🤤 especially me ) just have extra chocolate with them 👍
Cheers 🍻 l really enjoy your adventures and always try to keep up with them 👍🏕
😊 I know your not a big marshmallow fan from our conversations before but if you add lots of chocolate to your s’mores that’ll be an extra bonus and you’ll hardly notice the marshmallow 😉
I found this out a few years ago from when I had a colostomy for a little over a year due to an emergency surgery and lots of people with ostomies swear by it. I got my colostomy reversal and found that marshmallows still helps a lot 👍💩🧻
Alright! You have me convinced to try it. What is the timeframe for when you eat the marshmallows? Is it right before bed or after dinner? Do mini marshmallows work? How many should I eat? (I normally don’t eat past 7pm til noon, but I’ll break it if it works. Cheers!
Try them at 7:00 pm or a bit earlier after dinner and go from there, the mini marshmallows would work too you’d just need enough to equal a large marshmallow. We’re each different so it’s a bit of trial and error at first so just try and figure out what a good balance for you. Something else you can try as well if you haven’t already is psyllium capsules 525mg each. I use these everyday for my crohns, I take five after lunch with water, how much water depends on how things have been passing 💩 wise. If the 💩 is runny then I only have about 250ml of water with them,if 💩 is constipating then more water. You can do this up to three times a day but make sure not to take them at the same time as any medication. Once a day I find works well for me but each one of us is different so it’s a trial and error thing at first. Follow the directions from the manufacturer and go from there depending on how your doing. I found marshmallows work well for me though too but of course you shouldn’t eat marshmallows and s’mores every day although I’d like too 😊
If you have any questions just ask away, I’ve been dealing with crohns etc for decades unfortunately
🍻
Thank you for reposting this. Not only is it a service to those of us who live with ulcerative colitis it makes those aware of the challenges we face. Others have different challenges. Please, on a random basis, continue to share your solutions. One of my solutions is an ongoing daily fitness regime. That regime does not eliminate the disease but does help the body heal.
The original source of the disease does matter and in some cases makes managing the disease a bit different. Some of us will always be on a maintenance medication.
But the food challenge, especially for backcountry travel, is the most difficult hurdle to negotiate. For the small group of us that do want to continue sharing successes in this vein would be helpful.
Thank you for reposting.
John
Thank you so much John for checking out my post and taking the time to comment. I greatly appreciate your feedback and your kind words. I continue to discuss these issues on my YouTube channel and in my YouTube videos. Cheers and thanks again.