Saturday, April 4, 2009

Activia

I am such a nerd. This post is totally going to sound like a commercial -- but a commercial for what? Am I advertising Activia or my husband? It could be both, but Mike isn't for sale at present, so I guess it is for Activia.

Anyway! Awhile back I had an ulcer. I was quite miserable for a time. Before I knew what the problem was, I was trying to do whatever I could think of to narrow things down for my visit to the doctor (when you look up stomach pain there are roughly 100 trillion things it could be). I even started eating more yogurt -- in case my system was all out of whack (you know, good bacteria low, bad bacteria high) and what better yogurt to do that with than Activia since it promises all kinds of good bacteria and all kinds of digestive tract regulation.

So, I happily ate my little Activias every day and then found out it was an ulcer so I swallowed my 600 antibiotic pills a day (remember how I hate to swallow several pills in a row). Even though I now knew the cause of my pain, I kept eating Activias because I thought to my little self, "Self, all those antibiotics are going to wipe out all your good bacteria too, and then some other opportunistic bad bacteria will take up residence . . . unless of course you out smart the bad opportunists by continuing to dump loads of good "active cultures" in at the same time! Self, you are a genius."

But in the end, ulcer was gone and pain was gone and antibiotics were done and Activia was cast by the way side because really, who buys Activia? No one. Normal people buy Yoplait or, if they live in WA and frequent Winco, the cheap but tasty "Fit and Fruity" yogurts. "Fruit and Fitty"? Something.

Then, Friday night, I went out to eat with some of my old Israel roommates (hooray, girls, I loved it). I eat pretty much always, but apparently I don't generally find the time to sit and eat bread sticks and salad and grilled tasty meats for two plus hours because by the time I returned home I felt so miserable and bloated and uncomfortable that I hardly knew what to do with myself.

At some point, in the midst of my moanings, I began considering that I hadn't actually had these issues when I was faithfully consuming my Activia -- naturally I wondered if their promises about GI regulating and less bloating and the like could have actually been true. I wasn't sure, but at one point I groaned out something to Mike like, "Activia . . . never should have stopped . . . Activia." Now, you should know, that my Mike is the last person in the world to buy into any type of active cultures doing anyone any good, which is why I liked it all the more when Saturday afternoon he returned from running some errands and handed me this:
I can never even think of what to get him for his birthday, but he is so great at knowing any tiny little thing I like that might make me happy. I like him.

Oh, and side note, you know what else I like? I like having people you love. Tonight I am thinking specifically of people who have been a part of your life at some point and then moved on out of it. But it is such a happy thing to have all of these individuals out there in the world that just make you happy. Friday was a busy day full of those people. Not only did Mike and the kids have certain things planned, but some of our WA neighbors came to visit. Here are two of my all time favorite girls/YW/babysitters, Kierstin and McKayla, with my kids.
Then I got to go spend the evening with Sarah and Sarah (and sadly no Jill) -- my roommates from Israel 11 1/2 years ago. We haven't gotten together in 3 or so years, so it was such a happy thing to spend a few hours just talking and talking (and eating, as I mentioned). Driving home that night, and thinking about all the fun people I'd seen that day, I just felt so happy to think of how lucky we are to have relationships and associations and bonds with people from all the different phases of our lives. (We didn't take any pics Friday, but here I am with my three roommates and two home teachers at the Garden Tomb, and then with Sarah and Sarah somewhere in Sinai).

8 comments:

jami v. said...

what a great post ... but i think my favorite line in the whole thing is when you're talking about mike and you're like "i like him." :)

i love times with old friends too...and it sounds like you had a great weekend.

Liz said...

I hope you are well regulated soon. I have a little problem eating those kinds of yogurts since I saw a SNL skit making fun of Jamie Lee Curtis doing a commercial for one. If you haven't seen it you are better off. You won't want to eat any more regulating yogurts afterward!

Karen said...

Sounds like both Mike and Activia are good for you.

I would love to read/hear some of you memories from your time in Israel.

So glad it was a happy weekend.

Sarah said...

Oh the sand! That reminds me of someone..."You will become a quadriplegic and you will DIE!" Nanc, if you don't remember surely Sarah will. Oh, thank you so much for all of the great fun we had together. You will always be a favorite for life!

Look at you, scanning in a picture and everything!

Sorry, you were miserable afterward. I'll have to try the activia.

Perla said...

so, has the activia been helping? you know that i love me some acidophilus and other cultures.

Nancy said...

Oh Shan, Sorry, I forget to every reply to a comment Q. Well, I am not certain, but I had been really bloaty and gassy around the same time as the ulcer -- and then I was eating it forever -- and it was only later, when I hadn't been, that i suddenly thought, "hey, I haven't had this issue for awhile and now I do again." So, maybe.

Also, you asked the dog's name. It has been an issue. His tag says THOR and the kids can't stand that we would change his name and insist it can only be thor . . . only THOR?? Mike and I do not love it.

Welcome! said...

Ok - so here I am in St. George where I am supposed to be relaxing which really I am because Mike and I are side by side on computers at 10:45pm at night and no kids yelling at us or needing us and we are just leisurly reading and looking up things so I think, why not go to my sisters' blogs and I have been laughing and enjoying yours muchly and then I read about Activa and I tell you what, I have had the WORST stomach in the world lately and not just colitis but burning like I must have an ulcer and I must say I have had enough stress lately to cause one including crying my eyes out today cause my little Jazzer didn't make Jr. class office and I wasn't there to console her in person and EVERYONE I swear told her they weren't even worried cause she was for sure going to make it and so she and I were all relaxed and she did this amazing skit of Thriller with make up and costumes and anywho this is all to say I AM going to buy Activa and eat it every single day...I am tired of gas, bloating and burning....and tired of stress and sad things and crazy people and I really just want to go back to when my kids were all young and home and together...anywho Nancy, thanks for cheering up my St. George trip that has turned sour cause of miss Jasmine Elaine and eating a HUGE steak and 40 loaves of bread at Outback and now wanting little kids around like yours making forts for conference....Love ya....fromr Mrs. Long blog poster, Kath

Welcome! said...

Ok - so here I am in St. George where I am supposed to be relaxing which really I am because Mike and I are side by side on computers at 10:45pm at night and no kids yelling at us or needing us and we are just leisurly reading and looking up things so I think, why not go to my sisters' blogs and I have been laughing and enjoying yours muchly and then I read about Activa and I tell you what, I have had the WORST stomach in the world lately and not just colitis but burning like I must have an ulcer and I must say I have had enough stress lately to cause one including crying my eyes out today cause my little Jazzer didn't make Jr. class office and I wasn't there to console her in person and EVERYONE I swear told her they weren't even worried cause she was for sure going to make it and so she and I were all relaxed and she did this amazing skit of Thriller with make up and costumes and anywho this is all to say I AM going to buy Activa and eat it every single day...I am tired of gas, bloating and burning....and tired of stress and sad things and crazy people and I really just want to go back to when my kids were all young and home and together...anywho Nancy, thanks for cheering up my St. George trip that has turned sour cause of miss Jasmine Elaine and eating a HUGE steak and 40 loaves of bread at Outback and now wanting little kids around like yours making forts for conference....Love ya....fromr Mrs. Long blog poster, Kath

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