A Hernia Has a Silver Lining
December 6, 2011 in 2011
My husband seems pretty game to try any of the new paleo recipes that I am trying or developing from scratch. But until recently, he has been helping himself to plenty of non-paleo foods as well. In the last two weeks, he has started to choose paleo options much more frequently. There are two great reasons for this. First, I have been very successful with paleofying some of his staples, like muffins and granola. But more importantly, he gave himself a hernia.
Getting a hernia is not a good thing, even though approximately 27% of men will get one at some point in their lives. A hernia is where a little tear or separation in the abdominal muscles allows a small loop of intestine or bowel to bulge through under the skin. In the worst cases, which are thankfully very rare, that loop of intestine can have its blood supply cut off, which leads to massive, life-threatening infection. Hernia repair is a simple procedure, with a low incidence of complications…and my husband’s hernia repair is scheduled for Thursday.
How did he get a hernia? We think he tore the muscle just by leaning over to reach some food at a picnic. Yeah, embarrassing, right? It would be a much better story if he got a hernia while lifting a car off of a small child pinned underneath. It would have even been a better story if he was lifting a small child off of a car. But, I digress. About a week after the initial tear, my husband decided to run on a treadmill while our oldest daughter was at her swimming lesson (I had been harping on him to get more exercise. I was hoping that he would do some lifting, since that provides the best health benefits for low time commitments, but I was so happy that he had decided to do something, that I didn’t say anything.). It seems as though he shook some intestine out while running.
Funnily enough, this hernia seems to have highlighted a need for positive change in my husband’s life. Although it may not be true, he believes that it would not have happened if he had been in better overall health, and had better core strength and flexibility. He is starting to brainstorm how he might be able to incorporate more exercise into his week after he gets the go ahead from his surgeon. He is also making way more completely paleo food choices and reminding me that he is planning on switching to full paleo (What? When did you make this decision? Awesome, of course, but I’m pretty sure I would have remembered if you had told me this before). He even asked me to make him some easy paleo foods to grab for breakfasts this week! My jaw nearly dropped to the floor.
So a hernia has a silver lining. Much like my continued health problems led me to try Paleolithic Nutrition, my husband is starting to realize that he will be healthier after committing to a paleo diet, prioritizing sleep, and incorporating more exercise into his life. Yippee!
What are you making for his breakfasts?
-Jennifer K
Eggs on mornings that I’m up with the girls. Paleo granola or muffins on the other mornings. We just found a great bread recipe at elenaspantry.com that makes great toast too.