I {heart} Western medicine…and chopped chicken liver
The lie of Western medicine (here’s your silver bullet; see me in two weeks) gave my dad permission to live with for-shit quality of life for 40+ years.
The truth of Western medicine (hey! quantifiable information, here!) allowed him to live out those 40+ years, period.
I just got word from my G.I. doc that my iron levels came back waaaay low on the blood panels we had done this Tuesday. Which means that much of the fatigue I’ve been struggling with is likely due to shitty (ahem) iron absorption over the past few months, and not necessarily because I’m in the death grip of a Crohn’s flare.
According to Doc, this is an easily fixable problem with the administration of a handy OTC iron pill and a strategically placed stool-softener.
According to me, this is an easily fixable problem with the administration of a few pints of organic chicken livers sauteed with onions in butter and whirled together with salt and a dash of fine whiskey in il Cuisinart and some strategically placed almond-bread toasts.
You see!? We both agree this an easily fixable problem. Who says the Establishment and the hippies can’t get along?
xxx
c
UPDATE:
Colleen’s Highly Loose Recipe for Chopped Liver
1 lb. chix livers, rinsed and patted dry
1 big-ass sweet onion, sliced super thin
2 T butter
1 T olive oil
1 T scotch whisky (optional)
Salt to taste
Chopped hard-boiled egg
Something to put it on or a spoon or your finger.
Heat oil until hot on high heat. Add butter. When butter begins to brown, add onion. Let cook until onion browns crispy, stirring.
Lower heat and add chix livers. Saute until almost cooked through (okay to cut one and peek.)
When just done, slide the whole thing into Cuisinart, add Scotch and process until smooth (or pulse if you like it chunky). Add salt to taste. Enjoy, and watch your iron count soar!
Photo of DELICIOUS chicken liver by Susan NYC via Flickr, used under a Creative Commons license.
TOPICS: recipes, SCD/Crohn's disease.
7 Comments, Comment or Ping
jenny
Low iron count?! Woo hoo! You go rock that chicken liver pate with your bad self! Glad to hear it’s not a flare-up.
And I’m not ashamed to admit that I kind of like chicken livers…
Apr 13th, 2006
Bon
Rock out with your cock out, CoCo.
Oh, and should I be disturbed that I saw chocolate/rocky road ice cream in that photo?
Ahhhhhh…
Apr 13th, 2006
chantel
– you can keep your liver pate. I’ll take the pills. Although I’ve found red meat/spinach & nuts are a good cure for my iron problems. I know you can’t have nuts but I dislike liver intensely.
Apr 14th, 2006
Neil
I don’t understand. You mean you got a wrong diagnosis about the flare up or are these two separate matters?
Apr 14th, 2006
Colleen
I forget that 99.999% of the world doesn’t have to deal with this stoopit disease (thank jeebus) and is probably not as into the nuances of treatment.
I am actually in a flare, but the fatigue was a symptom that wasn’t going away even with the hard-core meds. Iron deficiency is a really common problem with Crohn’s patients, since iron is pretty much the most difficult mineral to absorb and we, by definition, are lousy sponges.
So yes, Neil, kind of two things, although intimately related. Hooray.
Apr 14th, 2006
NiNi
BRAVA!!!! I love this post.
And I’m so happy that you’ve found the “hippy” solution to the fatique, and not only that, but had your “Western” doctor verify that this was the right thing to do - consider it a variation of a theme, right? ;o)
[Oh, and you've got me craving sauteed chicken livers]!
May 1st, 2006