Summertime and FAP - An Interview with Tracy Whitt | oneFAPvoice

welcome to oneFAPvoice

- a positively charged Familial Adenomatous Polyposis community.
  • join today!
patient education

Summertime and FAP – An Interview with Tracy Whitt

Dakota Fisher-Vance
Young Adult Cancer Connection

I was lucky enough to spend a little time with two of our community members and FAP patients, Tracy Whitt and Jenny Jones, to learn how they manage their FAP while still enjoying the summer months. My interview with Tracy is below. You can find my interview with Jenny here.

 

Dakota: Tracy, how do you handle summer activities?
Tracy: Some activities you need to do differently.My energy levels in past years were very low. Now, I can go paddle boarding and biking with my family because of the way I’m eating and how I’m taking care of my body. I feel the best I have in the last 6 years.

Dakota: What is your favorite summer activity?
Tracy: Lately, I have been biking and paddle boarding with my family. When I don’t have energy or when my kids are playing, I love to read in my backyard. I’ve made it a haven I enjoy.

Dakota: How do you handle vacationing?
Tracy: When traveling, I have to take into account bathroom breaks to ensure there is a bathroom nearby. I have a j-pouch so I pack super soft toilet paper and wipes. I scout out a bathroom beforehand and have a plan. I have not traveled out of the country yet. I have concerns on how sanitary they are and what the public facilities are like. (More advice on traveling with FAP here.)

Dakota: What do you always pack for vacation?
Tracy: I pack my super soft toilet paper and wipes.

Dakota: How do you handle activities that involve food, like BBQs and picnics?
Tracy: This is not an issue for me since my family knows our eating plan and what we avoid.They are very accommodating and if necessary, I bring my own food. My favorite snacks are roasted cashews (I chew them really well to avoid blockages) and grapes.

Dakota: How do you handle the dehydration challenge?
Tracy: I drink LOTS of water and always bring water with me everywhere.
I also have issues with overheating so I make sure I’m not in the sun too long.

Dakota: Any final thoughts or comment to share?
Tracy: Spend your energy on things that matter the most in life, like spending time with family. I am careful as to what activities I do and I ration out my time
(aka, the spoon theory). Always remember, when you are having a “down” period, there will always be an “up”. I focus on my health by eating organic/paleo and by taking essential oils and supplements.

expertly curated content related to this topic

To improve your experience on this site, we use cookies. This includes cookies essential for the basic functioning of our website, cookies for analytics purposes, and cookies enabling us to personalize site content. By clicking on 'Accept' or any content on this site, you agree that cookies can be placed. You may adjust your browser's cookie settings to suit your preferences.
More information

The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this.

Close