I've also been extremely fortunate during that time to have had long periods (years) of wellness. There are certainly others that are much, much worse off. I try to remind myself of this every time I have a bad day (daily right now!).
One thing that really sucks about it is it's hard to talk about. Nobody wants to talk about their bowel problems! Most of the time I appear fine, but in minutes it can knock me for six so it's really hard explaining to people how it really effects your life.
And you can't help but compare yourself to others, wonder why you are not coping, don't have the time/energy for certain things, don't seem to achieve as much. At the moment it's a daily struggle to find the energy to cope. I need to learn to cut myself some slack.
We'd never heard of Crohns disease before I was diagnosed, but now it seems everyone knows several people who suffer from it. The silver lining is that new research, drugs and treatments come to light all the time. After years of denial, refusal to change my lifestyle I have finally come to the conclusion that I have to make some lifestyle changes to try to reduce the chances of this happening again.
We'd never heard of Crohns disease before I was diagnosed, but now it seems everyone knows several people who suffer from it. The silver lining is that new research, drugs and treatments come to light all the time. After years of denial, refusal to change my lifestyle I have finally come to the conclusion that I have to make some lifestyle changes to try to reduce the chances of this happening again.
After this round of meds and surgery i am going to try really, really hard to stick to a better eating plan. Our family eats really well, but the diets that seem to assist with Crohns are pretty restrictive. It's going to be a real challenge for me because I really, really love food.
My greatest, greatest fear is that my kids will have this disease (or any other). You can try as hard as humanly possible but there are just some things you can't protect them from. In a weak moment of tears on the phone to my mum last night she told me she'd trade places with me In a heartbeat. I guess you never stop being a parent!
My greatest, greatest fear is that my kids will have this disease (or any other). You can try as hard as humanly possible but there are just some things you can't protect them from. In a weak moment of tears on the phone to my mum last night she told me she'd trade places with me In a heartbeat. I guess you never stop being a parent!
Onward and upward, back into routine and swimming today, kindy etc tomorrow - fingers crossed today is a good day!
I know at least two other people who suffer from it - it does not sound like happy times and I feel for you :( Let me know if Isla would like to have a playdate here - H would love to have her come to play and hopefully that gives you a bit of downtime. Hang in there - hope it is a good day for you! :)
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