Crohn's Chronicles: A blog about Crohn's Disease

If I could write myself a reminder , it would be this: Maggie! Remember: You have something of value to contribute. This is one of the things that posting every day has brought up for me. There's this moment right as I'm about to launch each post out into the internet that I am absolutely certain it is not worth posting. Maybe I don't actually have any authority to be speaking on this subject. Maybe my writing actually sucks. I'm not sure why I have these fears, but there they are. So, recently I've been trying to just let them go. I've worked really hard to become a decent writer and I'm certainly an expert on my own experiences. My voice matters and I'm going to keep talking.

This comes up a lot. Every time I meet someone new, there's always that point where they know that I have Crohn's, we've talked about it briefly, and they have a vague understanding of what Crohn's means. One day, we have a more in depth conversation about what Crohn's actually is and how I live with my disease. At some point during this conversation, my friend/co-worker/family member/ect. will express their fear of saying "the wrong thing." I totally understand. It's not an easy subject and we aren't really equipped with the tools to speak about disease until we are forced to figure it out. So, don't feel like you are alone. I'm right there with you. I work everyday to figure out the most effective way of speaking about my disease. Also, don't ever worry about offending me. Now, I can't speak for everyone with a chronic illness here, but I promise you, I am just thrilled that you are expressing interest. If you say something ...