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

I've started to write this particular post several times in the last couple months, and today is health activist's choice for HAWMC, which means I get to write about whatever I want. So, I figure now's the time to get it out there. I've written several times about how I named my colon, but I never really specified why, and I think that's pretty important. The truth is that I didn't even know why I was doing it at first. I was going through a really rough flare and reading Are You My Guru: How Medicine, Medication & Madonna Saved My Life   by Wendy Shanker  (which you should totally pick up). I had read a review of the book on Feministing.com and it sounded really interesting, so I bought it on Amazon. At one point, Wendy visits some sort of non-western medicine practitioner (I can't remember the proper terminology, it was a while ago...) and is asked whether she's named her liver, the organ that was causing the most trouble for her at the time...

The scene: You're sitting on a comfy couch having a conversation with a good friend or a family member. Someone you're very close to. Maybe you're having a cup of coffee/tea or a glass of wine. It's been a good night of sharing with someone you trust. The issue you're talking about doesn't necessarily have to be Crohn's, but let's say it is. You're feeling comfortable, so you are very honest about your experience. You decide it's okay, just for a moment, to let go of that tone of optimism you normally adopt when speaking about your disease. It's not that you've actually given up hope, you're just tired. After you finish your tale, your friend/family member looks at you lovingly and says something like, "you're the strongest person I know" or, my personal favorite, "it'll just make you stronger in the end." I've been trying to write this post for a while now, and I've been having a lot of troub...

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 ...

Erm... just saw that typo. Minor mistake. They still do great work. Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America 's Take Steps walk at Soldier Field in Chicago. Our team, the Incrohnables, led by the wonderful Angela, walked along the Chicago lake front with hundreds of others in support of further research into the cause of, and a cure for Inflammatory Bowel Disease. While I have some issues with the walk, (the talk of "overcoming" disease that seems to crop up with these events is always a little strange... although I totally understand that it comes from a place of encouragement and caring) I don't want to talk about that right now. What struck me most as I walked alongside this incredibly diverse group of people, each in some way affected by IBD, was the importance of community and a support system. Almost everyone there, as far as I could tell, walked with a team of people. Some small, some large, almost al...