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

I think about this pretty constantly. Is "mind over matter" really a thing? Is it really possible to outsmart your body? If so, is this a useful tool? Or is it a harmful lie? Is it just kind of a white lie? Also, (and this is what the whole thing really boils down to for me) is the mind actually separate from the body? Are we our bodies or are we our minds? Do the two have to be mutually exclusive? Or are the mind and the body actually one and the same? My opinion on this subject has changed drastically and regularly over the years. Early on, right after my diagnosis, I was firmly ensconced in the pro-mind-over-matter camp. Without ever thinking about an alternative, ironically. Actually, this started long before I was diagnosed. For at least a year leading up to my official diagnosis, I experienced intense health issues and paid very little real attention to them. I just kept on going as best I could, thinking these symptoms would go away eventually. This, obviously, did n...

Today, I'm talking about my writing process . How do my blog posts get from my head onto the internet? Well, most of the work comes before I actually sit down to write a post. I sometimes spend insane amounts of time thinking about a blog post before it actually ends up here for you all to read. The most recent example of this has been my Why I Named My Colon post. That one had been rolling around in my head since sometime in February. I'm not exactly sure why it took so long to actually write down. I think because it's such a funny thing to talk about, naming an organ, and yet it really had such a profound impact on my life. I wanted to make sure I was talking about it in a way that underscored the importance of this ultimately pretty silly thing that I did. Other times, the reason it takes me so long is because I want to make absolutely sure I'm coming at the subject in the right way. This was the case with my post about pep talks . That post could have so easily b...

Missed another day... darn it. I'll definitely write at least one extra post one of these days. And I can't miss anymore! I've now used my two free days. But, anyway... back to this post. What are the ten things I can not live without? Let's find out. (Note: I'm not including obvious things like food, water, etc. I'm also sticking to "things." Friends and family would, of course, be at the top of my list. Also, my doctor would be on there somewhere.) 1) Humira   This one's pretty literal. I must have my Humira in order to keep living my life. The thing is, though, that in order to keep the medication at its proper temperature, I also need a refrigerator. I'm going to choose to ignore that fact, though, because I want my ten things to be more interesting than "refrigerator."  2) My Computer  I don't do very well without a computer. It's a little sad how dependent on it I am, actually. I'm very attached to my com...

Today, Myrtle gets a theme song . This is super fun for me, because I'm constantly narrating my life in song. It's a family thing. My family and I (especially my brother... The resemblance is uncanny) are pretty much like Marshall from How I Met Your Mother: So, a theme song for Myrtle. First we need a style, but there are so many options! A catchy pop tune? Something more angsty? Perhaps a polka or a jig? Nah, without a doubt, Myrtle gets a big musical number. The poor girl works hard, she deserves a chorus to back her up. I'm thinking it will start as an intense solo, Myrtle alone under the spotlight as a lone voice in the distance sings things like: Myrtle was a shy lass, Kept to herself. Digested food day in, day out Then pushed it out of Maggie's ass.* Suddenly, drama! That pesky immune system shows up and starts causing trouble for our heroine. Bum bum bum... Poor Myrtle fell victim To the immune system bully. It snuck up on he...

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...

Okay, before we get down to it, I want you to know that I am not a poet, nor have I ever claimed to be a poet. Please don't expect too much. Here we go... Go about my day, all is well. *Grumble, grumble* Uh-oh... run like hell When I tell you I have Crohn's, please don't panic. Just listen to my tale. I may not appear sick, it's true. But my ailment's invisible, dude. There. I hope you enjoyed that, because you probably won't ever see me write a poem again. Have a great weekend, everyone!

This month, I'm participating in WEGO Health's Health Activist Writer's Month Challenge , which means that, if all goes as planned, I'll be posting every day for the month of April. WEGO provides prompts and I write. I'm pretty excited to see what happens and also to check out the other bloggers taking the challenge. If you're interested in reading other blogger's posts (and I encourage it!) there are a couple different ways to go about it. Either search #HAWMC on Twitter or check out their Facebook page for links to a whole bunch of wonderful health activists' blogs. I will also try to link to any posts I really love right here in my posts, and I will, of course, be facebooking / tweeting /google +ing (is that a thing? Is it just +ing? +1ing?) throughout the month. So, without further ado, here goes the Crohn's Chronicles HAWMC 2012! Enjoy! The prompt for today is to construct a time capsule that could eventually tell the story of my life with...

It's been way too long. Sorry about that. Life post-graduation has kind of thrown me for a loop. But I'm back and I'll be writing more often now. So, without further ado... I recently decided to participate in National Novel Writing Month . I'm writing about, you guessed it, a young woman coming to terms with her chronic illness. The novel itself isn't coming along very quickly, but the process of writing has inspired some interesting thoughts about Crohn's and my personal process of dealing with my disease. So, I've come up with this list of the first things they should tell you when you're diagnosed. I'm not sure who "they" is. I'm not even that concerned with who it is. The idea is more about the message than the delivery. Here's what I've come up with. The first thing they should tell you...   ...is that this isn't going away, your life will be different from now on.   I know, that's inherent in the...

Dearest Myrtle , We've had our ups and downs over the past year or so. From near death to thriving life, I know it's probably been just as hard for you as it was for me. I want you to know that, while I know I often take my anger and frustration out on you, I understand that it's just not your fault. If it weren't for that pesky immune system always coming between us, our relationship could've been so much easier. Although, then I probably never would've really taken the time to notice you. So, I don't know. You tell me what's better. You've done your darndest to keep me alive over the past few years. Like that one time, when you formed completely new pathways because you were so swollen that no waste could go through you? Remember that? I mean, it wasn't an ideal situation for either of us, but it kept us going for a while, and I guess it was a pretty smart move on your part in the end. So, thanks for that. And now, Myrtle, we're on t...

I attended an event for my new internship with the Neighborhood Writing Alliance tonight. It was pretty incredible to see the different lives the organization has touched and to feel that I am a small part of that now. However, these types of events always build up to a slightly awkward moment: The moment when the food comes out. It was mostly finger food, lots of veggies and things. It looked wonderful, but since I was working the event I decided to stay on the safe side and just wait until I got home to eat. The last thing I needed was for Myrtle to throw a fit while I tried to garner donations for the organization. As I sat next to my fellow intern listening to the series of fascinating speakers, however, she turned to me and asked if I was going to eat anything. The question was entirely innocent and absolutely nothing out of the ordinary, but it still set my mind whirring trying to find a simple answer. Should I just come out and say why I am not eating? Do I want to take the ...