Sure, Crohn's may sound totally negative. Medications, diets, having to explain it, etc. But has there ever been a time that you were glad that you had Crohn's? Think about it. I'll bet that there is at least one event in your past where you were glad that you had Crohn's. Tell me about it and we'll add to the list.
Alright, I'll start things off. In 9th grade I had to take a Personal Fitness class at school. The class is required to graduate and I do not like sports and other high-endurance exercise. Even before I was diagnosed I tried to avoid it. Thanks to Crohn's, while everyone else was running laps, playing basketball and doing other forms of exercise, I was allowed to simply walk around the track as fast or slow as I was able to go. Of course, without Crohn's I'd have never devloped this website and would never have met all of you :-)
From P. Stoddard: Heck, I feel Crohn's is the best disease you could have. Your weight is under control. You get to take powerful medication. And you have something you can complain about when you need excuses.
From Alison:I use it as an excuse to get out of doing chores. My parents and I use it to leave places that are boring, aka The other night we had Passover dinner and I said I didn't feel good. My parents don't let me drive anymore to these places so that they can leave with me. Also, I get to go to school whenever I want and leave whenever I want and go to the bathroom, get a drink, etc. etc. It can sometimes (depending on the person) be a conversation breaker/starter.
From Pierre Jean Baptiste: I go to a private computer college. It is a very strict school and attendance is monitored. Everyone goes to school twenty five hours a week. Either at seven to twelve, one to six or six to eleven. Absenteeism is almost negative and punctuality is a must. You must attend school only in the time slight on your contract. Everyone follows these rules in order to graduate. If you miss time off school it is deducted off your year contract and you have to make up the time in order to finish school on time. All these rules apply to everyone but one special student. Me! I can go to school whenever I please and if I miss time off school the time is added to the end of my term therefore extending my contract. I must say that this is probably the only joy I get out of this godforsaken disease.
From Jen: I use the fact that I have Crohn's disease to get out of doing things I don't want to do, I just say I don't feel good. Going to school with Crohn's disease is fun too cause the teachers all know and they don't yell at you at all, and you can go to the nurse anytime and go home, and I basically just get away with anything I want to.
From Vickie: Well, I must admit (don't tell my husband) that I sometimes use this disease to get out of doing housework, going to work (even though I am my own boss) and to get out of going to certain family functions. Every once in a while I will also use it as an excuse to get a little extra attention from my husband (that extra hug!) or to get him to wait on me! I don't do it often, but when I do, it works!!
From "Fatfree": Well, I'd have to say that I have benefited greatly from Crohn's. I am a very shy young man, and if you ask others about me, they would say I'm the nicest guy too. (Not to be arrogant or anything) I know I have many friends, but when I had three surgeries and couldn't attend school for 1/3 of my senior year, people came out of the woodwork to help my family and me through these troubled times. I received many gifts, one of my favorites being a giant 7' by 7' quilt hand- made by a young woman. On that quilt were messages and signatures of ALL my friends and people who cared about me, so now, I know I'm not by myself, but if I feel I am, I look at the quilt. :)
From Brian Alter: The only "Upside" to having Crohn's Disease that I have found is that I can't be drafted or pressed into military service. When the Gulf War started I was old enough to be drafted and there was talk of a draft. My father called our Congressman and was assured that our illness prohibits us from military service.
From Randy: I've used my Crohn's to get away with doing nothing but lie around watch T.V. I've also have used it to get out of gym.
From Anonymous: Having Crohn's is by no means fun, but whenever I feel like I want to be some one else, I realize I wouldn't be the person I am today. I see all my peers drinking and drugging I laugh. I know I would never be able to do those things, so I realize how stupid they are. I also, on the bright side, have a higher pain thresh hold than most of the teenagers my age....and when someone is really teasing or pushing me around in school about my height (which is from Prednisone), I just say "come over here." I take them somewhere private and show them my G-tube and tell them that it could be ripped out of me at any moment due to horseplay. Heh...They get weak in the knees and never bother me again.
From Erin: About the only upside to Crohn's is that the excuse works for just about everything. I got out of gym for an entire semester, I can go to the bathroom whenever I want for as long as I want, I can go to the nurses office and stay until I am ready to leave, and when I am at home with a flare, all I have to do is lay around. It also gets me and my family out of places early when we don't want to stay anymore.
From Cote: Ok Matt, let's get real! I am a 40 year old woman and have been living with Crohn's Disease for nearly 27 years. There has never been a day that I have been glad that I have this disease. However, and I say this only when I am pain free (I have been in remission for the past 2 years), I have in some ways become a better person due to the suffering I have endured all these years. I have spent my life taking care of elderly people in their homes (many of whom were terminal) and practicing law intermittently (I've been an attorney for the past 11 years). I believe that I have become generally more patient with both myself and others especially with my patients who are in pain or are frustrated with their conditions/ailments/illnesses. Whether I am performing healthcare duties or providing legal services, I do the very best that I can and I always spend extra time listening to and communicating with my patients/clients the important details surrounding their situation. I give them as much feedback as I think they need or want. Also, I try to forgive my doctors and nurses for the mistakes that they make since medicine is not an exact science and we all make mistakes. At the same time, I am not afraid of my doctors (I do refuse treatment sometimes) nor am I afraid to switch physicians if I'm not pleased with their care. I've learned to be brave and not to fear my own demise and/or temporary pain (although I still fear being in perpetual pain but that threshold is much higher than it is for many other people). I am going to try to live a long life however well I can and plan on "fighting the good fight ". I do believe in euthanasia and that people should be allowed to die with dignity. But, I also know that much mental and physical suffering can be helped with the alleviation of pain which is why it is so important for there to be new pain medications to be developed and for each of us to search the literature for and to experiment with other forms of treatment within and outside traditional western medicine. For more details about some possible alternative treatments see my comments under the July 1999 Feedback section on this web site. Thanks to all of you who have helped me with your comments, and to Matt for this website.
From Anonymous: I'm 40 too. But I was once a teenager with Crohn's disease, and I understand. There is a lot of lemonade you can make with this lemon. First of all, find out if your state has a Department of Vocational Rehabilitation. These wonderful people made it possible for me to go to college and get a degree, with their financial help. Also, having Crohn's Disease made me feel more mature than the other college kids, that I had been through far more life experiences than them, and had overcome adversities couldn't even imagine. It gave me a nice sense of confidence in myself and my ability to blow off minor nuisances that others thought were major traumas. Facing death (or what feels like dying) really gives you a sense of perspective on what's important and what's not (most of it!). Also, I had a sense of real personal pride in knowing that I was that brave, and never let this rotten disease get me down. OK, it got me down - literally - but it could never keep me down. I hope you feel the same way. You should all feel very proud of yourselves for constantly battling this evil enemy, when most people you know wouldn't last five minutes. Oh and it also gives you compassion. Wouldn't it be nice if everyone could suffer just enough to learn compassion? ;)
From Katie: Yes, there was a time when I was glad I had Crohn's. I'm twelve years old, and my two best friends were always asking me why I had to take pills at lunchtime. I kept saying things like, for my stomach-ache, but they pressed on. So one day, I finally decided to tell them, after they swore they wouldn't tell a soul. It took me a while, because I'd told no one about it for three years (except family). They attempted guessing, and I was so nervous I gave them clues as to what it was. Finally, as they grew impatient, and threatened to leave after waiting for twenty minutes, I blurted out what I had, and explained. There were very supportive of it, and it felt good to have a special secret with only them. When we got back to class, my friend smiled at me, a reassuring one, and I knew that my secret was safe. They would now know why I had to always go to the nurse, and it seemed they were more caring, though I didn't want a lot of! pity. But even though they know, it still is better to talk with someone who has it.
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