Coping with Crohn's Disease

Hey everyone!

Recently, a lot of people have said, ‘life is better with great health’. While this may be true, I can’t help feeling a little deflated every time I hear this phrase. Why? Well I have Crohn’s Disease, and sometimes, when I am having a bad day and seem to be stuck on the loo, that phrase excludes me. But I’m determined not to be defeated by the said illness, and battle it head on!

One of the hardest parts of coping with Crohn’s are the copious amounts of medication I had to take on a daily basis, not to mention the side effects that come with it. When I wasn’t having a flare up, I took basic activities such as reading, walking without getting breathless and sleeping for granted. I cannot speak for everyone, but the main side effects to the medication that seemed to dominate my life were lack of concentration, fatigue, insomnia and weight gain. It was awful!

My advice: take the time you need to get better, don’t beat yourself up over what you can’t control, and schedule in some much needed pamper time! I did this and now that my Crohn's is in remission, I am a happier person. I have also finished University with a 2:1, a big difference from the 2:2 I might have been awarded had I not deferred finishing Uni to the next academic year.

As I was signed off work for at least 3.5 months, initially most of my time was spent at home feeling sorry for myself. Try not to do this, it’s unhealthy and you find that you isolate yourself from everyone else so that you don’t have to explain what your illness entails. Instead, book yourself into a spa – I’ve found so many amazing deals on Groupon. Don’t be afraid to go alone if it’s a last minute deal, or take a friend with you. No one would resist a massage!

You could also use this time to bush up on your nail art skills.  The Calcium tablets I was on (Ad-cal) did wonders to my nails; they’ve never been so long and strong – probably one of the only perks to the medication. Nails Inc have some amazing colours and nail effects that will take your mind off your insides, even if it's only for an hour or two. I'll post some of my attempts at nail art in another blogpost.

If pampering isn't your thing, find something else to do that will keep you relaxed and comfortable. I'm almost embarrassed to say this, but I LOVE playing Rollercoaster Tycoon 3: Platinum. I'm not a big games fan, but I can spend hours on this, and it helps me unwind and escape from the humdrum of everyday life. It may not be for everyone, but it is definitely an option when daytime TV becomes too repetitive.

The pain that comes with a flare up does not get easier, but learning to listen to your body in the early stages of a flare up can eliminate the pain, as well as the countless hospital visits and tests you will have to undergo. You're not alone with the disease, and one thing I have learned to do is to speak up about my illness. It takes a while to get comfortable talking about it, but I can assure you it will get easier, and you'll find that you start to cope better with the illness. Take the advice from the image below: 

How do you cope with Crohn's or a similar auto-immune disease? Let me know.

Keep smiling and stay strong,
Sam.