That Girl's Support Lounge - Intestinal Disorders and Diseases

Hmmm, have you ever thought about the amount of time you've spent in the bathroom catering to your butt?? I think the number of hours in 1 year would be high! I bet some people would laugh in shock, thinking you were just fibbing too.
Or.. how about those days when you can't find your medicine and you're searching your house frantically, or you ran out of Prednisone and know for a fact that you need it or you will be feeling sick real soon and the nurse at the Dr's office is telling you that it's unlikely it will be called in today.
How about finally going into remission and you're starting to even have a life again. You attend a family dinner party and you make wise choices when choosing foods to eat and even double check with the cook that there is absolutly no dairy in the things you've chosen. The coast is clear, so you enjoy the meal. Unfortunately, an hour later, you feel like you're going to explode..... you do .. ewwwww and you think to yourself "here we go again" because you know you'll be ill for at least 4-5 days if you're lucky... OR dreadfully get thrown back into flaming flare hell.
The ups and downs are countless. You're on an emotional rollercoaster that is hard to predict when it's time for another ride.

It's easy to isolate and hide from the world, especially when you are suffering from an unruly intestinal problem. You just don't know, you are clueless how your gut will respond because each time is different. You may be entering into a flare *eeeek* You just can't seem to get the disease under control. You also know that you are taking a big risk by going out anywhere.. the store, an appointment, a friends house because at present, the diarrhea is constant. Your gut can care less about your destination, who you're meeting, and how you'll feel and handle an "accident". All that stress isn't worth it, so you remain in your safe place = Home (& several feet from a bathroom.)

I have experienced going to the bathroom approximately 15-18 times a day during a flare . It's sad and frustrating, when we don't have the disease under control, that our lives are literally controlled by our butts. Just the thought makes you not want to go anywhere, see anyone and do all the things that are considered fun,or at least were fun to you prior to getting sick.

I would think that most people, at some point while living with their disease have felt emotional strain of some kind. From the individual just learning that he has IBS and is overwhelmed ; to the veteran sufferer who has experienced the ups and downs, good bad and ugly of the disease.... Everyone will be affected emotionally when their lives are complicated with a chronic illness that they must deal with.

People feel withdrawn, depressed, anxious, isolated, confused, angry, frustrated, hopeless, cheated, discontented, discouraged, lack of confidence and purpose, lonely, punished, uninformed, rejected, shocked, shameful, apathetic, unworthy, misunderstood, stressed, unloved, alienated.... okay, I'll stop there. I listed so many because through the years living with intestinal problems, I have felt each one of those feelings at certain points in my life.

It's okay to experience streams of emotions when having to face given circumstances in your life. Feeling is a good thing....expressing those feelings on paper or through art or music is also healthy, sharing your feelings with people that you know will be compassionate and positive is uplifting and helps with just your overall wellbeing.

So friends... tell me


*What emotions are stirred in you when you have to take charge of your health when you are sick? How do you cope?


*What has been one of your main frustrations that you experience that upsets or throws off your wellbeing pertaining to your illness? I'll tell you my answer. doctors and rude nurses. I find that I end up butting heads with most of my doctors. As a result, I don't trust them or have much faith in them.