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Anyone else have a dog that is so much more than a pet? 😍 • • We adopted Denali when he was just 2 years old and within 2 months we found out we were pregnant with Jude. He knew WAY before I did. He went from being attached to my hubby to following me around 24/7 and snuggling up to my belly. I just thought I became his favorite... but no, it was Jude that was his favorite. 😅 • • We got asked so many times if we were worried how he was going to react to a baby, but literally from the second we brought her home (swipe right) he knew she was ours and that was his new sissy. 🥰 • • He alerts me when I’m gonna flare, sits with me in the bathroom when I’m prepping for a colonoscopy, lays on top of me when I’m having anxiety attacks, and of course paws at me when he wants pets. 😝 • • He’s nine now and I know our years are getting limited but just looking back at the last 7 years with him by my side I can’t imagine him not being a part of our family.❤️ Love this doggo so dang much! ❤️❤️ . . . . . . #crohns #crohnie #husky #huskiesofinstagram #crohnsdisease #crohnswarrior #crohnsandcolitis #crohnsawareness #colitis #ulcerativecolitis #ibd #ibdawareness #ibdwarrior #ibdsuperheroes #dogsofinsta #spoonie #chronicillness #chronicillnesswarrior #adoptdontshop #autoimmunedisease https://www.instagram.com/p/CB3KgqDjagT/?igshid=1s0ssxwowm8lo
Happy 3rd Birthday Jay!! 🥳🥳🥳 My the journey we’ve been on in 3 years. Never would I’ve imagine the life that I have now before surgery, you truely have changed my life for the better & I wouldn’t have it any other way!! . . . . #HappyBirthday #Stomaversary #CrohnsDisease #Ileostomy #Ostomy #Stoma #BagOut #Crohnsawareness #CrohnicIllness #InvisibleIllness #Fighter #AlwaysKeepFighting #AKF #3Years #TimeFlies #Memories #Coloplast https://www.instagram.com/p/B9OgcwAH6m8/?igshid=kp1bw43q29lm
Mr. Chronically Ill
I wake up at 6am for work, already exhausted before my feet touch the ground. I cannot stay in bed, I must create momentum to get this day started or it never will. The pain creeps in like a burglar sneaking into my home, I do not realize he is there until everything I value is gone. I step into a warm shower letting the steaming water encase my body in the only relief I will find this day. After thirty minutes, I work up the will power to step out of this protective bubble of falling water. The relief slowly begins to subside, giving me enough time to get dressed before letting the intruder back in. A simple task I have planned out, it has been planned years ago. Now it is just a part of my routine. It is putting on my socks. Bending over causes waves of cramps to shoot through my abdomen so I lay on the bed and bring my feet to my hands instead, carefully avoiding what pain I can. I slide my penny loafers on, not because they are stylish but because I will not have to deal with the pain of tying my laces. This is all intentional and planned. The smallest details are not overlooked. My toothbrush sits on the highest cabinet in my bathroom so I do not have to extend my body in the slightest effort to reach for it. The mental energy used to avoid pain adds to my already exhausting day.
I leave my apartment at 7am, ready for work. I look down the three flights of stairs and begin to mentally prepare my journey, no my quest. My quest to reach my car. Like Frodo climbing Mount Doom, I descend into the depths of the world outside of the only place I find peace. I use the hand rails to let my arms take on some of my body’s weight, giving my legs some needed assistance. The arthritic type pain is still there though, like a constant reminder that every action I take will be felt. Upon reaching my car, I lean upon the door before sitting. I look up and the sky is crystal clear. The sun has risen. The birds are chirping. There is a brisk breeze that blows through my hair. It passes over me, filling my body with peace. The pain is still there, but I somehow feel the strength to take on the day.
I think back to night before as I whisper a thank you to God. I think back to the prayer I have adapted from a quote by Bruce Lee, “Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one.” Thank you God for making me strong.
Crohnsiversary
4 years ago today I had my first colonoscopy. That colonoscopy determined that I had a diagnosis of Crohn’s Disease. It proved that the symptoms I was experiencing weren’t normal. It was a relief to know that there was a name to what was “wrong” with me.
Less than a month after that diagnosis I got to experience how serious this disease is. I had 2 long term hospital stays within a month and a half. I was discharged from my second hospital stay right to an infusion center to have my first treatment of a biologic...my body didn’t accept the basic, run-of-the-mill, Crohn’s meds....The meds my father takes. Crohn’s is known to be hereditary...I got it from my daddy. A cousin on my fathers side also had it. It was so bad her colon was removed and she had a bag.
I was on Remicade for 8 months. It worked wonderfully for my Crohn’s, but I had debilitating migraines and joint pain. I started Cimzia in February 2015. At the time I was thinking that there was no way I was regularly going to stick needles into my body monthly. Well....in March 2016 I was sticking needles into my body every 3 weeks. To this day it’s the treatment I have. In February I have a follow up with my GI in which a possible new medication will be discussed.
My most recent colonoscopy and MRE show active inflammation in my colon.....you can feel fine, but your insides can still be effed up. 😕 I also had an abdominal ultrasound that showed gallbladder polyps...continuous ultrasounds (every 3-6 months) will be needed for the next 2 years to make sure those polyps don’t turn cancerous.
While halving this chronic illness can suck, it has helped me to be non-judgemenal. To never judge anyone, as you don’t know what they are currently going through...I gain 50lbs in 3 months from the Prednisone I was on and when I finally went back to work after 3+ months I dealt with the judgemenal looks from my co-workers.....
Crohn’s has made me stronger. It has allowed me to be very grateful for all the good days I have....as I have experienced very bad days. It has made me become more empathetic and less judgemental of others.
#Repost @crohnsspace (@get_repost) ・・・ Perfect repost from @disabledandequal Keep hope. Keep faith. Keep going 💜💪 #crohns #colitis #ibd #crohnsawareness #colitisawareness #ibdawareness #crohnsdisease #ulcerativecolitis #inflammatoryboweldisease #health #wellbeing #chronicillness #invisibleillness #inspiration #motivation #strength #courage
Happy Monday everyone! I hope you have a great start to the week! I have an absolutely crazy week this week! So much to do and I feel like there’s never enough time! 😴 My hubby is out of town training for his new job too, so it’s alllllll me! 😧 • Looks like my week will consists of lots of coffee... ☕️ What are some ways you get through crazy stressful weeks?! I could use some tips! 💜 . . . . . . #selfie #crohns #crohnsdisease #crohnswarrior #crohnsawareness #crohnslife #crohnsfighter #colitis #ulcerativecolitis #ibd #ibdawareness #ibdwarrior #ibdsuperheroes #monday #spoonie #invisibleillness #chronicillness #chronicillnessawareness #chronicillnesswarrior https://www.instagram.com/p/BuBlLjHnobF/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=84icbtz36zu4
On Laughter
Crohn’s is one of those diseases that sit right in that sweet spot of misery. You will likely not die from it, so you get to enjoy a nice long life dealing with it. You do not appear sick to other people, so you get little understanding from them. For most of us, we are just sick enough that we can still work but so sick that it is hard to put 100% into your job. Needless to say, this disease invites depression into your life with doors wide open. We cannot live a life with both this disease and depression. How do we kick depression in the butt? I find that laughter has helped me deal with both the disease and depression tremendously.
I am reminded of the scene in the movie “Dumb and Dumber” when Harry (played by Jeff Daniels) drank a heaping cup full of laxatives that was secretly put into his drink by Lloyd (played by Jim Carrey). It did not take long before Harry was squirming and desperately looking for a bathroom, finding one just in time to explode on the toilet. I was a teenager when I first saw this and the sophomoric type humor had me rolling in laughter. Years later, while battling depression over Crohn’s I came to the realization that the situations I have been through are extremely funny when looked through the same lens that I was using while watching “Dumb and Dumber”. Is it funny to deal with the issues related to Crohn’s such as rushing to a bathroom or even worse not finding a bathroom? Not at all. But after those nightmarish situations pass, I find that if I look back at them with the right viewpoint I can honestly laugh at them.
Laughing at your own stories of desperation does not work for everyone. We each have to find our own way to cope with our situations. For me, reverting back to the child who laughs at farts and poop jokes does wonders. In closing, I ask you to do one thing. Pull my finger….hehehe.
