Christmas with Crohns Disease

Christmas is almost here - I can tell  without consulting with a calendar.  My Crohn's flare ups are full blast.

Crohn's disease is described by WebMD as a chronic inflammatory disease of the digestive tract. Symptoms include abdominal pain and diarrhea, sometimes bloody, and weight loss. 

Being diagnosed at 16, I know the Crohn's cycle painfully. The following may be too much information for some.. I view it as my intestines form a blockage where food cannot pass, so both vomiting and diarrhea makes me camp out in the bathroom. Because it comes on so quickly, I bring a book into the bathroom, sit on the toilet with a bucket. Yes, the vomiting and diarrhea often occurs concurrently.

Stress is my major culprit, although diet plays a big part. Everyone's different, but I can't eat lettuce, spicy food, iced coffee (can't explain that one), peanuts, and especially sunflower seeds.

Most of the time, I have it under control. I've been hospitalized several times with doctors wanting to cut out the part of my intestines with the blockage, but I decline because blockages can come back at a different spot.

Most times, I just wear Depends anticipating accidents. But flare ups like the one I woke up to has me laying on the floor, curled up in a ball with severe pain.

This is how I have spent every Christmas  (except last Christmas because my friends made it so magical), even hospitalized some years.

Christmas reminds me of my lack of a loving family, and that is expressed through Crohn's.