This is another question that often arises: “Are you scared?” I normally get asked this when I explain the disease to someone, and that it can flare up with absolutely no warning, and that the potential results of it flaring up can be quite significant. I have been asked about it a fair few times in response to my surgery as well as other times in the past.

My response is always: “No. I am not scared.” A large part of the mind set here is that stuff can happen, and that there is absolutely nothing at I can do to prevent it. So if its something that I cannot change, what is the point in worrying about it? In fact: I believe that if I worry and stress myself out about these possibilities then I am only going to aggravate the Crohn’s, and make myself ill. Little is understood about the factors that can worsen Crohn’s and that there is no known cause for a flareup. However I am aware that stress is something that is thought to aggravate a lot of problems. Therefore it seems that worrying about something unnecessarily is a bit of a silly thing for me to do, just on the off chance.

I have had a fair few problems thrown my way now. I have found that I can spot the early signs of these problems arising. I’ve been stupid enough to ignore these early signs in the past, which has led to some hairy moments, time in hospital, and lots of drugs that I would rather have not been on! Seeing the consequences of ignoring these signs and knowing that things could potentially get worse that that if I am not careful, has made me realise how important it is for me to get help early on. Knowing when to go and get help is quite a comfort to me.

More research is being done all the time. Both the understanding and the treatment of Crohn’s is better now than it has ever been and continues to improve. As the condition becomes more familiar to more people – more so medical staff, people around me will be in a better place to help me when I need it. I know that at some point I will need help, and its a comfort to know that people are becoming more aware and more able to help me. Moreover, when I do need help in the future, there will be better drugs and techniques in place as a result of the continuing research into Crohn’s.

Well, I think that answers that question! It’s certainly everything I can think of to say on it at the moment. If you want to ask me anything about my experience, about the condition or about anything I’ve written please feel free to message me or comment and I will reply!

Thanks again for reading

KBO