Invisible Illness Week Post 1: Invisible....

My invisible illness is Crohn's Disease. It is  called invisible because you can't see it as you can, say the big red target that is Lyme Disease. Instead, the only way for you to know that I am different than you, your spouse, your parents or your neighbours Paul and Betty down the street is for me to tell you. 

Well here I am. All 160 lbs. of me. And I'm alright with that weight. It means I have been eating. You see quite often there are days when I don't eat. It actually gives me pain to eat. This is called an invisible symptom. And while it is invisible for you it is quite real to me. Think of it like this. Imagine you had to go about your day with a very infected finger nail. The really annoying kind that throbs, is red and you can feel your heartbeat in.  And every two hours you had to go to the sink and pour rubbing alcohol on it. While it may hurt and sting your finger while you pour and for a little while after it is what's best for your body.

This is what Crohn's is like, only 10,189,748,829 times worse.

Now imagine that fingernail is the whole right side of your abdomen, front and back, and you are coming up to the two hour mark. You are dreading even the thought of having to eat and even though you know it's not what's best for your body you skip eating anyway. This is the invisible struggle. To eat or not to eat. I ask myself this every minute of everyday. But I have been blessed as of late. Lately I have been feeling good, eating well and keeping that "finger" pain in check.

And such is the unpredictable and sometimes irrational life of a Crohnie....

:)