Stress Be Gone!

Everyone’s Disease is different. Some days that’s hard to believe when you’ve found someone that you can talk about everything you’ve gone through with and they can relate to a lot of it. Other days it’s easy to think that you’re alone in everything you’re going through. I know I’ve had my fair share of good days and bad days. Days when I’d rather not deal with anything, and days when I feel like I can take on the world.

For those who don’t know, I’m on Remicade, and for me it has been nothing short of a miracle drug. It’s finally put me as much into remission as I think I’ll ever be. I can’t last the full 8 weeks that my doctor would like me to last; instead I’m lucky to last 6 weeks. Normally the last week to two weeks are, for lack of a better word, hell! This time, I was amazed. I almost forgot about my Remicade infusion coming up because I only got pains 3 days before my appointment. I was astonished to say the least; this was something I was not used to. I stopped for a minute the other day and tried to figure out what I had done different. At first I didn’t really know what might have made this 6 weeks bearable, then I realized there was no stress. I didn’t have schoolwork, assignments, and tests. I did however have my whole family home for Christmas, I got to attend my sisters beautiful wedding on New Years Eve, and for once, I had someone by my side for everything.

For me, stress is my biggest flare up trigger. The slightest stress normally causes slight pains. I’ve found many ways to try and manage it, be it taking a nap, reading a book, watching a movie, listening to music, or just going for a drive. Generally just something simple that relaxes myself and takes my mind off of everything. Sometimes that’s not that easy to do, and sometimes my stress definitely gets the better of me. Friday was one of those days. My Remicade infusion from Friday was postponed until today, Wednesday, because of a slight head cold. I feel so frustrated when I go in for my infusion and I’m made to go through the ER before I can get my medication. It’s obviously not the first time this has happened; I think this is the third time since September (which would be every infusion since the summer). First my liver counts were off, and then my white blood cell counts, and then a head cold. I seriously think my body is out to get me.

I think finding the humor and positive side is what gets me through days like that. That’s not all that gets me through it though. My family, and friends definitely play a huge role in me handling my disease as well as I can. Like tonight, I was having fairly bad pains, and I was laying down watching a movie with my boyfriend, he knew I was in pain, and when I am, I curl up and rock. Instead of constantly asking me what he could do and if I was ok, he just cuddled me and rocked with me. Something so simple made me so happy, I knew he wanted to do something to help me, and to be honest, that was the best thing he could have ever done for me!


“I have Crohn’s Disease, Crohn’s Disease does not have me!”
~Colleen Lynn