There are times when I wonder how seriously my disease has taken hold of my life. After my recent trip to Mexico this week I am now completely sure that it affects my life. Not in the biggest way that I can think of but in little ways.
For example, Mexico is infamous for its tequila – and after just a bit too many drinks the usual symptoms develop. Constant trips to the bathroom (not to throw up – most of the time) and losing 2 pounds in water weight. I then remembered why I avoided getting very drunk all these years. For me at least it takes two to three days to recover from a blow like that and thankfully I thought ahead!
Before leaving Canada I thought, “What if the food doesn’t agree with me in Mexico?” So I packed some bottles of Ensure. Consequently I thought, “If the food doesn’t agree with me and the toilet paper is below par I will then bring my own toilet paper.” Well as you can tell the food agreed with me, but too many drinks didn’t. And I am super glad that I packed the extra ‘necessities!’
I loved Mexico, its culture and its food and I hope that next time I can remember that too many drinks will affect my trip – so I will keep them to a minimum and still have fun no matter what.
Food for thought - Another example of how this disease has affected me is that I’ve been thinking about how not-ecofriendly we IBD people are. We buy top of the shelf toilet paper, use a whole wad and flush it down the drain then, in 1 hour or less we do it all over again. No matter how you spell it bedaai or beday I would sure like to try one.
- Danielle, Edmonton Youth Advisory Council
The Gutsy Generation is an initiative by the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of Canada's (CCFC) Youth Advisory Council (YAC) to foster awareness, support and action about Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). IBD is a chronic autoimmune disease, affecting about 233,000 Canadians - with many diagnosed between 15-24 years of age - and costing the Canadian economy almost $3 billion annually. It's time to speak out and get up - coming out of the bathroom stall to find a cure!
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