Crohn's Disease Support Group

Hi guys, it's been a while sense I've posted. I ended up having another surgery to drain my abscesses but am now feeling 10 times better and am somewhat back to "normal".

My question is how do you all explain Crohn's to your friends? It is so hard for me to explain this when I am not sure that I fully understand it myself.

I keep the explanation pretty simple. No need to overload them with lots of details. I usually say something like.... my immune system is in overdrive. Instead of just attacking bad bacteria my body attacks the good bacteria too. This causes irritation, inflamation, and damage to my intestines. That's usually enough to give them an idea of what's going on. Once they process that and I think they can handle more, I'll tell them more.

To people I am close to I just tell them that my ass is broken For anyone else I just explain there is an inflamation in my digestive system that leads to lots of bad symptoms. I try not to let people know more than is necessary. The less people know about my health the better

My ass is broken. Too funny! I haven't used that one, but I sure will the next time I'm asked!

I get asked a lot by students why my stomach grumbles, so I leave it at "I have some stomach issues". Most are good with that. For friends it's a lot easier to say some foods just don't like me, and then they begin to understand why I won't eat just everything. Makes it easier when they ask you to join them for dinner out to a place you know is gonna kill your system. Or... I'm allergic to this or that (when you don't want to share).

Post edited by: iowatraveler, at: 01/23/2011 07:22 PM

Surprisingly, the few friends that I have told them what has happened, they're really cool about it. I guess that's what real friends are like. I wouldn't go and tell someone I barely know about my problems, but I try to tell people vaguely. If someone asks me if there's something wrong, I'll usually tell them I have severe Crohn's Disease. I guess I lost my discretion about it due to seeing so many doctors. Although, it was awkward when I was first diagnosed and I had to explain why I was always in the bathroom to the two girls who I shared a bathroom with. I was in there all the time either puking or on the toilet. I wanted to make sure they didn't think I was bulimic! That was definitely my worse too. But, most people who I have told to, they are understanding and don't further question usually. Just depends on who you want to say anything to.

Oh gosh, I get the stomach grumbling questions too. I was getting those questions way before I was even diagnosed! I never knew what it was until a few years ago. Now it just grumbles constantly. Especially after I eat. Explaining Crohn's to friends can be difficult, but "boysinabooth" is right by saying that real friends understand no matter what. I think that we do get desensitized from having to explain and discuss this disease with doctors. Simpler is usually best. Most people just don't know enough about Crohn's disease to even wonder what it is. When I first told my friends, they all thought you HAD to have a colostomy bag if you had Crohn's and that you should always be skinny and sickly looking!

I think no matter what you explain, too much or too little, it doesn't seem that people really understand unless they are experiencing it on a closer level, such as having it themselves or personally caring for someone that does. I find it very frustrating myself, and I am "just" the mom.