A woman knocked on my door one day, asking to use the washroom. I don’t remember if she had a card that indicated she suffered from Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), but that’s probably the only reason someone would ask to use a stranger’s bathroom. That’s the nature of IBD; you can’t be certain when you’ll be struck by sudden abdominal pain and diarrhea. You can’t let embarrassment about your bodily functions stop you from asking for help.
I’ve written before (more than once) about IBD, which includes both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. We know all about Crohn’s in my house because Son #2 has it. He was diagnosed at 14 and went through several years of struggling to gain/maintain weight and grow, going through various invasive tests and taking different medications to get the disease under control. Thankfully, he’s doing well right now, but he’s stuck with this disease for life. There is no cure.
I always have to add “yet” when I say those words. There is a lot of research under way to figure out what triggers IBD and how to prevent it, but no answers yet. And of course since IBD affects the bowels, it’s not talked about as openly as more “mainstream” diseases. Yet 200,000 Canadians have it.
The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of Canada has started an awareness campaign, encouraging people to sign a declaration supporting research into IBD. Help the organization get to 10,000 signatures by World IBD Day, May 19, by going to www.iSupportIBD.ca. (I was #7,429.) You can sign anonymously, or if you do include your name and e-mail address, you can choose not to receive more information from the CCFC.
Thanks. End of public service announcement.
