Are you open about your Crohn's?

I'm just wondering how other people handle going through everything.

I'm a high school teacher and when I was dx'd in 07, I was hospitalized for a month. I really had no other choice but to explain it to my students. With this current flare, I have been out of work for a week, and will return tomorrow to many questions. I don't really care about answering them, better that people understand, I guess.

I do have a co-worker who has UC and is very hush hush about what he goes through. Definitely personal preference, I was just wondering how others deal with it at work.

Have a great day!

I guess it's a matter of personal preference, tact, and situation.  I don't hide my illness, mainly because I obviously am debilitated and I would rather people know why.  It also helps put a personal face on the disease.  I just don't share the TMI stuff; no one wants to hear that!  Well, maybe other Crohnies, but no one else.

I am somewhat private about it. My friends know I have it; but for those that don't know, I spare them the details. I feel there is better conversation to be had at most times than talking about my bowels and stomach problems lol.

I am too sick to really hide it, but I generally tell people that is like the worse stomach flu you have had in your life and that the disease ulcerates my intestine so I lose some blood too.

When I was diagnosed I was 18 and I was embarrassed about it. I went through the first few years of college feeling isolated because of that. I slowly realized that I am much happier when I am open about it, becuase people understand me better.

Now I am to the point where I'll share it with just about anyone. I like educating people about it, and also I figure if I have to live it, they can deal with hearing about it. I just had surgery and now have an ostomy, and I feel the same way about that. It just helps me feel more understood and I don't have to hide things.

I usually tell people its a digestive disorder . I dont really get into it unless someone is really interested. And even then i leave some out its embarrassing.I tell them to pull it of the web too. When i was younger i was really embarrassed of it. Now that I'm older I'm just tired and dont care as much. Only in the romance department I dont know how to go about it with a mate or potential close friend if you know what i mean. Hope it helps.

Everyone in the office knows I have it, but was caught by my VP who doesn't know I have. We were eating lunch yesterday and I ordered this really big sandwich. He asked how I stay so skinny and I said I guess its luck of the draw. While just about everyone who knows I have it kinda stared at me. It's not that I care he knows, just didn't want to get into a conversation on what crohn's is, etc.

I am open about it. I don't run up to perfect strangers of course ..but i wanted my coworkers to be aware and they have been most understanding. Of curse I had to tell them something as I lost so much weight so quickly. I would rather people know ihave crohns that think I have an eating disorder!!

I am very open about my CD, always have been and always will be.  I tend to be like that in most things in my life.  It helps me if people know I have CD, they make allowances for me.  My partner has UC and is very private about it. He is currently in a flare so I dont know how well it is hidden.

For the first 25 years, only my family and close friends really knew or cared about it. By my third resection, I had to tell people at work before I went in the hospital. They really think if you have surgery, wa-la - you are cured!
And of course, every woman wants "what you have" for a while so they, too, can be slim.
I now believe that I was wrong not to talk about my physical problems, not in depth, mind you, but just to maybe milk it a little because now, when age and this darn disease is taking it's toll on me, no one, not even my husband and kids, have much sympathy. I was always so independent and strong (and controlling, I admit), that it is difficult to now get the support I need. (It doesn't help that heredity causes me to look 10 years younger.) People believe that if you look good on the outside, you must be OK inside. I can be in a major flare, push myself to go to work, and have people say how glad they are that I'm over my illness! If they only knew what we know.

I'm very open about it.  How could I not be when I missed almost 4 months of work last year because of surgeries and such.  Everyone is very understanding, and my general manager made flyers and hung them all over the building to get people to come to the Take Steps walk to support me....237 people out of 600 employees came...not bad!  I feel it's very important for those around me to know my condition incase something happens.  We are the voice of Crohns, people need to learn about it!!

I try to be open about it. I usually just say it in passing and if someone doesn't know what it is I'll say it's an inflammation of the intestines, it's an auto immune disease, etc.

I find it a little hard now that I am dating. I don't know who's going to be freaked out by it. It's always been pretty much a non issue since I'm generally usually in remission but now that it's out of remission and harder to hide (like when I'm in pain) it's a bit harder. I just had a guy just talking to me because of it when meanwhile we already had hung out around 6 times. I had a first date a week ago but then I was hospitalized so that would be a bit much for someone to handle after only one date.

My coworkers at my retail job I'm open with. I just tell my managers that there may be times when I'm in pain or that sometimes I may have to use the bathroom more frequently. But I wouldn't know how to tell at my other job, as a substitute teacher. I had to stop subbing the other week because I still don't have any painkillers so I wouldn't know what t do in the middle of a class and being in pain. And when I subbed once a few weeks ago there was no private bathrooms and it was very frustrating.

The fact that keep remissions for longer than in the past has also reduced the need to talk about it very much. A fact I'm usually grateful for!

Matthew