Travel...

I am relatively healthy, no meds aside from colestipol (for 'bile D'). I just have to watch what I eat, keep stress to a minimum, and get adequate sleep, and I can keep my symptoms to a level I can live with.... I still get the gas, bloating, fatigue, muscle aches, migraines and other "rotating symptoms", but for the most part I am able to go to work, hang w/ the fam, and appear relatively healthy to the outside observer.
BUT... for a few years now I have been scared sh--less to get on a plane. What makes it more bothersome is that I live in the States and all of my family (except for my wife and kids who live with me) live overseas (14 hour flight). As I have come to know my body and the crohn's, I just know that I am sure to get sick if I board that plane. My body will not be able to handle such a big ordeal. I should mention that I also have other anxieties due to the Crohn's: I get anxious about riding w/ someone else (I like to be the driver), I get anxious before 'big days' etc. It seems like b/c the Crohn's is so unpredictable to me, I always need to be in control 'just in case' something happens.
Anyone else feel the same way?

Health anxiety is a real thing and a lot of people with chronic illnesses have it, even when their illness is under control, which yours seems to be. It's the fear of the unknown, the "what ifs" that terrifies us. This has been a huge struggle for me as well and at the beginning of this year, I finally started to treat it with medication (mainly because my illness has had a tremendous impact on me emotionally and I haven't been able to deal with it on my own). I used to fly every month, and luckily now it's down to 4-6 times per year, but every time is still hard for me, as are long driving trips. Like you, I want to be in control and the lack of control makes it harder for me to deal with things.

Like gumby said, there are lots of ways you can work on this, from breathing techniques to visualizations (imagining yourself getting on the plane, sitting on the flighting, and arriving without any problems), behavioral therapy (talking to a counselor), etc. I think the resources page on the anxiety board here at healingwell has a lot of good resources for dealing with this kind of anxiety.

It feels good to know that I am not the only one... I need to get back to some daily exercise as wells as meditation to help w/ the anxiety. I may also give a try to something like xanax. To me, just the thought I am able to take a calming pill if I have to, may put me at ease.