Sick and tired of ppl insinuating I haven't

exhausted all options before considering surgery. Obviously these ppl have no idea what abdominal pain is.

I have already stopped talking to people who are healthy about my health issues b/c I've found they have no idea and can not understand and end up saying something stupid.

And unfortuantely alot of them are christians. Had one woman at church tell me after she couldn't convince me to go to this 'healing farm' that I had befriended my disease.

But you'd think that ppl who deal w/ IBS would understand, but now I realize that some ppl either don't have as bad pain or there are some ppl who just want to complain and don't want to do anything about it.

Thanks for letting me vent. :)

I agree --- it is not like an exterior bruise or sore that you can "see". Ppl really don't understand/feel that which they have never experienced. Just like people cannot really truly understand the emotion when losing a loved one. Chronic pain is miserable. It can be debilitating. It affects all areas of the body when it is abdominal. It's been a long time for me, but I really truly vividly remember that HORRIBLE pain. I remember laying in bed or on the bathroom floor in the fetal position. I remember all of the pain meds, belladonna & opium suppositories, etc., just to make it thru another day. All the steroids - hydrocortisone suppositories, cortenemas, and oral prednisone; the flagyl, lidocaine jelly, azulfidine....... I do understand. I wish you peace, but most importantly, relief from pain. I feel for you.

ME!-

Have you talked to a surgeon yet? I don't know about UC, I understand surgery is a cure, but for Crohn's, a surgeon usually won't perform the surgery unless you've exhausted all other treatment options (meaning at least tried all the different meds that are available) or unless it's an emergency for a blockage or rupture.

Good luck ME, I hope you get your surgery and that it goes well. Sounds like you have a lot on your plate, and I hope your surgeon understands and has the skills to help you.

Enjoy your recooperation time, but from experience I thought I'd let you know that you may not feel up to games, books, etc. for a while. I was a zombie in front of the boob tube because that's all my brain could handle for weeks (and I'm a game and book fanatic). Make sure you have all the movie stations you can get, maybe sign up for a free 3 month trial, lol.

Thanks Judy :)

Churchlady, I have stopped going to church. I have been actively serving the Lord since 87'. But I have found churches to be the least helpful. For example:

I always try and 'pinch in' and serve somewhere in the churches I attend. I think everyone needs to pull their weight. Well, this last church I attended for over 3 years I -

Catered the women's conference for around 80 women all by myself.
Headed up the sick ministry who co-ordinated the meals for ppl who were sick and I have MS!
I cooked a homemade meal for one woman who had just had her 4th child
I wrote notes and called women who were sick
I took a widow lady downtown to the university so she could take a certification test to get a job. (She passed and got the job)
I have given money to the widow lady and her son.
We hosted a bible study in our home for a year.

Now this was just for the 3.5 years I was in this one church. All during that time I was trying to work and getting steriod treatments because I was having relapses every spring, probably b/c I was trying to do too much for everyone else.

One spring I had a bad reaction to one of the treatments. My heartrate dropped to 44 and I was too weak to move. My DH had told women at the church but no one brought us a meal or even called me. DH had to go to work. He placed some water by the bed and left at 8am and didn't return till 8pm. I layed in bed all day w/out moving or able to go to the bathroom. But since I wasn't eating or drinking I guess I didn't need to go.

The next week I got a call from the church asking me if I would fix a meal for someone who was sick !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I told them I wasn't feeling so well myself. I still can't believe how polite I was about the whole thing.

Me and DH met w/ the pastor and his wife and told them all this. The pastor's response...."well if you can find your needs met somewhere else you have my blessing to leave." Yes, that's what he told us!!!

So after ppl in that church treating me so badly and getting such rude comments I will not go back to church.

I haven't had alot of support from churches. Now please understand I also tithe and not on my net but on my gross income at all the churches I've attended. The first church I attended for around 14 years starting when I was around 20 years old. I had gotten the chicken pox from another members child. I was out of work 13 days. I was tithing and trying to get by on very little income and I had an old car that kept breaking down. so after being out of work that long I asked the church to help me out. I only asked for $174 to help pay part of my rent.

You know the response I got? They said, "Where's your savings?" and never gave me a dime.

I will never give a dime to any church and I really really doubt I'll be stepping foot into another church.

At least when 'heathens' treat me bad I know to expect it. But I have found even heathens don't say the rude things some christians have said to me.

I know several good christians. My uncle has been a nazarene pastor for 30 years. But as a whole I haven't found them to be ppl I want to be around.

Sorry if I have offended you. You sound like a nice, decent human being. This has just been my experiences.

Me!

sounds like you are really in the pain and agony of it all right now....if you end up having the surgery, I hope it helps you feel as much better as it did for me...

Nash,
I'm glad that you are a part of a supportive church. I am also blessed to be a part of a caring church family. They prayed for me, visited me in the hospital, brought me meals, and sent me flowers and oodles of get well cards! I was overwhelmed by their love and support, and it really helped me get through 7 years of being sick with Crohn's and then last year when I had multiple surgeries.
God bless,
Cecilia