Will it ever go away?

I was just browsing the Crohn's and colitis website and was reading the FAQs.

"Will it ever go away?

Occasionally one sees individuals with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis who have one attack and never have another one. A more common pattern however is for it to settle for long periods of time and then act up. The vast majority of people with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis lead normal and productive lives. They work, have families and go on vacations like anyone else."

I don't lead a normal life. At all. Sure, I work, have a family, and go on vacation, but I can only work part time in the evenings when my bowels are calm--and even then I still go to the washroom or my tummy hurts. I have a baby girl who is 17 months--how I long to just get up in the morning and go for a walk, go to the mall, take her the park--like all the other moms. But no, we rarely go out as I spend my days in my apartment going to the washroom; or just too worried that I won't make it. If we go out it's always in the evening. Vacation? Sure, we're going away in October for a few days. I pray that I'm healthy--UC and car rides??!!! No fun at all. Guess I'll pack lots of underwear....LOTS!

I hardly call this life normal. My life consists of working, raising a family, and planning vacations, however all I do is stress about it all. Am I going to make my whole shift without running to the washroom--if not, who's around to watch the floor.

If I take my girl to the park tonight--am I gonna have an accident on the way?? Is there a washroom big enough for the stroller? Am I gonna get her out of the car seat in time or will it be too late..

Vacation....plllllllllllleeeeaaaasssee let me be healthy enough to travel.

Honestly, I find the answer to "Will it ever go away" very offensive. I highly doubt you all are living the normal life that this answer is implying. And if you all are...I'm jealous. What I'd give to be "normal". Productive? Sure, I get tons of reading done while sitting on the toilet all day.

Thanks for listening to my rant...I'm interested in your opinions as well.

Asia, as hard as it is for us to believe and to accept, most people with UC do live normal lives, possibly with some small adaptations. Those of us who frequent this board overwhelmingly are those who aren't in this "majority." We're the ones who have more flares, are less responsive to medications, who have other complications. If you've noticed, people who post a lot when they're in flare tend to fall away from the board when they go into remission. That's because they're out there living their "normal" lives.

Don't despair. Keep working with your doctors and trying new options, and you're likely going to find a solution that gives you your life back. If medical treatment can't do it, surgery is a complete 100% cure for UC, and everyone I've talked to is thrilled with their outcome.

I was in flare for five years, now in a solid remission for more than two. I consider my life normal now. I hope you find remission soon and can do all the things you want to do.

I know what you mean--it is definitely frustrating. Right now, while in a flare, I am absolutely NOT

living a "normal, productive life." I had to quit my summer job and the majority of the time I have left the house this summer has been to go to the hospital. I just sit around my house and waste time in front of a screen (TV or computer) most of the time.

Even in remission, I wasn't living a pre-UC normal life. But I created a new "normal" then, and it was definitely better than being in a flare, so I learned to accept that. I do think that this FAQ is misleading--I don't think one can live a completely pre-UC normal life unless they have very mild UC or Crohn's.