So I'm 29, but I saw at least one person who was 30, so I figure I can sneak in here. I feel like a young adult compared to a lot of the people I'm around most of the time (almost all of my coworkers are at least 10 years older than me). From the sound of some of the other posts, it should be ok, but if not I will (somewhat dissapointedly) depart.
So the questions...
- What "young adult" type situations has IBD affected for you?
I tend to crap out early (pun intended), moreso than my friends, even some of my older friends. Most of my friends are fairly tame, so I don't miss out on a whole lot, but I've done a little less of the going out and drinking type stuff than I would have.
- Has IBD affected your educational opportunities and choices?
I was already out of college when the Crohn's hit, so no.
- Has IBD affected your independence from your family?
I had already moved out on my own, so I'd say no.
- Has IBD affected your social relationships, dating, or your body image?
Yes. I don't visit friends as often, and I rarely spend nights away from home unless I'm travelling long(ish) distance. I had thankfully recently started a good relationship when the Crohn's hit, and he was there for me, and has been since. My body image was already pretty low to start with, although when I was on prednisone for a while, I felt even worse about how I looked. I'm still not happy. I'm more concerned with being smelly, though.
- Do you feel as if IBD has matured you beyond your age or for kept you from maturing in any way?
I've been more mature than my age for a while because of some crazy stuff in my childhood, but my experience with Crohn's gave me a better grasp of my own mortality than most people my age have, I think. Although I doubt I was really in any danger, when I wound up in the hospital two years ago, I was worried for a couple of days that I was going to die.
I've also started paying attention to my health, staying on top of pills and supplements and check-ups and such, while most of my friends aren't worrying about those things. I think some of this has spilled over into other areas of my life, leading to being a little more responsible with other things.
On the flip side, though, I find myself wishing very frequently that I could just have someone take care of me...I just don't want to deal with all of my responsibilities, especially on top of my health.
- How do you think dealing with IBD as a young adult is different from dealing with it as a child or an adult?
I think the biggest difference is in what sort of support network you have. A child (hopefully) has their parents. An adult later on might have a spouse, and may have some very solid friends. At this stage in life, I think a lot of us don't quite have that. We've started to distance ourselves from our parents, we're often single, or our romantic relationships aren't that deeply entrenched yet, and a lot of our friends are kindof busy doing their own things. So I think in many ways, we're more on our own at this time of our lives.