Healthy ish, what to do with my life?

[CrohnSux101]

Hello, I have suffered with Crohns for around 4 years now and life is okay, I hope I am not saddening anyone struggling at the moment as I am rather well and dont want to make anyone feel down writing a good post rather than a bad one for a change.

I am really in a sticky situation with my life and future aims, I currently work in a café as a shift manager and its okay, I manage to work pretty much full time hours and its fine, I just want more from life. After nearly dying to this awful disease I want to take the opportunity while I am OKAY to do things and to make memories/ adventures that maybe one day I wont be able to do if I go backwards again. 3 years ago I was pretty much dead so thats why I am so forward thinking and always looking for something to change my life and do.

Am I wrong in thinking this? should I have the attitude of just living a standard life while I am well and getting on with it and just looking for opportunities that will better my career prospects or should I look for opportunities that I will enjoy and never forget?

Do I have to wrong attitude? I feel like nobody can compare, when I try to explain to people how I feel about life and how my outlook is people just think I am living in the clouds and I should focus on doing "career focused shit" e.g get a good job and go on nice holidays etc.. but what about just travelling the world now or finding a job in another country or in a travel orientated role, a ski instructor for example? Like is my outlook wrong? I really just want to grab life and do so much, ive dont a bit of travelling while ive been well and im super appreciative for everything that I am able to do even though Crohns is a horrific disease every day I am so happy to just be alive and here.

So really I am asking should I quit this attitude of always wanting to do something adventurous? like quitting my job and travelling the world or applying for a job in another country for the summer? or should I focus on my life and "PLAN" for the future? Life is just so unpredictable and I dont want to get to an older age and think, FUCK why didn't I just do that, or go there? But then again I dont want to actually get to an old age and think why have I wasted all my money/time doing that and not planned ahead for the future. YANO? I just have this mentality that bad shit is gonna happen to me because what has happened in the past, I had a ruptured intestine a couple years ago and its changed my life for sure, this is why I think im so just pumped to take life and do whatever, but is it right?

I am also super like negative about my future and I just cant shift the "BAD shit is gonna happen again attitude" and its not right, I might be okay for a while, we all will be okay cus we STRONG as fuck, but yeah, idk what to do <.>

If you actually read this entire rant, I thank you

 

[Scipio]

My attitude is one of "Plan for Success." Which means to live my life assuming that if my current medication eventually fails and the Crohn's returns and gets worse, that there will be other medications and options avaialable to move to. In other words I live my life going forward as though I will be in remission nearly all the time. There are a bunch of medications available now and many more new ones in the pipeline. So like a surfer staying ahead of the break, I plan to avoid wiping out by keeping moving forward - surfing the wave of IBD research and product development that we currently enjoy.

What this means career-wise is that I have advanced and continue to advance my career as though I don't have Crohn's. It has certainly caused me some setbacks in the past, but as I said, I'm planning for success in the present and the future.

So what does Success look like to you? Is it career advancement? Is it excting foreign travel? Having a family? if your idea of planning for success is to travel and do exciting things, and If your current health is good enough to permit this, I say go for it. But please don't negelect other important parts of your life by assuming that you will get sick and die early, because you may well be able to surf that wave ahead of the break as well. I wish that for all of us.

One caution I would urge about moving to another country is to make sure you look into the feasibility of getting good, modern Crohn's medcial care wherever you decide to go. Don't lose the progress you have already made. Make sure you will have the insurance coverage and medication availability that you need to keep getting latest and best treatments.

Good luck with what ever path you decide on!

 

[pwadm]

My strategy is the opposite. I plan for failure and don't expect the current remission to last. I am not sure if new medications will work as none of them come with a guarantee. With time you may also develop some complications. I don't consider myself a pessimist or super negative negative about my future though. I think I am being pragmatic.
I try to use my current good health to the max. If I have an opportunity to do something I just do it. I like to travel a lot so I just double on the trips I take. I don't think having a disease gives a license to do something stupid though. Be responsible, and plan for success. If you want to move to another country to get a job don't start by quitting your current one. Research everything, find a new position and then do it. I think it is a great idea if you plan appropriately and it will benefit you in the future.

 

[CrohnSux101]

My attitude is one of "Plan for Success." Which means to live my life assuming that if my current medication eventually fails and the Crohn's returns and gets worse, that there will be other medications and options avaialable to move to. In other words I live my life going forward as though I will be in remission nearly all the time. There are a bunch of medications available now and many more new ones in the pipeline. So like a surfer staying ahead of the break, I plan to avoid wiping out by keeping moving forward - surfing the wave of IBD research and product development that we currently enjoy.

What this means career-wise is that I have advanced and continue to advance my career as though I don't have Crohn's. It has certainly caused me some setbacks in the past, but as I said, I'm planning for success in the present and the future.

So what does Success look like to you? Is it career advancement? Is it excting foreign travel? Having a family? if your idea of planning for success is to travel and do exciting things, and If your current health is good enough to permit this, I say go for it. But please don't negelect other important parts of your life by assuming that you will get sick and die early, because you may well be able to surf that wave ahead of the break as well. I wish that for all of us.

One caution I would urge about moving to another country is to make sure you look into the feasibility of getting good, modern Crohn's medcial care wherever you decide to go. Don't lose the progress you have already made. Make sure you will have the insurance coverage and medication availability that you need to keep getting latest and best treatments.

Good luck with what ever path you decide on!

Thanks a lot, I appreciate the response, and to a certain extent I do agree with you. I just struggle to stay positive after such horrible experiences, its common I guess and will always linger in my mind.

Thanks again, appreciate it

 

[CrohnSux101]

My strategy is the opposite. I plan for failure and don't expect the current remission to last. I am not sure if new medications will work as none of them come with a guarantee. With time you may also develop some complications. I don't consider myself a pessimist or super negative negative about my future though. I think I am being pragmatic.
I try to use my current good health to the max. If I have an opportunity to do something I just do it. I like to travel a lot so I just double on the trips I take. I don't think having a disease gives a license to do something stupid though. Be responsible, and plan for success. If you want to move to another country to get a job don't start by quitting your current one. Research everything, find a new position and then do it. I think it is a great idea if you plan appropriately and it will benefit you in the future.

Hey thanks for the response, gotta admit I do relate to this more, its difficuilt, questioning my future so much. Dont want 3/4 years to pass and look back with regrets. Touch wood im okay, but if im not, even without taking into account crohns, lifes short for anyone and it can change in a blink.

Thanks a lot for the reply.