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Healthy People Just Don't Get It!

So many people say oh well you should try to heal yourself! Yeah have them get Crohns and have all my 14 symptoms and ask them to heal themselves. This is a disease where your body is attacking your own intestines!!! You have to take LIFELONG Medications to stay alive! My doctor put me on Lialda FOR LIFE! Don't they get that?

Then I always hear:

"Oh well you look healthy to me"

"Why are you so sleepy?"

"Want a Martini?"

"Why can't you drink alcohol?"

"Are you Okay?"

"Why can't you drive down here?"

"You can't eat salad or fruit?"

"Why cant we all go in the car together?"

"Why can't you work?"

"You should eat better and it will go away" nope crohns wasn't caused by food and it will not dissapear with food!
 
It seems that if people can not see something wrong, then they have a hard time believing it. Thus.."it's all in your head" "it's stress" comments. Frustrating, isn't it?
 
Oh boy, do not even get me started on how ignorant some of the healthy and clueless population can be. I have not been Dx with crohns, still trying to figure out what is wrong with me, but I have been chronically Ill with many debilitating health issues for the last 9 years. One thing I have learned is that society does not readily accept nor understand chronic illness. We have no place within healthy society. They just will not get it, nor are they interested in getting it. Most people who have never been sick (and I am not talking about a little flu or cold) I mean really sick chronically for a long time do not get it. I am blessed as I have a wonderful husband who is caring, understanding, and empathetic to my illnesses. But I also have a brother who is the most ignorant jerk ever. His response to me is " oh if you would just forget about your illness and not dwell on it, it would go away" !!! I mean REALLY!! I no longer talk to my brother about my illnesses. I can tell you now that my brother could not live for one day let alone years with the severe pain I have suffered in the last 9 years!

Bottom line is, you cannot make people understand or even want to. I use to get really upset with friends who just would not understand. Most of my "so called" friends kind of disappeared after I got sick and was not getting better. I have a couple friends who are real ( though they do have health issues to some extent and they do get it). I got to a point where I just do not care anymore when my brother says stupid hurtful things to me. I ignore him. It does not pay to get upset as you cannot change people and how they think anyhow.

But know that you are not alone, there are still people out there who care and who get it. My heart goes out to you, I do understand.









So many people say oh well you should try to heal yourself! Yeah have them get Crohns and have all my 14 symptoms and ask them to heal themselves. This is a disease where your body is attacking your own intestines!!! You have to take LIFELONG Medications to stay alive! My doctor put me on Lialda FOR LIFE! Don't they get that?

Then I always hear:

"Oh well you look healthy to me"

"Why are you so sleepy?"

"Want a Martini?"

"Why can't you drink alcohol?"

"Are you Okay?"

"Why can't you drive down here?"

"You can't eat salad or fruit?"

"Why cant we all go in the car together?"

"Why can't you work?"

"You should eat better and it will go away" nope crohns wasn't caused by food and it will not dissapear with food!
 
CrohnsNewbie, I can 100% empathise with your sentiments. Ive had Crohns for a year now and apart from people not getting the stress and tiredness and all that. The biggest one for me is when I go to parties and people always offer me alcohol and they always forget I can't drink anymore Oh and the one where people think if I change my diet it will be cured and 100% go away permanently is another ignorant statement people always do as well. You're not alone, stay strong dude ;)
 
I hear ya! This is one of the things that gets me down the most with having colitis! I feel like no one understands! And if you look normal on the outside, well then you must feel great on the inside..... :voodoo: grrrr!

Hardest thing is when people close to you don't get it. My dad really doesn't understand at all. I feel like he doesn't even know me any more. I am greatful though that I can say I am not ignorant and having an IBD has opened my eyes and made me a much more understanding person :)
 
I just had another one to add, I couldn't resist:

Just said to a colleague that I feel really rough today - (I've just started 6-MP)

"Oh, so were you drinking last night then?"

Can't tell you the amount of times I've had that response!
 
If I ever have someone say Oh were you drinking too much and that's why you keep using the restroom? I'll say no I have a *%&$@@ disease that attacks my intestines called CROHNS! I'm sick for life $%&*# TARD!
 
One of the things I hate the most is when any woman is in the bathroom and they say real loud eeewwww someone is stinking up this bathroom! I feel like coming out and saying try having an intestinal disease BITCH!
 
One of the things I hate the most is when any woman is in the bathroom and they say real loud eeewwww someone is stinking up this bathroom! I feel like coming out and saying try having an intestinal disease BITCH!
SOOOO TRUE! I was out for a friends 21st, we went to a club it was really crowded in the loos and I had the worst D! After I came out to wash my hands a girl went in after me and walked straight back out with a screwed up face complaining out loud to the whole toilets how disgusting it was. It made me so angry!! Some people can be such assholes!
 
I don't think anyone that doesn't have this disease will ever get it. Thankfully, my family is very understanding BUT my diagnosis came after a really bad flare that landed me in ICU and on a breathing machine so they saw first had what can really happen if things get bad.

I love the "I had a flu, I know how you feel" . Yea, you know EXACTLY how I feel since I will deal with this for the rest of my life while you had i'm sure WAY less syptoms and it lasted all of a few days!
 
I had to comment on this one, i went to a subway once and only ordered ham, and lettuce, on white bread, the kid looked at me and said, wow that's really bland, yeah jerk try living on a diet where everything good makes you sick. I completely understand about people having no compassion for our illness. My husband used to go to the hospital with me, now it seems like he could care less, he even accused me a couple times of faking my illness. And a few times he even said he talked to other people with crohns and their not as bad as i am, well good for them, his stepdad which is a doctor even explained to him how bad my illness is, but he still doesn't get it. Makes me super irritated
 
My boyfriend of 5 years understand what I'm going through. I'm thankful for that. He has IBS and he worked with a guy with severe crohns so he knows a little of what I'm going through. He said the disease is not me and he calls me attractive at the worst times lol. I just laugh and say whatever. Whenever I'm sick or anything he understands. I don't like that he deals with it AND me though. My friends seem to think I'm just sick all the time because I don't eat right or I just need immodium! NONE OF THAT HELPS! I had immodium and pepto for 8 weeks last year just to try to keep my job and I ended up in the ER when it didn't work anymore and made me worse and the docs gave me an xray to check to see if my intestines were distended (stretched out) thank GOD they were'nt but they told me to never take those again EVER! and I haven't!

Carey it's cool you got to get lettuce......I'm not allowed to go near lettuce again in my life :( I get meatball subs all the time :( lol I feel like a beefcake sometimes.
 
My absolute favorite situation was about twelve years ago.

I worked in an office, with a lot of fat women (I'm sorry, they really were) who did nothing but eat cakes all day. I was chunky initally, around 18 stone, but CD reared it's head and I dropped like 6 stone in 2 months.

I really was very very ill, and at least 3 of these women said to me, knowing i'd been ill.... "You're so lucky." :(
 
Luddym: i was in the same situation when i first got cd, one woman asked me how i was loosing so much weight, whats my secret, i told her i would be willing to change circumstances with her anyday, after she found out all i had to go through, she changed her mind!!
 
I had symptoms as a child- I remember my parents taking me to the ER- I was diagnosed at 28- I am now 48- My mom still makes huge salads for dinner, buys wheat bread and cooks with all kids of pepper when I visit. I am no longer suprised!

Alot of people in our lives may never get it! I just smile and go eat some peanut butter!
 
It seems that if people can not see something wrong, then they have a hard time believing it. Thus.."it's all in your head" "it's stress" comments. Frustrating, isn't it?
Some of those people that have a hard time believing it are doctors.:ybatty:
 
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