(How) do you get used to this feeling?

[buttER]

Hi everyone

Good news I seem to be out of a flare, but this morning I had a couple of hours of diarrhea and nausea and I had to force myself to keep going with the things I had planned. And now I feel better than before, but I know I will feel a bit off and tired for the rest of the day.

My question is: do you ever get used to that feeling? Is there some sort of psychological therapy to get used to that feeling? I get annoyed with myself that I have been like this for YEARS and I still am not good with dealing with the acute symptoms.

:ybatty::confused2:

I'll be glad of any tips (or anyone else still not good at being ill?).

 

[woops!]

This is a hard question to answer. I think everyone deals with issues a little differently, so I can only give you my take. There may be others here who will have a better response for you.
I have learned over the past 20 years or so, that I just need to let it go, laugh when I can, and just be open and honest with everyone around me. I don't think you can ever get 'used' to not feeling good. I think you just find ways to work around it and cope.
When I have had bad days, I honestly just have to tell everyone that I need a time out. Now I know this is not always easy to do, but I have to take time and just relax/close my eyes/power nap. Whatever it is to get a little energy back. I am very fortunate that my family and co workers are supportive. I have just learned that my body needs to come first.
I do understand that it gets annoying when you have things planned, and you feel bad, but you just force yourself through them because you don't want this disease to control one more part of your day.
I have had some success with yoga in the past, it has been a good way to just let my body get itself back on track. Don't know if that is something you might try.
Wish I had better answers for you, sorry.
Woops

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

I've been ill for just over 5 years now and I still have to give myself pep talks in the mornings on bad days. I tell myself things like, "You can do this, you've been through worse, you're a tough girl and you can do this." I don't totally believe it, but like you said, I make myself do things anyway (or I call in sick to work and cry and have a pity party for a day - and there's nothing wrong with that either). I don't think it gets easier, but it's more like, you get accustomed to it if that makes sense. It's still difficult but it also becomes a part of life. You know that on any given day your body can throw a variety of symptoms at you - you still have to live your life, so like Woops said, you find work-arounds or ways to deal with whatever tortures your body is doing to you while still living your life.

For example - for me today, I woke up this morning feeling ill and very chilled (I've been losing blood in my stool lately and I think I'm getting close to anemia). But I had to go to work, so I gave myself a pep talk and then put on a warm sweater and a cute scarf and some pretty jewelry to match. Mainly I wanted a sweater and scarf to stay warm since I feel so cold. But I got a lot of compliments on my outfit and nobody seems to notice that I'm not feeling well. So I stayed warm and got some compliments which was nice. It's still been a difficult day, but hearing compliments made me feel a little better. Just one of my little ways of coping on a tough day.

 

[shamrock15]

I agree that it can be difficult to get used to. For me, I think it really came down to seeing how bad crohn's can get to make you really appreciate the days when it isn't so bad. Not the best way of learning things, certainly not the most fun. You need to find the balance between the occasional day off to recuperate and knowing when to push through things. It will be different for every person out there. Be honest with yourself as you go through it. Also, keep in mind that your tolerance can change depending on how your disease progresses or gets better. Are you on any maintenance medications? They can help with some of the day to day issues, but for me the fatigue has always been there and likely always will.

 

[InkyStinky]

:ghug:

Fatigue has been a huge problem for me for years and years. I just recently started doing "alignment exercises" - they are more like stretching than exercising:

External links:
- Katy Bowman blog: http://www.katysays.com/
- her youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/restorativeexercise/videos

She has a whole dvd series but not sure if it ships outside of the US (it's linked from her blog). I've been using her dvds for about a week. My alignment is very off (forward-leaning) and after doing the exercises I feel a lot less fatigued for about 30 to 45 mins afterwards.

Too soon to tell what sort of long-term impact it will have. But thought I'd throw it out there in case it might be a piece of the puzzle in combating this dern fatigue!