Kathleen Nicholls - Go Your Crohn Way: A Gutsy Guide to Living with Crohns Disease

What a refreshingly honest account of life with Crohns disease. As a Crohns sufferer you will find yourself nodding as you turn the pages through many experiences that we have all gone through. [Kathleens] wit and sense of humour shines through to make it an enjoyable read, and it is no small achievement to make such a tough topic light-hearted. I think this book could be enjoyed by those newly diagnosed, or who have suffered for many years.

Sally Cooney, Patient Ambassador, forCrohns

Kathleen works wonders as a funny, strong, and honest guide to living with Crohns disease. Go Your Crohn Way is undeniably humane and handy.

Ken Baumann, Author and Publisher

Crystal-clear, dead-solid accurate and witty explanations typify this book. Whether you are a new Crohns patient, a friend or relative of a patient, or even a 30-year old Crohns Disease patient like me, you will enjoy the compressive wisdom gained by reading Go Your Crohn Way .

Michael A. Weiss, Esq., MBA, Founder of Crohns Disease Warrior Patrol and Professional Patient Perspective

Go Your Crohn Way

of related interest

The Mystery of Pain

Douglas Nelson

ISBN 978 1 84819 152 5

eISBN 978 0 85701 116 9

Pain is Really Strange

Steve Haines

Art by Sophie Standing

ISBN 978 1 84819 264 5

eISBN 978 0 85701 212 8

Part of the is Really Strange Series

GO YOUR CROHN WAY

A GUTSY GUIDE TO LIVING WITH CROHNS DISEASE

KATHLEEN NICHOLLS

LONDON AND PHILADELPHIA

First published in 2016

by Singing Dragon

an imprint of Jessica Kingsley Publishers

73 Collier Street

London N1 9BE, UK

and

400 Market Street, Suite 400

Philadelphia, PA 19106, USA

www.singingdragon.com

Copyright Kathleen Nicholls 2016

Illustrations copyright Kara McHale 2016

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form (including photocopying or storing it in any medium by electronic means and whether or not transiently or incidentally to some other use of this publication) without the written permission of the copyright owner except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 or under the terms of a licence issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd, Saffron House, 610 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS. Applications for the copyright owners written permission to reproduce any part of this publication should be addressed to the publisher.

Warning: The doing of an unauthorised act in relation to a copyright work may result in both a civil claim for damages and criminal prosecution.

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

Names: Nicholls, Kathleen D., author.

Title: Go your Crohn way : a gutsy guide to living with Crohns disease /

Kathleen Nicholls ; illustrated by Kara McHale.

Description: London ; Philadelphia : Singing Dragon, 2016.

Identifiers: LCCN 2015047588 | ISBN 9781848193161 (alk. paper)

Subjects: LCSH: Crohns disease--Popular works. | Health--Popular works. |

Wit and humor--Psychological aspects.

Classification: LCC RC862.E52 N53 2016 | DDC 616.3/44--dc23 LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015047588

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 978 1 84819 316 1

eISBN 978 0 85701 268 5

FOR JAMES,
FOR KATHLEEN AND RICHARD,
FOR WET WIPES.

CONTENTS

FOUR WORD(S)

I HAVE CROHNS DISEASE

Before I begin, let me make one thing crystal clear. This is NOT a self-help book.

Self-help is a redundant phrase to me in itself, as by definition you arent helping yourself, you are picking up a book and hoping it will tell you what to do next. I cant, and wont, offer you that luxury.

I wouldnt be so confident as to even know where to start.

Crohns as an illness is so unusual, yet so oddly unique, that everyone who experiences it suffers differently. Thats why I just cant accept the idea that there is one solution for all. One coping mechanism does not fit everyone.

I am just a woman. A diseased woman, standing in front of you, asking you to love her. No, of course not, youre already there, right?

I cannot tell you what to eat or drink to make you feel a little better. I cant wave a magic wand made of the written word to ease your weary mind and I certainly cant cure your disease. Id absolutely love to have the power to do all of the above, but like I said, Im just a woman.

I can, however, promise to give you a few solid pages of ups and downs, insight and hints and tips in living with a chronic illness. Doesnt sound like much I suppose, but hey, Im no miracle worker.

I simply aim to show you, through sharing my own experiences, that there is life beyond an incurable illness. That life can be as full to the brim of fun and happiness as you want it to be.

Im not deluded; there is no great glory and certainly no pleasure in having Crohns Disease. Its HARD and unfair and really disheartening at times. I only intend to share with you my story in the hope that you can begin to see past the negative aspects and look to your future without bitterness and anger. That may take days, months or even years in living with the condition, but I hope well get a little closer to the edge of that particular map by the end of this volume.

Ive been a Crohns patient for several years. Ive endured more treatments and sampled more medication than I can reasonably count and had (so far) only one major operation. That operation, thankfully, saved my life and allowed you the privilege of reading this humble tome. No, need to thank me; simply sending on your bank details will suffice.

So, if you are sitting comfortably (on the toilet preferably), then Ill begin.

INTRODUCTION

THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CROHNS

Tuesday 10 August 2010

another day of toilet troubles

Thursday 19 August 2010

Another night of agonising pain, didnt sleep a wink, when I tried to get out of bed it was so unbearable I passed out.

Monday 30 August 2010

in pain from the minute I opened my eyes

MY REAR IS IN UPROAR

These five little words were one of the first, and most memorable, statements I had written in my diary when I began to realise there was something seriously not quite right down there.

Reading that simple phrase now reminds me quite vividly of the confusion, anger and downright depression I felt at the time. Pre-diagnosis time, that is. The above statement in itself was surprisingly prudish, despite it having been scrawled in my own personal diary. No one was ever going to see it so why write it in such a cryptic manner? Why not go hell for leather and describe exactly what horrors my rear was experiencing?

After all, the owner of the aforementioned rear would be the only one having the displeasure of reading it.

I can only deduce this enigmatic choice of wording was mainly because I was both embarrassed and ashamed. I was utterly mortified by my gut-churning symptoms and frankly disgusted about what was happening to my own body. That doesnt make it right, or healthy for that matter, but thats exactly how I felt back then. I didnt have the first clue what in the name of David Bowie was happening to me and I was so completely terrified I suppose couldnt even admit those feelings to myself.