I realize, in the United States, it is somewhat of a cliche to express gratitude during November because of Thanksgiving, the ultimate gratitude holiday.
Or maybe, instead, it is the perfect time.
Since this whole colitis experience has happened, I have thought a lot about how blessed I am for the GOOD things about colitis. I know, that does not make sense. Let me explain.
If this were a hundred years ago, I would be dead.
Back then, the medical community was just barely starting to understand the combined symptoms of what we now know are colitis and Crohn's. And it would be years . . . decades . . . before medicines were available for these debilitating disorders.
Last December, I was close to the brink, and medicines brought me back. (Thank you, prednisone!) Medicines have calmed my condition enough so that I can do most of the normal things I used to do. We're still trying to find a maintenance medication that can do the same thing, and I hold out hope for that.
I'm thankful for ALL medicines and supplements, as at various times this past year, in addition to the colitis meds, I required medications for awful nausea, extreme heartburn, iron and vitamin deficiencies . . . oh, and menopause symptoms.
I'm grateful for medical insurance, for how much they pay, be it great or small, of the medication, appointment, and medical procedure costs.
I'm thankful for the men and women who chose to go into the field of gastroenterology, to help those like me who suffer from these often smelly, embarrassing, painful ailments.
I've always been grateful for indoor plumbing. (Aren't we all?) It is humbling to think that almost the entire existence of the human race has required us to expel our bodily wastes outside, whether out in the open or in a small enclosure. Oh, sure, excavations have shown that some ancient cultures had indoor toilets, but it was reserved for the rich and still involved an open hole in a rock, or rows of open holes, even if it was indoors.
Can you imagine having the abrupt urge to poop and having to run outside to the smelly, cramped, bug-infested outhouse located in the back of your house? Or apartment? During the freezing winter? In the middle of the night??? Especially when you're having that urge eighteen times a day? And then dealing with messing yourself while running outside to the outhouse? I can't even imagine.
I'm thankful for adult diapers. SO thankful! I'm thankful for the peace of mind they offer, and the ease of cleaning up accidents. (And thanks to my wonderful aunt for suggesting them!)
I'm grateful for toilet paper! SOFT toilet paper. An article from the Cottenelle website says, "early humans used whatever was on hand. Leaves, sticks, moss, sand and water were common choices, depending on early humans’ environment. Once we developed agriculture, we had options like hay and corn husks. People who lived on islands or on the coast used shells and a scraping technique. And people indigenous to cold areas used snow."
Yikes!
What the Greeks and Romans used wasn't much better. I strongly recommend reading the Cottenelle article about the origins of toilet paper. It was quite enlightening . . . in a kind of gross-so-glad-I-didn't-live-back-then sort of way. (Link is below, along with another great article.)
I'm thankful to my husband for taking over my family responsibilities when I was so incapacitated for months that all I could do was sit on the couch or curl up in bed, unable to move.
I'm thankful for masks. I hate wearing one, but because of the immune-suppressing medication I'm on, I wouldn't be able to leave the house without it. And ironically, because of COVID, most people don't think I'm strange for wearing one in public.
I'm grateful for television and electronic devices that helped distract me (and continue to do so) when I was incapacitated or stuck in the bathroom for long periods of time.
I'm thankful for the electronic world in general. So many people have documented their experiences with colitis online, created online communities, and continually update research and other information, helping tremendously with my understanding of my condition. Doing this blog has helped a lot to process my "new" normal. (Although I still haven't found that permanent new normal yet.) Even though I was late to jump on the text wagon, texting and email have made it much easier to update family and friends on my condition. And when I was in such bad shape that even talking was difficult, I could still communicate by text, which was helpful when my kids would text, "How are you doing today, Mom?"
I'm thankful for the wonderful, caring people in my corner of the world who have shown and extended their patient understanding. For those who did fun little things to lift my spirits (like put paper eggs all over my front door with words like "You rock!" at Easter time.) I've read about some people who have to deal with family or friends who treat them like they're making up the whole thing or like they're making a bigger deal out of their disease than it is and treat them accordingly. I'm so sorry for that.
Lastly, I am grateful to all those involved in the ongoing research of Inflamed Bowel Diseases and in all diseases and afflictions in general.
These are all the good things about colitis. As bad as colitis is, my situation could be so much worse. When I start feeling despondent or overwhelmed, I remember all the good things that make colitis easier for me.
Especially indoor plumbing!
Cottenelle article: What Did We Use Before Toilet Paper?
All the Ways We've Wiped: The History of Toilet Paper and What Came Before, from History.com
© Colitis Senioritis 2023
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