OT - when i'm feeling whiney about my life, i read something like this ..........

"I have gastroparesis which has probably been what was wrong with my tummy for many years. My GP is caused from post polio syndrome. I had polio at 18 months old in 1948. I use a bi-pap breathing machine at night because my diaphragm is slowly giving up his job (chronic respiratory failure). I have nutcracker esophagus, dysphagia swallowing problems with getting choked, I have a feeding tube with a Joey for 24 hour feeds. I use a power wheelchair because my left leg is paralyzed and I don't have the strength to walk. My good leg is losing strength and also my arms. I now have stage 2 kidney disease caused from high blood pressure. I have been a member of this group for almost 3 years. I find great strength by coming here everyday. I have learned more about GP than I ever learned from my GI. Thank you so much for being here for me."


and it makes me very thankful for what I have -

I agree Q, and this seems to come up a lot here, we are all well aware that there are many that suffer with other illnesses but that does not minimize what we go through with our CHRONIC illnesses either....ours is a life long battle too and that fact that UCers have to choose between having their colons ripped out at some point because there is no cure for IBD doesn't minimize what those with ostomies go through either.

Sorry, I'm just really getting sick of IBDers having to be "so grateful" for what they do have just because there are worse things out there....I would have been better off if I got cancer and died in my early 20's than to get IBD and I know how that sounds to a lot of people but I really don't care, I have the right to feel about my health how I want, I walk in my shoes and always have, no one else has so they don't have any right to judge how I feel or how I handle things. That's life!