Something that I don't like to talk about a lot or to many people, for that matter, is that I have been diagnosed with Crohn's Disease. It's a chronic condition that is, often, misunderstood and that has symptoms that are unpleasant to talk about, even at the best of times.
Many of my friends and family members try to relate to what I am dealing with but they just don't realize that Crohn's goes everywhere that you do - to work, to restaurants, in the car, even on vacations. If you have Crohn's, it's always on your mind, even though you try your hardest to forget about it, so when you don't always have someone who understands what Crohn's is to talk to, it makes for some frustrating moments.
Recently, I started a new therapy called Remicade that is administered through intravenous infusions. After several other treatments have been ineffective for me, I figured it would be worth a shot (pun intended) to give Remicade a try, despite the inconvenience of having to sit in a clinic for three hours each time I have to get it. Around the same time that I went for my first Remicade infusion, I started learning in my ECMP 355 class about Twitter and all of the ways you can use it to connect with others personally and professionally. A few days after my first infusion, I started to feel a lot different than what my "normal" (feeling) is. So, I went on Twitter and tried searching the hashtags "#crohns" and "remicade" and I was shocked at the amount of Tweets that came up that contained these tags. There were so many, that I had to make a new Tweetdeck column so that I could sort through all the Tweets about Crohn's Disease. In those Tweets, I found a girl who's my age and who Tweeted that she started Remicade a couple of days before I did. I immediately Tweeted her to ask her how she was doing with her Remicade infusions. And since then, we have been Tweeting back and forth on almost a daily basis, talking about how we feel, telling each other what our doctors have said, sharing embarrassing stories, and other things that only Crohn's patients could understand. I am so glad that I have learned that Twitter is more than just a site you write status-type updates on - it's a site that can connect you to people who understand you and what you're going through. If you or someone you know has Crohn's Disease, or any other condition, for that matter, I would strongly recommend entering the name of that condition as a hashtag in Twitter. You'll be surprised at the amount of support you find!
Recently, I started a new therapy called Remicade that is administered through intravenous infusions. After several other treatments have been ineffective for me, I figured it would be worth a shot (pun intended) to give Remicade a try, despite the inconvenience of having to sit in a clinic for three hours each time I have to get it. Around the same time that I went for my first Remicade infusion, I started learning in my ECMP 355 class about Twitter and all of the ways you can use it to connect with others personally and professionally. A few days after my first infusion, I started to feel a lot different than what my "normal" (feeling) is. So, I went on Twitter and tried searching the hashtags "#crohns" and "remicade" and I was shocked at the amount of Tweets that came up that contained these tags. There were so many, that I had to make a new Tweetdeck column so that I could sort through all the Tweets about Crohn's Disease. In those Tweets, I found a girl who's my age and who Tweeted that she started Remicade a couple of days before I did. I immediately Tweeted her to ask her how she was doing with her Remicade infusions. And since then, we have been Tweeting back and forth on almost a daily basis, talking about how we feel, telling each other what our doctors have said, sharing embarrassing stories, and other things that only Crohn's patients could understand. I am so glad that I have learned that Twitter is more than just a site you write status-type updates on - it's a site that can connect you to people who understand you and what you're going through. If you or someone you know has Crohn's Disease, or any other condition, for that matter, I would strongly recommend entering the name of that condition as a hashtag in Twitter. You'll be surprised at the amount of support you find!
RSS Feed