Crohn's Awareness Week 2015

It's that time of year again! #IBDaware  :)

A couple of weeks ago, I had to answer some questions for an insurance underwriter regarding my health. It was supposed to be a quick 15-minute call that turned into 1 hour. Because when you answer "yes" to "Have you ever been diagnosed with or treated for an intestinal disorder?" you're going to have to answer a WHOLE bunch of additional questions.

I didn't mind answering the questions at all, but it was obvious that the person facilitating the questionnaire was unfamiliar with Crohn's. That's not her fault, and I wouldn't expect her to know those details, but it was definitely a full education process. It was most difficult for me to answer the questions about my symptoms. Technically, I am in remission {a great thing!}, but Crohn's is a chronic autoimmune disease, so there is always some sort of symptom at any given time. That's hard to explain to an insurance company that is mainly just concerned with risk.

The whole conversation was interesting to me, because I knew that Crohn's Awareness Week was just around the corner. As I was answering questions about when I was first diagnosed, when I started taking Humira, when my last colonoscopy was...I realized that it has been 3 years since then. It seems like so long ago, and yet I know that I am still at the beginning of my Crohn's journey {I read stories of people who have been fighting Crohn's for 25+ years!}. 

But praise God for how far He has brought me in such a short amount of time. I don't take my health for granted as much, as I know it can change in a moment. But I am so thankful for how the Lord has taken care of me. From remission to medication provision, to being able to step away from working full time to focus exclusively on my health...I realize what incredible opportunities I have been given.

I'll try to vary things up as much as I can over the course of this week, so that I'm not blogging about the same topics I have the past couple of years. I understand if my non-Crohn's friends decide to check out for the next 7 days; but I want to continue blogging for those that may stop by who are searching for info on Crohn's or thoughts from one Crohnie to another. Because I did a lot of that in the days after I was first diagnosed. So, if you're new to the blog looking for Crohn's info, welcome! If you're a sweet friend who loves me despite the fact that I blog about my faulty intestines, it will be safe again in about a week :)