A Little Bit Extra Ordinary

I've been open about my Crohn's disease to most anyone who is willing to listen since 2016.  I've had Crohn's since January 2006 when I was diagnosed at age 17.  It is a form of Inflammatory Bowel Disease which basically means the beginning of my colon and the end of my small intestine is pretty much always inflamed.  Crohn's is an autoimmune disease which causes a number of digestive symptoms.  You can look the symptoms up.  Basically anywhere I go -- especially a place that is new to me -- I'm mentally taking note of where the bathrooms are. I've been telling myself for years that I don't digest raw veggies and fruit well.  Which is kind of true -- salads and strawberries can literally be my worst enemy if I eat too much.  But it's also something that I've been leaning on and using as an excuse for far too long.  I also haven't had much luck with running in the past due to it shaking up my intestines and causing sometimes urgent needs...

Today, I attended my second annual Take Steps for Crohn's and Colitis walk at CHS Field in St. Paul.  You might wonder what this means for me...let me tell you my story... In January 2006 my life was forever changed.  I had digestive problems for about a year prior to that and I went to countless appointments, had many blood tests done, and had a number of procedures.  In January of 2006 I agreed to have a colonoscopy at age 17.  The results were in: I had Crohn's Disease. Crohn's is a form of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and is an autoimmune disease which attacks the base of my small intestine and the beginning of my large intestine.  It causes a number of issues including abdominal pain, diarrhea, gas, and every other "lovely" symptom you can think of. In 2016 at age 27 I decided to commemorate 10 years with Crohn's by "coming out" with my story.  I wrote a note and put it up on social media -- something that to be honest terr...