The Health Activist’s Writers Month Challenge – Day 26 Pain Free Pass

What’s a day that you wish you could have used a pain-free pass (either in the future or the past)? How would being pain or worry-free impact that day?

As most of you know, I don’t get too much pain from my Crohn’s.  I know there are many out there that have pain all the time.  Whether it is from strictures or inflammation or obstructions, pain is a reality with IBD.  Since I have a mild case, I have been spared the pain…most of the time.

There are some days though we I feel some pain.  For me it feels more like someone touching an irritation.  It is usually dull and annoying.  When I do get these pains, I worry a little because since I don’t normally get them it is usually a sign of a flare or that I am getting sick.

So to answer the first part of the question, I can’t say of any day I wish I didn’t have pain.  It isn’t really part of my life.  In fact part of me likes it because it is like a signal that something is about to happen.

Now if we talked about having a symptom free day….that is another story.  I don’t have pain, but I can go to the bathroom a lot at times.  I get run down and lazy.  My eyes are getting worse.  Rashes don’t heal as fast.  My joints ache at times.  I would gladly give all of this up.  If I had to pick one day, I don’t think I can.  I think  a lot of people might say that for their wedding day they would like to be symptom free.  I know for mine, I was so happy that I didn’t feel nervous so I didn’t have a lot of symptoms that day.

Thinking about my life, I can’t pick just one day where I would like to be symptom or pain free.  Of course I want to, but I just can’t pick One day.  There are times though when I read online when some people have really bad days.   There are days when I read about Kelly, a fellow IBDer who suffers from so much and is always in pain.  On her worse days, I feel like I want to take that pain from her…even if it is just for one day.  I think the activist in me wants to help so I would want to take some of the pain from those that can’t deal.  I wouldn’t mind a day in pain here and there if it meant someone else can be pain free for a while.

This is a nasty disease.  It robs us of so much.  I just would like to be able to give some people back a normal life so they can enjoy what I have been lucky to enjoy.  Everyone deserves to live pain free.