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Patient InsiderHi, I’mAaron.Crohn’s disease doesn’t definemy whole existence.

portrait of Aaron Blocker

I didn’t know what I didn’t know

I was officially diagnosed with Crohn's disease at 17, but symptoms began around 12 years old: abdominal pain, nausea, irregular bowel habits. As a kid, it was tough to comprehend what was going on and to explain it to my parents and doctors.

I’m still in touch with the very first person I spoke to about it online. It's much easier to talk to somebody who's been through it. Those are the people who aren’t gonna be weird when you say, "I just had a bowel movement with blood in it."

Being open and honest helps me cope.

Facing the mental load

One of the hardest things to figure out was the mental aspect of living with this disease. I had anxiety, I went through a little bit of depression. I’ve gotten better at coping, and a lot of that came from therapy sessions I had when I was first diagnosed. Just talking about it has helped.

It can be embarrassing to talk about your diarrhea or your bowel movements or the fact that you’ve had to get colonoscopies that most people think nobody gets until much later in life. Patients often blame themselves. So acceptance for me was just being like, I'm not ashamed of this. There's nothing that I could have done to prevent it. There's nothing that I could have done to change this diagnosis. I have it. It's not my fault.

It took about five years to go from my first symptoms to diagnosis. I got through college after dealing with all this. I got a master’s degree after dealing with all of this. I was able to get married and have kids. I just got back from an advocacy trip. There was a time in my life where I didn't even think I'd be able to get on a plane! And look at where I am now. I'm extremely proud of all that I’ve been able to do.

I find moments of happiness in the chaos.

You’re more than your Crohn’s

There are times where this disease feels so chaotic that you're just not sure what to do. On a bad day, it’s most important that I just recognize that I’m flaring. I tell myself that this isn’t going to last forever, and it’s okay to rest. I get vocal about it, letting people know that look, I'm not feeling well.

Another thing to remember: don’t isolate yourself. One of my very close friends is flaring right now, and we are talking every day.

There are times where it feels like this disease is taking over every aspect of your life. You forget that you're not just a patient. You have another life outside of Crohn’s. I try to find happiness in the chaos – stuff like reading a book, playing some video games. Nowadays it’s playing with my kids. This disease doesn’t define your entire existence.

portrait of Aaron Blocker

My Reading List

Having support is important. These resources may help.

Oh, and follow more of my story.