8 realities of Christmas with Crohn's Disease

The nights are dark and the weather is crisp. Which means we are officially on the countdown to the festive season! There's a lot of things I love about this time of year. I've blogged before about how hot weather and my illness aren't exactly best of friends; so I do thrive on colder climates. And, of course, everybody hibernates during the winter months, meaning we can usually spend as much time on our sofa as we'd like! However, the festivities do also make living with Crohn's disease a challenge at times so I thought I'd share things only of us with this illness understand at Christmas time.

Things only those with Crohn's disease would understand

1. We're not interested in listening about 'regular people hangovers'

We KNOW alcohol and IBD is not really a winning combination. Yet whether it's a sip of spiked eggnog or clinking glasses with a delightful bottle of fizz, it can be too tempting to drink more at this time of year. Which, is fine. We know it might not end well when it comes to our digestion but we can usually handle it. However, listening to 'regular' people moan about their hangover when we haven't managed to have more than a half-hour away from the toilet all day is far from fun!

2. Why is there so much cheese everywhere we look?

You might know that I live in the UK, so I'm not sure if it's a British thing but at Christmas, cheese seems to be perfectly acceptable as a dish for breakfast, lunch and even desert. It's everywhere I look and for this dairy-free girl, it can be so hard not to give in to temptation.

3. Parties = 5o people in one room and only ONE toilet

You might think parties in someone's house is a safe bet but the ratio of the number of people: the number of toilets does often not go in our favor.

4. Is it even possible not to overindulge?

We know the official advice is to definitely not overindulge but has any IBDer actually managed this during Christmas or Thanksgiving? There is so much food. So much turkey. So many different deserts. We've already got to handle life with a chronic illness and now we're expected to have superhuman willpower too?

5. Can people stop scheduling events so close together?

While we hibernate more during winter, in the weeks leading up to Christmas; it suddenly becomes acceptable to have plans every day at the week. For those of us with fatigue, we need at least a few night's break in between events in order to get our energy back!

6. We're cautious to plan ahead

Not only do we need rest but if you've ever been in hospital over the festive period, you'll know just how awful it is. And the fear of this can loom over us when we come to making festive plans just in case it happens again.

7.Why do we always eat the stuffing?

Stuffing is not great for your digestion. Whether it's the sage, the onion or breadcrumbs; whenever I eat stuffing I end up with an unhappy belly (I've just googled and apparently I'm not alone in this!) But still I eat it every year. Along with far too many vegetables, any type of dessert and everything else that isn't belly friendly.

8. But just remember... it's just one day

Sometimes I think I put a lot of pressure on myself to have a perfect Christmas. But it's just one day. So if you have an amazing time with your family, then that's great. However, if the day is spent in pain/in hospital/on a liquid diet or all of the above, it doesn't have to define you or your journey with the illness. There will be other times to be with loved ones when you are feeling better.