So here is my first of many posts for Wegohealth.com National Health Blog Post Month.  The challenge for this is to blog about different things (they give us the topics) every day for a month.  So here is my first post and the topic is Why I Write About My Health.

It all started in 2011.  I was going through the worst flare up of my Crohn’s Disease in my life.  I was going to the bathroom a good 30 times a day and really couldn’t live my life.  I had been on numerous medicines throughout my life for my Crohn’s but nothing seemed to really help me.  By the time January 2012 came around, depression had set in.  I felt so alone with my disease and felt like I had no one to turn to.  I knew very little about my disease and knew no one with it.

I was diagnosed in 1988 and didn’t have the internet back then.  Whatever I learned about the disease came from outdated books and pamphlets.  For most of my life I survived and got through my problems.  My disease never really interfered with my life so I let it be.  Now, that it was taking over my life, I didn’t know where to turn to.

Like most people with problems, I turned to the internet.  In all honesty, I was so bad I thought I was going to need surgery and was looking up just what an ostomy bag was.  I had never seen one before and knew nothing about it.  I wanted to prepare myself mentally for what I thought was to come.  My first searches took me to YouTube where I found some great videos from other people with Crohns.  The people I found in these videos would go on to be my inspiration.

One thing these fellow Crohnies showed me was that no matter how bad things were, we could overcome the bad times.  I soon realized that I had ignored the internet all these years.  I started doing more searches and found so many websites.  I then turned to one of the biggest social networks out there, Facebook.  I started to see how people were coming together with their disease and helping each other.  I thought back over my life and wished that I had something like this growing up.  It was then that I decided I wanted to help out.  I made up my mind that I wanted to help others out and let everyone out there with IBD know that they don’t have to be alone like I was.

My first attempt was to make some videos but this wasn’t for me.  I felt very awkward talking to a camera.  I also couldn’t interact with anyone doing this.  So, I decided to write instead of talking and turned to Tumblr.  This was fine for a little while but I soon learned that the site was more for sharing Memes.  Finally I turned to WordPress and now I have this website.  I have my own space to share my experiences and a place for others to feel comfortable to open up about their experiences.

Here it is now at the end of 2012.  I have come a long way in such a short time.  My main goal from the start has not changed though and that is why I write about my health……I don’t ever want anyone with IBD to feel alone.