Pearl Jam « A Guy With Crohn's

IBD, as with any chronic illness, can bring a person down. Between the gut pain, joint pain, butt pain, etc. a person can get really depressed. I know, I have been there. So one way to get out of the funk I have found is to listen to music. But not just any music. It is what I call Mood Music. This would be songs that help you relate to the world, songs that get you into a good mood. Lately I have been listening to the same couple of songs on my computer. I have been doing a lot of talking with fellow IBDers online and these songs keep popping into my head. So I want to share a little of what has been getting me motivated and moving lately. Be Warned…some of the songs are cheesy..but they help.

So here is a short list of the songs I am listening to right now and why I have chosen to listen to them.

1) Inside Job by Pearl Jam. – This song was written by Mike McCready about his experience with Crohn’s Disease. I love Pearl Jam but have never listened to this song before. I never got into their late 90’s and 2000 songs. I regret that now because this song is really good.

2) Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepson – Ok, this is cheesy. But I have been reading lately a lot about people with IBD and how hard it is to have a relationship. This just reminds me of how hard it is just to meet someone when you are sick with a disease.

3) What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction – So many people feel ugly with Crohn’s and Colitis. They have so much pain at times that they don’t want to beautify themselves. Then when they look in the mirror all they see are the scars of the disease. But everyone….EVERYONE is beautiful. This song just is a reminder of that.

4) Beautiful by Christina Aguilera – This again plays into the previous message. But really listen to the words. This song is about believing you are beautiful no matter what anyone says. This is showing your self-confidence, which all IBDers need.

5) What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger) by Kelly Clarkson – This is just a powerful song that gets you up out of your chair and moving. You are strong and can do anything. These disease make us all stronger. We live through the pain and depression. We go through so much and that just makes us stronger.

So that is just a sampling of my music selection that I have been listening to lately. I would love to hear some suggestions on what to add to that list. I also would love to hear what other people are listening to. Let me know.

Over the weekend my eyes were opened to just how insensitive people can be, especially to someone with IBD. Most names will be left out so as not to totally offend the parties involved in the incident.

Many of you might read Crohn’s Advocate and recently read an article in there about Mike McCready who is the lead guitarist for Pearl Jam. The article talks about his struggles with Crohn’s Disease and how he turned it into a positive experience. I found this article to be great and I found a new respect for him and Pearl Jam. So, on Friday night, while on Facebook, I saw a link from The Great Bowel Movement directing everyone to Like a comment made by another activist to a radio DJ in Chicago. Turns out this DJ made a comment (I believe on air) about how Mike McCready should have stayed silent about his disease and referenced the article on their Facebook page.

Well, that was enough to set me off. Attack a fellow IBDer from one of my favorite bands of all time. Gloves were off. The original activist that heard the comment was heading out and couldn’t continue to fight this battle, so I picked up the baton and ran like the wind. I must have posted in 10 different groups on Facebook with a link and description of what happened. I then went to Twitter and Tumblr and again posted. I also Twitted Mike himself to let him know what happened. I don’t know if he read the Tweet.

As of 7:30 pm on Saturday there are 91 comments on the Facebook page from many IBDers. Everyone was attacking the DJ. Eventually the DJ tried to apologize, but he compared what we go through with his withdrawal from drugs. Needless to say that drew more irate comments.

I truly couldn’t believe how many people flocked to Mike’s defense. It brought tears to my eyes that I could not only rally so many people to help out Mike but that so many people could be so open about their disease.

People…Crohn’s and Colitis is a serious disease. It isn’t just a stomach flu or some slight tummy ache. There is a lot going on within the body with these diseases. When will people realize that they are serious diseases. If your going to talk about any disease, joking or not, make sure you know about it. Don’t be ignorant.

Mike McCready…if you are reading this (I know your not but I can dream), you have a community behind you. You have done so much for us and we have your back. Thank you for all that you have done, all the money you have raised, and blessing us with your sweet sound that your fingers make. Keep up the great work and help stamp out not only IBD but stupidity and insensitivity.