The subsequent sepsis infection had landed me in theemergency room.
The only problem: I couldnt figure out what to say.
When I did eventually land on the right words, the response was surprisingly, overwhelmingly positive.
The author in the hospital after a Crohn’s disease complication. Courtesy of Annalise Mabe
It would let me show what was really going on in a body that looked otherwise very abled.
So, I decided to go public.
I was scared of isolating myself by sharing the intimate details of my own failing body.
Courtesy of Annalise Mabe
I hit share despite my doubts, and the dread set in almost immediately.
I threw my phone to the end of the hospital bed, turning up the volume on TLCsFour Weddings.
Soon enough, the support started rolling in.
Courtesy of Annalise Mabe
I was inundated with responses from close friends, family members, college acquaintances, and friends of friends.
Some people praised me for being so open about this.
Others thanked me for writing aboutCrohnsbecause they hadnt heard of it before.
Still others referred me to people who wanted to ask me about Crohns away from public comment threads.
It worked in reverse, too.
At 17, my stomach began to twist and turn, aching in a way Id never experienced.
She got me into a gastroenterologist’s office immediately.
Talking about my illness felt like a huge faux pas.
In college, I sometimes did mention my Crohns to friends orpartners.
But it was typically in passing, as a minute detail not worth discussing in full.
It was more like, Wow, that sucks…Can you throw me a beer?
Its not just that people reached out to me, though that was a big part of it.
Instantly, I was let into the personal lives of other people with Crohn’s.
Maybe this is what we need.
More doses of reality unfiltered.
Less posing for the social-media picture, where were trained to show the best versions of ourselves.
In a space thats built on a system of likes,chronic illnessdoesnt seem to fit.
Annalise Mabe is a writer and teacher from Tampa, Florida.
She can be found at @AnnaliseMabe onTwitter, @Annalise.Gray onInstagram, and atannalisemabe.com
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