Culturally, though, it gets weird. My wife has read women’s magazines with “advice” for avoiding toilet use or flatulence in front of a lover or spouse. The classic euphoria of Everybody Poops is soon substituted with a cruel sense of shame and the need to ignore bodily functions entirely, save for refreshing punchlines in screwball comedies.
Humour is the key to dealing with UC and other disorders of the bowel. Fart jokes, fart sounds, toilet humour, and toilet habits become much, much funnier by default. There is a sense of gratitude for those whose stock and trade is flatulence comedy.
During a colitis flare-up, farting becomes a form of sweet pleasure when it isn’t accompanied by other surprises. With unspeakably abrupt urges to go, crippling pain, exhaustion, and dizzying nausea, the search for comfort is all-consuming. Finding amusement during flare-ups can be complicated; finding disappointment, tears, and humiliation is much easier.
It is so important to be able to talk about UC or Crohn's Disease or IBD or any other “disgraceful” condition because the trap of shame is perhaps the biggest “side effect” of all. It is easy to give up bits and pieces of life to diseases and conditions. It is easy to let colitis or Crohn's or IBD dictate how things will be done, how things will proceed. It’s not so easy to fight back.
That’s where humour can be of great assistance. Learning to laugh at a condition, learning to giggle at the strange sounds coming out of a particular bodily orifice, and learning to smile during those extra-awkward situations can make all the difference in the world.
I, for one, am learning how to laugh again. I’m learning to laugh at myself, but it’s a damn-near-daily struggle against shame and the “need” to be respected. Respected by whom? Good question, especially when it leads to the revelation that “respected by myself” doesn’t appear on the list at all.
The irony, on a deeper level, is that I often act in such a way that is incredibly unlikely to garner respect from anyone, especially myself.
Sometimes, though, I realize the humour of my condition and see a sparkle of how things could be. I laugh relentlessly at a colon quack, at pant stainers, at shit sirens, at rumbles from the depths, at farts. I laugh at myself and the experiences I’ve had. Sometimes I celebrate and, maybe for just a few minutes, sometimes I’m over it.
Article comments
1 - 2 weeks from a colectomy
I have found that matter-of-fact honesty has worked best. "I have a disease that causes me to need to poop very urgently and painfully. It also causes me to be very fatigued all the time." If people have questions, let them ask. If they don't, then I shouldn't care. If they joke, I tell them bluntly, "It's not funny. It's painful and a debilitating humiliating disease." Usually, shame works to silence those unwilling to empathize.
2 - Marie Warder
I enjoyed reading your article, Jordan - with mounting admiration for you. Only a very special person could introduce humour into such a ghastly situation. I'll be keeping you in my prayers. Keep writing. You're a real gift to the rest of us!
3 - Comfy Tummy
There is no reason to live with fear if you have colitis. I was diagnosed with colitis in 2004 and have not lived with fear since I discovered the Specific Carbohydrate Diet as set forth in Elaine Gottschall's book - Breaking The Vicious Cycle. It actually heals your digestive tract. I've been symptom free for years without any meds. You can read about my journey on my blog at comfytummy.com
4 - 2 weeks from a colectomy
Dear Comfy Tummy,
I'm glad you found something that worked for you. It's not a miracle cure, hover. I tried it and it did not work. Neither did conventional medicine. The fact of the matter is that some with UC enter remission and stay there. Others never find it. It's hard to generalize to everyone based on one's own personal experience. Therefore, for someone who is about to have his colon removed for lack of any other solution, it's rather insulting to be told I have "no reason to live in fear if [I] have colitis." That implies I have not done enough.
Again, I'm glad to hear worked for you. I'm glad to hear that anyone has found reprise from this cruel disease, but the truth is that there's no hard science behind Gottschall's assertions. While anecdotes make for good reading, they haven't managed to prevent the inevitable removal of my colon.
5 - Franko
one of the problems with colitis, as with IBS, IBD, lactose intolerance and crohns is excessive malodorous flatulence or intestinal gas. I have found a great simple non medicinal solution and that is the Flatulence Deodorizer by Flat-D Innovations. It is an activated charcoal cloth pad that you place in your underwear and it absorbs and removes the gas odor. I have regained my self confidence because I am not embarrassed anymore.
6 - Jordan Richardson
Thank you, Marie. Appreciate it!
7 - Michael Moretti
Have no shame. Restrooms of the opposite gender. Roadside craps. Employee-only facilities. Fill your shorts and keep your chin up. The physical price may often be too much to pay; don't go deeper in debt in your mind.
8 - Californiality
I have a longtime friend who deals with the same issues. Countless times, we have left events early, shown up late, or not gone at all because of his affliction. I see the pain he goes through, so I am always flexible when we make plans. I wish I had a magic wand to fix it, though!