There are certain things that people don't really like to talk about. Disease and one's bowel movements definitely belong to that list. Many people feel too ashamed to mention problems with their bodily functions. But 32-year-old Krystal Miller from Australia isn't one of those people. If you look at her, you'd think she is a normal, healthy young woman. But in truth, she suffers from a terrible disease and is working hard to break the taboo of speaking out about it
When she was just 15, Krystal was diagnosed with Crohn's disease. Crohn's is a very aggressive disease of the stomach and intestines that causes chronic stomachache, diarrhea, and extremely painful bowel movements. Doctors aren't completely sure of its cause, but they know it's an autoimmune disease that really interferes with living a normal life.
The disease made Krystal's life a living hell. She was always tired, even after 15 hours of sleep. An evening out to dinner with friends was torturous, because she was constantly running to the bathroom afraid of having an "accident". She sometimes had to go as often as six times per hour... She tried to laugh at her friends' jokes, but inside she was tired of being sick.
She describes it as feeling like she has constant food poisoning. It's taken a really long time for her to accept having Crohn's. But now she's come out in the open about it and posts regularly about her experience with Crohn's to empower others suffering from the same chronic illness. She's told her story online, "When I first got diagnosed, I was really uncomfortable. If someone went to the bathroom after me I wanted to cry because I was so embarrassed". She couldn't stand it at first and did everything she could to hide her disease. Slowly Krystal became more and more isolated.
But things kept getting worse. When Krystal turned 22, the disease had gotten so bad that she had to get a large portion of her intestines removed. The doctors then decided to give her an artificial "exit." This means that Krystal has a hole in her side with a bag attached to it. Since she can no longer control her bowel movements, all of her bodily waste goes into this bag. At first, Krystal was really upset. But then, having her bag became a sort of intestinal liberation for her. She didn't want to hide away anymore - she wanted to share her life, bag and all, with the whole world.
She's posted about finding it challenging to feel attractive as a woman, the difficulty of giving birth after years of never "pushing", and the wonderful man she has in her life, who has stood by her through thick and thin
She has a beautiful family and has learned to cherish and love her life.
Krystal's children learned from a young age that their mama was "different" somehow, but that it's also okay to be different. It's important for Krystal that other people with Crohn's, or other diseases, know that they don't have to feel ashamed.
Her message to her listeners out there is: "No one sees the shit that we deal with everyday. We're allowed to be angry! It's not always easy, but that's okay. We can still be sexy. There will be bad days. But those are the times when we have to get back up and keep going. Because the good days are worth it. We're still sexy, even without a "backdoor."
Krystal is an amazingly brave woman. She's constantly posting updates under the tag #bagladymama, showing the whole world that you can get through anything with a little willpower. Thousands of people have viewed her posts and hopefully learned that they are so much more than their disease labels them and that they're not alone in their struggles. Keep it up Krystal!
Source:http://www.hefty.co/