The first few years that I was sick, we still always used to take a summer trip somewhere. My parents, myself, and a friend of mine would all go to Whitefish or Victoria to try and get away. My brother was out in Ontario at University so he couldn't come.
This one trip, we road-tripped it out to Vancouver/Victoria. Because of the nature of my Colitis (at the time), we had to stop... A lot... And since I had what's called 'urgency', we didn't usually have any more than 30 seconds notice to stop somewhere.
Now the great thing about my family and friends is that we laugh. About everything! We make stupid jokes and tell stupid stories, and my friend and I would get into these total giggling fits. Great for the soul, awful for the digestive system.
This one particular time, we were driving on Roger's Pass. If you've ever been down that road, it's a narrow stretch of highway that winds and turns and has forest on one side and a cliff on the other - with virtually no shoulder, and a lookout turnout only every few miles.
So we're laughing and giggling and I get the cramping. Oh no! I tell my dad we have to pull over... So my dad, basically pulls onto the grass as much as he can, and I race up this hill on the forest side. Talk about going from giggling to being terrified! And stressed!
That trip was one of the worst for my health, but one of the best for my well-being. There are tons of stories from that trip, but that's one of the more prominent ones.
And I am thankful that I have the type of friends who could witness that and then joke with me about it for the next hour.
Is it fun? No. Is it frightening? Yes. Is it utterly embarrassing? Absolutely!
I remember crying... I remember the pain, I remember being incredibly embarrassed, I remember wishing it could be different... But I also remember making fun of myself and laughing about it and making morbid jokes to get through it and guess what? Even in that moment I was able to take a step back and realize that everything else was fun. One little glitch.. A glitch that you would see in a movie and laugh at (ex: Bridesmaids).
Some of the best trips included that friend. To be strong enough to watch and be around those situations and to still be able to be lighthearted about it shows strength too.
:)