Each and every chronic illness carries with it a type of flare-up, a type of episode, a type of acute reaction, and a type of new normal.
What people often forget is that, after an episode (and really commonly after a medication, there is usually a bit of a hangover.
Here is an example:
Crohn's Disease
Flare Up • usually between 4-7 days of severe pain, inflammation that prevents any proper eating, and the best course of action is a fluid diet to give the guts a break. Usually triggered by being extra run down, stressed, several days of bad food, or just because it felt like flaring.
Episode • an excruciating evening or few hours where you are either stuck on the toilet or completely unable to go at all. Horrible cramping, feeling like you want to cut your intestines out, and often results in a bed-fort being made in the washroom. It can feel similar to food poisoning, but it's not. It's just Crohn's. Usually caused by eating something wrong.
Acute Reaction • this is often the fallout of starting a new medication. The body rebels and retaliates for you trying to evict the disease from its new home in your guts.
New Normal • these are the daily symptoms and struggles that come with having a chronic illness. A general gut ache at all times of the day, pain, nausea, diarrhea (or constipation for many), muscle aches, fatigue, general weakness, hunger, weight loss, bloating, shakiness/dizziness, urgency, dehydration, anemia, lethargy, incontinence for a few, dietary restrictions, and a list longer than my leg of other symptoms that occur all day every day.
An episode hangover can be from any of the above. It could be just a bad day, or because of a severe episode/reaction/flare-up. With Crohn's Disease and other IBD's, an episode hangover can be as serious as requiring medical intervention for severe dehydration, a blood transfusion, or requiring steroids for several months to get things back to 'normal'. Think of it like a trauma - because that's exactly what it is. After a trauma - physical or psychological - you will have days or weeks of recuperation. Symptoms will be worse for a while. You will feel worse for wear - like you got hit by a truck and need to build up your strength again.
Crohn's Disease IS emotional, psychological, and physical trauma. Each of these episodes and flare-ups are traumatic to one's system and mind. So an episode hangover is not only common, but to be expected.
Today was my episode hangover for my Chronic Migraines. Sure the horrific migraine settled down yesterday just before noon, but I am still not feeling back go my usual self. It will take another half a day for me to really recuperate from a four-hour attack.
Juggling the flares and the episodes and the daily symptoms and all of the complications of one disease is difficult enough, but when you have multiple disorders, with all of their own categories, it can quickly distort into utter chaos. Even though it is 'common' to have multiple autoimmune disorders once you become diagnosed with one main issue, please don't forget that 'common' is not synonymous with 'easy'.
Anyone with illness is a total warrior.
Take your episode hangover days. Take your time getting to know the ins and outs of your disease(s). And don't let anyone tell you that what you are dealing with is a 'simple issue' - especially if their reasoning is because it is a common illness. Every illness can wreak havoc on someone's life - even a cold.
Always remember how strong you are and how many different issues you are juggling all day long.