I have Crohn's... Err... Sorry about that.

Do you ever find yourself apologizing for your disease? Now, let me clarify, I'm not talking about literally saying, "I'm so sorry, I have this disease called Crohn's." I don't think I've ever done that. I hope not, at least... I'm talking about those times when you find yourself kind of downplaying the effect of the disease or distancing it by referring to it as "this weird thing that's really hard to explain." I mean, after all, it is a weird thing, and boy is it hard to explain, but those moments always feel to me as if I'm saying "Sorry to make you listen to my really long complicated explanation of something that is deeply personal and not really your problem in the first place."

It usually happens like this:

Unsuspecting Acquaintance: Hey, Maggie! You want some of this food/You want to go out tonight/Some other completely innocent question?

Me: Thanks so much, that sounds great... but I can't. I'm not feeling too well.

UA: Oh, bummer. Are you sick?

Me: No, well... Uh, kind of.

UA: *concerned look* Are you alright?

Me: Yeah, I'll be fine. I just have this weird chronic disease thing that's been flaring up. It's called Crohn's Disease.

UA: *concerned look becomes slightly panicked* Oh, wow. What is that?

Me: (Give my go-to explanation of what Crohn's is and how it effects me, usually as succinctly as possible. Trying not to make it sound too bad, but still give an accurate representation. Not so easy.)

UA: *no longer panicked, but still vaguely confused*

Me: Also, I've named my colon. It's called Myrtle. (Okay, so I don't really say that. Maybe I should try it. Might break the tension a little. *mental note*)

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