Managing Crohn's Disease in the Weirdest World Ever

I don't live my life like someone with a compromised immune system. I pride myself on not letting Crohn's run my life. It's an important part of who I am, and I've come to terms with acknowledging that in the last few years. But I rarely let it run my life. 
The last few weeks have thrown off all our lives. Two weeks ago we had a briefing on COVID-19, and we were basically told to wash your hands and be smart. Last week I worked Monday morning and then stayed home the rest of the week. Yesterday our Governor announced a three week stay at home order, and the world feels weird. Weird is an understatement...everything feels off kilter. 
Virtual happy hour = critical. 
In this off kilter world I still have to manage my chronic illness. Crohn's is a disease whereby my immune system is attacking my entire digestive tract - top to bottom. When I'm not feeling well I can have symptoms including stomach cramps, diarrhea, mouth sores, and even worse symptoms that are really too much information. Every eight weeks I give myself an injection of an immunosuppressant drug, Stelara, that keeps my overactive immune system under control. Stelara has mostly worked well and generally keeps my absolute worst symptoms at bay.
I have, however, had a recurring infection that I cannot kick. In February I wrote a blog talking about how I was heading to U of M for several big tests. The tests thankfully ruled out some more serious issues, but they did reveal I have an infection - the same one I've had for about 18 months. I did another 10-day cycle of antibiotics, and that seemed to help.
When COVID-19 started making news in the United States, I read it was more dangerous for immunocompromised individuals. I made a mental note but didn't worry about it too much. Fast forward to a few weeks later, and I started really worrying about the virus. I didn't want to overreact, but I have more health challenges than the average person. I can't mess around with it. 
My son's preschool remained open last week, but we didn't send him. And thankfully we didn't - a family at the preschool tested positive for the virus. And now we're starting our second week of self-quarantine. It's been bizarre. Working from home with two busy careers and simultaneously parenting a busy five-year-old has been tough. I can't count the number of times today I've said, "One second, buddy." 
Getting out of the house and riding his new bike!
Last weekend I had a situation where I started having bowel obstruction pain. After four hospitalizations for bowel obstructions, I recognize the pain instantly. My panic level immediately went through the roof because I do not want to go to the ER. My husband was the picture of calm as I continued to freak out. I took a walk, decided to lie down with a heating pad on my stomach and drank lots of water. Finally, after several hours, the pain passed and everything started working normally. But in the COVID-19 world, the idea of having to go to the ER for any sort of Crohn's related issue is petrifying. 
We will be staying at home almost entirely (except for daily walks and bike rides) for the next three weeks. I hope you all will be too. If you are not practicing social distancing then, I'll be frank, you're a moron. This is not a joke, and it's not going to stop spreading unless we isolate ourselves. It sucks, and it's really hard to do. But we can do it. And if you don't care about contracting the virus yourself, then stay home to protect others - the elderly and the immunocompromised. Your staying home may save someone's life. 

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