Crohn’s Disease

Sympathy for the Unsympathetic

by Bill Brenner March 8, 2011 Addiction

I tend to get a lot of mail from people who read this blog, particularly the stuff about the rougher parts of my life. God Bless ’em, because they’re good people who want to buck me up. But I think they misunderstand where I’m coming from sometimes. Mood music: [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvJGQ_piwI0&fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0] There are days when my posts cross over to darker territory, especially when a wave of depression or OCD moment hits. I also do…  [Read More]

Crohn’s Disease and Metallica

by Bill Brenner March 4, 2011 Coping tools

Yesterday was the 25th anniversary of Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” album. Which reminds me: It’s nearly the 25th anniversary of my last major attack of Crohn’s Disease. Mood music: [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQbPqINoSlc&fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0] It might seem bat-shit crazy of me to intertwine these two things, but the fact is that the “Master of Puppets” album is probably what helped me get through that attack. That, and the book “Helter Skelter.” I read that book twice as I…  [Read More]

What’s Crohn’s Disease Got to do With it?

by Bill Brenner July 21, 2010 Crohn's Disease

I’ve gotten notes lately from folks who’ve read enough of this blog to know I have Crohn’s Disease. They have it, too, and seemed to appreciate that they’re not alone. Some ask what the disease has to do with the mental illness and addictions at the heart of this blog. And so I’ve made this compilation of posts where the Crohn’s is a major factor: The Lasting Impact of Crohn’s Disease: The author has lived…  [Read More]

Needles

by Bill Brenner April 28, 2010 Crohn's Disease

Why the author has a mild obsession with needles this morning. Mood music for this post: “The Needle and the Damage Done,” by Neil Young: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gvb65dCMjZI&hl=en_US&fs=1&] Sean had his annual physical yesterday and came home in a subdued mood after having blood drawn and a booster shot. I felt kind of bad for him, but not for long. He has it easy compared to my experience with needles. Not that I ever like to see…  [Read More]

An OCD Diaries Primer

by Bill Brenner March 20, 2010 Addiction

A collection of posts that form the back story of this blog. Mood music: [spotify:track:19n9s9SfnLtwPEODqk8KCT] The Long History of OCD An OCD Christmas. The first entry, where I give an overview of how I got to crazy and found my way to sane. The Bad Pill Kept Me from the Good Pill. How the drug Prednisone brought me to the brink, and how Prozac was part of my salvation. The Crazy-Ass Guy in the Newsroom….  [Read More]

The Lasting Impact of Crohn’s Disease

by Bill Brenner February 25, 2010 Crohn's Disease

The author has lived most of his life with Crohn’s Disease and has developed a few quirks as a result. Mood music for this post: “Bleeding Me” from Metallica: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftV_XepIwpo&hl=en_US&fs=1&] As the reader knows by now, I’ve spent most of my life with Crohn’s Disease, an affliction that in the long run has been more damaging to my mental health than my physical health. It screwed up my brain and pushed me toward an adulthood…  [Read More]

The Bad Pill Kept Me From The Good Pill

by Bill Brenner December 10, 2009 Addiction

In a previous post I mentioned that I take medication for OCD: Prozac. It’s been extremely helpful, but it took a long time for me to even consider trying it. Here’s why: Mood music: As a kid sick much of the time with Chron’s Disease, I was often put on the maximum dose of a drug called Prednisone. The side effects were so horrific that I forever after resisted the idea of taking medication until…  [Read More]

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