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A few weeks ago a new campaign was launched to make the Belgian public more aware of the discomforts associated with Crohn’s Disease.
Crohn’s is an inflammatory bowel disease resulting in acute abdominal pain and frequent visits to the bathroom. I tell you, being a patient myself, these symptoms can have a serious impact on your social life and your self-esteem. Imagine having to deal with travelers’ diarrhea for days on end and in the meanwhile trying to lead a normal life: taking public transport (more then once I discovered that the only toilet on the train was out of order), going for a job interview (stress can even make it worse) or just a romantic stroll through the park or on the beach. Even the simplest of things, like for instance grocery shopping or walking the dog, can all of a sudden turn into hell.
On the campaign website Controleer Crohn/Controlez Crohn there’s a map showing so-called Crohn’s-friendly places, i.e. shops, restaurants, hotels, etc. where Crohn’s patients are free to use the bathroom. Apart from the public toilets, that is. This should enable patients to plan their trips in advance, making sure that wherever they are going a toilet can be found.
So far in Mechelen (B), the city where I work, there are only two Crohn’s-friendly places registered: the local Delhaize supermarket and Hotel Vé. Since our office (i.e. the municipal archaeology service) is situated in the City Park – Botanical Garden where there’s no public toilet, I would like to add our facilities to this list of Crohn’s-friendly places (provided that the board of mayor and aldermen gives its approval), creating yet another corner of the world where Crohn’s patients can forget their troubles for a while, fully relax and simply enjoy the park.
Also see Crazy Crohn’s
Still recovering from surgery (see Crazy Crohn’s) but hoping to return to work next week, I treated myself to a night at the 18th Festival International Jazz à Liège. Although not feeling so great that day, I knew medicine was on the way. It came in the form of Abdullah Ibrahim.
I got to know South-African jazz artist Abdullah Ibrahim through the excellent documentary Abdullah Ibrahim: A Struggle for Love (cine plus, 2004) and just this one track called Zimbabwe on an eclectic compilation album of African hits. I immediately fell in love with his music, both powerful and sober, and bought his album Abdullah Ibrahim: A Celebration (enja, 2005) with recordings from 1973-1997 as a further introduction to his work. Not only his music appealed to me, but also his strong personality: spiritual, independent, generous, creative, authentic…
His performance last weekend in Liège started with a half-hour delay, giving everyone a change to find a comfortable seat. Then he stepped on stage, sat down at his piano and played non-stop for over an hour. The piece was called Senzo (the Japanese word for ancestor), an intense act of mediation and improvisation. To me it seemed as if he was creating a steady stream of musical landscapes (see Jazz à la Flamande), some as seen from a train passing at tai chi speed, others made out of pictures stitched together to form a panorama, constantly switching between purely abstract sketchings or blueprints and highly detailed, sunlit (I guess mostly South-African) sceneries.
Supremely beautiful! One of the most intense concerts (if not THE most intense concert) I have ever experienced. No need to tell you I felt really invigorated afterwards.
I’m still recovering from surgery (now four weeks ago). About ten years have passed since I was first diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease. At that time I was graduating university with a dissertation on the topography of Roman rural settlement in the Campine and the Hesbaye region, Belgium. It was pretty hectic, feeling sick or tired most of the time and having to cope with the pressure of finishing my dissertation. But I made it! I got my master’s degree in 1998. In the summer of 1999 I ended up being hospitalised for a week with bowel (sub)obstruction. As a result, my doctor began treating my Crohn’s with immunosuppressives. With very good results! I was feeling better than ever. That is, until November 2007 when I was hospitalised for a second time with the same problem as before. After a third stay in the hospital, only three months later, the doctors decided that surgery was the best option for me. They performed a right hemicolectomy, removing part of my colon.
So here I am, still feeling a bit weak, but getting stronger day by day. The wound is healing nicely, although leaving a bit of a nasty scar. But I don’t mind. I’ll carry it with pride!
