Reality Check

I have spent my adult life determined to not let Crohn's Disease define who I am.  I take great pride when people, upon finding out my configuration, say, "I would have never known you had anything going on..."

But I have finally met my match and its name is Pregnancy.  

I used to be famous/infamous for pushing myself to do things I had no business doing, just because no one was ever going to tell me "you can't do that".  There was the time I went whitewater rafting six weeks after surgery while I still had an open wound.  Or during graduate school when I would leave class to run to the hospital for IV treatment before heading back for an evening class.  Or skiing down the slopes at Vail with a terrible infection and open wound on my abdomen.  It was all pretty stupid, but it helped me build up my "nothing is going to stop me" attitude.  

The difference this time is that there is a life on the line and it isn't mine.  Pushing myself at this point in my life has suddenly taken the back burner.  These past two weeks have really been an eye opener for me.  The doctors were actually concerned about pre-term labor (I'm only 23 weeks).  The symptoms I was having were "just" aggravated scar tissue and adhesions, but it definitely scared me enough to slow my roll.  This time I am okay being told "you can't do that".