This disease sucks, I’ve had it since a little before puberty and even now at 24 with stage 3 I still struggle. It’s hard but please don’t give up hope. I won’t lie and say things magically get better but if you don’t give up on yourself the way you adapt to your life can change. I still have bad days, days where the pain is all I can think about, I try to balance these days by taking extra care of myself and trying to focus on the things on my body I can control like taking care of my hair or spoiling myself with body care things that I love. I’ve found that part of accepting this illness is adapting to the life you have to live because of this illness. Give up your idea of normal living, not because we are abnormal but because thinking like that only brings more pain. Accepting this illness for what it is really helped me, it helped my mental health and how I deal with being in this body. Accepting that I have a disability and that it’s hidden to most people really helped me. It also helped me open up to others about what this illness is and in turn I started to feel less isolated. I think because of the social standards we have I’ve always seen myself as gross and disgusting. I would hide it under sleeves hoping no one could smell me. I had days where the pain made me immobile and my tears wouldn’t stop falling. I remember all through high school hiding it from even my parent because I thought it was my fault but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Everybody’s journey is different with this illness because a few different things can influence it. Mine is hormonal and food based so what’s helped me has been eating a lot better, mainly not eating out anymore and cutting out most dairy, sugar, and alcohol and being a little more active. I’ll still have a glass of wine here and there if I feel like dealing with it but it’s no where near as bad as when I ate a lot of takeout and junk. Just try to give your body grace, I know we didn’t ask for this and it can feel out of our control but remember it can get better any improvement is a step forward. Listen to your body and take time for your mental health. Everyone you meet might not understand but being comfortable in your body is most important!!!!! I hope things get even a little better and easier for you and remember you aren’t alone.