Old Habits Are Hard To Break

I realized today in the shower how hard old habits are to break.  I was washing my hair and squeezed a handful of shampoo in my hand.  You see I went from having hair going down to my shoulder blades to having no hair on my neck.  There are times when I instinctively still squeeze a whole palm full of shampoo.  This got me thinking about other habits I have and how many of those are IBD related.

One of the biggest habits I still have is looking for the closest bathroom everywhere I go.  I recently went to a concert at a new venue that just opened in town.  The first time walking in I immediately began looking for the first bathroom I could find.  Then I became so excited because they had one close to the floor where I would be spending most of my time that evening.  I was so excited I even yelled out and pointed to my husband that I found the bathrooms.  "Oh! There's the bathroom!  Right there!"

Another habit is holding my stomach all the time.  I began to hold my stomach when the UC pains first hit.  For whatever reason holding my hand over the areas that were hurting seemed to feel better.  It was comforting to me.  I still find myself holding my right hand on my stomach.  I seem to do it mostly at night as I'm ready to fall asleep.  The pain might not always be there, but the hand is.  It's that comfort thing.

The best habit to leave behind is the feeling I have when I think I'm forgetting something at meal time.  What I'm forgetting is the medications I was on.  When I remember a grin comes across my face.  For the first time in a decade the only prescription I take regularly is my probiotic.  I know this is short lived, but I'm going to savor the moment.  So some habits are hard to shake, but there's others we all can't wait to get rid of.