One of the primary symptoms (in the people I know that have it, I don't know all that much about it) is that it causes heavy cramps that require immediate (as in, right now) sprints to the bathroom. I can imagine that it's not all that comfortable talking to people about issues that require quite explicit references to, eh, let's call it 'primary body functions'.
It is much more than that. On a good day the only thing you have to worry about is the sprinting. Then there is the very loud gurgling noise…almost like your hungry but 100x louder and disruptive. Try sitting in a meeting when that kicks up. Then there is the 10-12x trips to the bathroom and the issues with rawness that comes with it. Don’t forget about the constant, and I mean constant, pressure associated with having to go. It becomes very hard to translate the pressure vs the real thing. This is one reason “they” recommend carrying a backup set of clothes just in case. These are just some of the side issues the real issues are the pain and cramping. During a flare you basically shed the inner lining of your intestine. Painful, irritating and interesting to pass. Your intestines are inflamed and you feel bloated in a weird way. You feel full and eating is the last thing you want to do. Your diet shifts to low residue foods which equates to nothing fibrous and could pass through a straw. You get very tired as it is physically and emotionally draining. You don’t eat because it hurts, you don’t sleep because you are getting up 2-3x a night to go … or try to go. I could go on and on.
In the end it’s unlike any other disease. It has a huge impact on a very core function required to sustain life. It is difficult to describe and convey to a healthy person. There is no cure other than removal of the colon and the medications to get you by are very expensive($850+ a month) and come with their own set of issues
For other's information: jpmc must be describing Ulcerative Colitis here, not Crohn's disease. So little is known about the underlying cause of UC and Crohn's that it's not clear that they are two distinct diseases; there appear to be cases that border between the two, although there is definitely a bi-modal clustering of symptoms. But, to my understanding, the characteristic of UC that most clearly distinguishes it from Crohn's is that UC is confined to the colon (large intestines), while Crohn's may effect the entire digestive tract. So, removal of the colon is a life-altering but effective cure for UC. On the other hand, removing the colon may be medically necessary for a patient suffering from Crohn's, but it's certainly no cure.
