> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://everywayhuman.blog/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # I'm not anything that's not in every way human - URL: https://everywayhuman.blog/im-not-anything-thats-not-in-every-way-human/ - Published: 2026-08-10T16:30:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-03T21:13:32.000Z - Description: As I drove home from therapy a few weeks ago, this thought came to mind: I'm not anything that's not in every way human. - Author: Josiah Elstrom I recently received an official diagnosis of Crohn’s disease. My oldest sister was diagnosed with the same autoimmune disorder in January; consequently when I had my colonoscopy done later that month, I was quite hopeful they would find sufficient evidence to diagnose me as well. I was hopeful to have some answers after about a year worth of other testing, diets, and doctor visits, but more importantly I wanted to have some kind of affirmation that I wasn’t crazy. I didn’t receive a diagnosis after that procedure, but with sufficient evidence to raise concern, I did get referred for a CT enterography in May. For the months in between I felt uncertainty and disillusionment, nobody likes waiting. After the imaging in May, my new GI doctor was able to call and reveal his findings and at the end of June I received my official diagnosis and treatment plan. I’m to start immunosuppressive blood infusions, which in addition to decreasing my immune system’s ability to attack my body will also lower my ability to fight infection and increase my risk of cancer. We’re optimistic. Just a few months over three years ago, I was diagnosed with OCD and bipolar II disorder. Just over 3 and a half years ago, I had dropped out of school out of an inability to manage what had become damaging and unsustainable. I have at varying times been prescribed three different antipsychotics, two mood stabilizers, an opioid receptor antagonist, two different anxiety medications, and too many antidepressants to count. I’ve seen 4 different therapists since moving to Michigan. It’s hard for me to stay optimistic about my future. When I was first diagnosed with bipolar I was actively paying off my (now) wife's engagement band and I became fearful that our marriage would not stand the test of time due to the increased divorce rates amongst married couples where one or both spouses are bipolar. As I grew older my dread shifted toward the lower life expectancy and frequency of cooccurring illness amongst bipolar patients. Even through the years and the time to come into my own as a husband and young adult, I've still allowed myself to be ruled by statistics and my most "realistic outlook." In light of this, I'm guilty of believing that I'm uniquely burdened or cursed. I've found myself sometimes in moments of despair crying out "why me". And yet I remember this passage from scripture, "No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone..." (1 Corinthians 10:13, NRSVUE). Or from a more poetic translation; "Let no temptation take hold on you, *but such* *as is human..*." (1 Corinthians 10:13, DRA). In the last few weeks I’ve begun attending a 12-step group as I navigate recovery from addiction. There’s a peculiar closeness I feel with the people in those meetings. I know nothing about their interests, their religion, their work, or their home life, for many of them I haven’t even nailed down first names; but I know them because we all know pain. There’s a closeness in that. People say misery loves company but I don’t think that’s the right way to describe this kind of knowing. ‘Solidarity in suffering’ is closer, but I'm not confident that fully sums it up either. We all have hopes, we’re all orienting ourselves towards something beyond us, but it's not an identical thing for all of us. Many of us can be doubters, and someone else in the group will chime in with “I related to the last share. My experience is similar.” Another sharer might be overcome with positivity due to new milestones, and we can all celebrate that for them. I've come to believe that what our hopes and doubts; losses and successes; and our pasts, presents, and futures all have in common, is that they're all *human*. As I drove home from therapy a few weeks ago, this thought came to mind: I'm not anything that's not in every way human. ![](https://everywayhuman.blog/content/images/2026/08/IMG_6550.jpeg) ## Sign up for my mailing list Get every post in your inbox as it releases and help me build an audience Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. Unsubscribe any time.