Living with Crohn’s Disease

Growing up with a sister who lived with Crohn’s Disease, I can still recall the nightmarish screams of her pain, as doctors pondered what could be causing her struggle, and generically prescribe narcotics and pain killers to ease her pain, only providing a band aid to underlying Crohn’s Disease symptoms causing her pain.

If you were just recently diagnosed, or know someone who has been, there are probably a few lingering questions you would like answers to, and didn’t think to ask your Crohn’s doctor.

If you have already received a Crohn’s Disease diagnosis or suspect you may be experiencing Crohn’s symptoms, you are already living with Crohn’s Disease and know there are several challenges to living with Crohn’s Disease.

However, some of the facts and tips that will be addressed here are also coming from people who have experience living with Crohn’s Disease, not just the doctors.

From a patient standpoint of those already living with Crohn’s Disease, people who actually have Crohn’s Disease may be a better source of information than some medical professionals who have only studied Crohn’s Disease in academia prescribe cookie cutter Crohn’s Disease treatments to treat a diagnosis, and not understand the perspective of a person actually living with Crohn’s Disease.

In other words, having information from both the medical field and those living with Crohn’s Disease can be beneficial to help you on your journey to healing, and living the best life you can.

It can also help your family and friends have a better understanding of the blow you were just dealt with the diagnosis.

Living With Crohn’s Disease Is A Chronic State Of Living:

Unfortunately, if you have been diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease, there is not short-term treatment protocol or cure for the disease.

When it’s in the active stages of the disease, living with Crohn’s Disease cam make it difficult to function even for normal daily tasks.

My sister was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease at the age of 16, but had been fighting the pain and struggles for years prior, causing her to drop out of high school and attending virtual school.

Discomfort and unpredictability can make living with Crohn’s difficult at times, with multiple tests and doctor visits, as well as medications and the side effects that come with those medications.

Looking back at the diagnostic tests for Crohn’s and the journey that took my sister to her diagnosis, my family sacrificed everything they had in the hopes of seeking an answer to ease her pain.

Living With Crohn’s Disease Can Potentially be Critical

There are several ways that living with Crohn’s Disease can turn critical, such as when the digestive tract is inflamed, certain complications can follow, such as ulcers, abscesses within the intestinal wall, and bleeding.

It can also reach to other parts of the body and cause more damage such as the skin, joints, mouth, eyes, bile ducts, and even the liver.

If it becomes the damage and pain becomes severe enough, hospitalization may be considered.

Also, living with Crohn’s Disease can lead to an approximately 20% risk of colon cancer.

While that isn’t a terribly high risk, Crohn’s patients should have regular screenings to best help catch a cancer in its earliest stages.

It’s NOT Your Fault

People living with Crohn’s Disease have done nothing to cause the Crohn’s Disease and a state of autoimmunity to occur in their body.

Contrary to what some might believe, stress, medications, diet, or any other lifestyle choice will not cause Crohn’s Disease to develop.

While the exact cause of Crohn’s Disease is unknown, there are some factors that are known to cause it, such as it being hereditary, or a worn down immune system due to a virus or external trigger.

Not only is the exact cause of developing Crohn’s Disease unknown, but when Crohn’s Disease flare-ups occur, the reasons are also unknown.

You are Not Alone

There are approximately 700,000 cases of people with living with Crohn’s Disease in the U.S. alone.

So, you have company as a Crohnie.

The good news about this means that there are support groups to help people cope with it better and learn from each other some ideas on what ideas work, and what doesn’t.

Also, since Crohn’s Disease is not a rare disease, the likelihood of research getting funded, and financial assistance increases compared to other less common diseases and diagnoses.

Crohn’s Disease Treatment Options Vary

Even though there is no cure, Crohn’s Disease can be managed with various Crohn’s Disease treatments that help eliminate trigger, reduce inflammation, and help optimize biological processes, to the best extent possible.

Treatment for patients living with Crohn’s Disease will vary from person to person, depending on what works best for them and their specific triggers and symptoms impacting their lifestyle.

When treating Crohn’s Disease, the biggest focus is often reducing the inflammation, and eliminate any triggers that may contribute to Crohn’s Disease inflammation.

By reducing inflammation and eliminating triggers, symptoms have a better likelihood of subsiding and pushing the Crohn’s Disease symptoms into remission, as well as reduce the risk of further complications that could arise for living with Crohn’s Disease.

A wide range of Crohn’s Disease medications can help reduce relapses, such as immuno-suppressants, anti-inflammatories, and antibiotics.

One of the most commonly used medications on the market is Humira, which is a medicine that my sister has relied on heavily throughout the years.

And, if you try something and it doesn’t work, something else most likely will. If medications don’t work, surgery is also an option for patients living with Crohn’s Disease.

Replenishing Lost Nutrients and Getting Exercise

For Crohnies living with Crohn’s Disease, you can expect to lose not only your appetite, but also vital nutrients.

In fact, in severe relapses or Crohn’s flareups, the lack of appetite and decreased over sense of well-being could lead to malnutrition.

Your doctor might recommend meeting with a dietician who specialized in helping patients living with Crohn’s disease, and customize a meal plan that is best for your individual needs.

Regardless of if you can meet with a Crohn’s dietician, the following is considered a standard diet for a Crohn’s patient to help prevent malnutrition and promote a more comfortable lifestyle:

• Drink lots of water
• Dairy products should be limited
• Eat low-fat foods
• Increase your fiber intake
• Avoid foods that produce gas
• Cut portion size in meals

Exercise is also important for people living with Crohn’s Disease, as strengthening the body tends to help build the immune system as well. It can also help with the following:

• Improve overall health
• Reduces stress
• Controls weight
• Helps with anxiety and depression

During an active relapse, you might not feel like exercising, which is understandable. But, while you are in remission, it’s best to keep the body as healthy as possible.

Check with your doctor to see what exercises are best for your specific condition.

To sum it up, it’s best to keep regular appointments with your physician, eat right, and exercise when you can.

It will significantly improve the quality of life for a person living with Crohn’s Disease.

Living with Crohn’s Disease

Growing up with a sister who lived with Crohn’s Disease, I can still recall the nightmarish screams of her pain, as doctors pondered what could be causing her struggle, and generically prescribe narcotics and pain killers to ease her pain, only providing a band aid to underlying Crohn’s Disease symptoms causing her pain.

If you were just recently diagnosed, or know someone who has been, there are probably a few lingering questions you would like answers to, and didn’t think to ask your Crohn’s doctor.

If you have already received a Crohn’s Disease diagnosis or suspect you may be experiencing Crohn’s symptoms, you are already living with Crohn’s Disease and know there are several challenges to living with Crohn’s Disease.

However, some of the facts and tips that will be addressed here are also coming from people who have experience living with Crohn’s Disease, not just the doctors.

From a patient standpoint of those already living with Crohn’s Disease, people who actually have Crohn’s Disease may be a better source of information than some medical professionals who have only studied Crohn’s Disease in academia prescribe cookie cutter Crohn’s Disease treatments to treat a diagnosis, and not understand the perspective of a person actually living with Crohn’s Disease.

In other words, having information from both the medical field and those living with Crohn’s Disease can be beneficial to help you on your journey to healing, and living the best life you can.

It can also help your family and friends have a better understanding of the blow you were just dealt with the diagnosis.

Living With Crohn’s Disease Is A Chronic State Of Living:

Unfortunately, if you have been diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease, there is not short-term treatment protocol or cure for the disease.

When it’s in the active stages of the disease, living with Crohn’s Disease cam make it difficult to function even for normal daily tasks.

My sister was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease at the age of 16, but had been fighting the pain and struggles for years prior, causing her to drop out of high school and attending virtual school.

Discomfort and unpredictability can make living with Crohn’s difficult at times, with multiple tests and doctor visits, as well as medications and the side effects that come with those medications.

Looking back at the diagnostic tests for Crohn’s and the journey that took my sister to her diagnosis, my family sacrificed everything they had in the hopes of seeking an answer to ease her pain.

Living With Crohn’s Disease Can Potentially be Critical

There are several ways that living with Crohn’s Disease can turn critical, such as when the digestive tract is inflamed, certain complications can follow, such as ulcers, abscesses within the intestinal wall, and bleeding.

It can also reach to other parts of the body and cause more damage such as the skin, joints, mouth, eyes, bile ducts, and even the liver.

If it becomes the damage and pain becomes severe enough, hospitalization may be considered.

Also, living with Crohn’s Disease can lead to an approximately 20% risk of colon cancer.

While that isn’t a terribly high risk, Crohn’s patients should have regular screenings to best help catch a cancer in its earliest stages.

It’s NOT Your Fault

People living with Crohn’s Disease have done nothing to cause the Crohn’s Disease and a state of autoimmunity to occur in their body.

Contrary to what some might believe, stress, medications, diet, or any other lifestyle choice will not cause Crohn’s Disease to develop.

While the exact cause of Crohn’s Disease is unknown, there are some factors that are known to cause it, such as it being hereditary, or a worn down immune system due to a virus or external trigger.

Not only is the exact cause of developing Crohn’s Disease unknown, but when Crohn’s Disease flare-ups occur, the reasons are also unknown.

You are Not Alone

There are approximately 700,000 cases of people with living with Crohn’s Disease in the U.S. alone.

So, you have company as a Crohnie.

The good news about this means that there are support groups to help people cope with it better and learn from each other some ideas on what ideas work, and what doesn’t.

Also, since Crohn’s Disease is not a rare disease, the likelihood of research getting funded, and financial assistance increases compared to other less common diseases and diagnoses.

Crohn’s Disease Treatment Options Vary

Even though there is no cure, Crohn’s Disease can be managed with various Crohn’s Disease treatments that help eliminate trigger, reduce inflammation, and help optimize biological processes, to the best extent possible.

Treatment for patients living with Crohn’s Disease will vary from person to person, depending on what works best for them and their specific triggers and symptoms impacting their lifestyle.

When treating Crohn’s Disease, the biggest focus is often reducing the inflammation, and eliminate any triggers that may contribute to Crohn’s Disease inflammation.

By reducing inflammation and eliminating triggers, symptoms have a better likelihood of subsiding and pushing the Crohn’s Disease symptoms into remission, as well as reduce the risk of further complications that could arise for living with Crohn’s Disease.

A wide range of Crohn’s Disease medications can help reduce relapses, such as immuno-suppressants, anti-inflammatories, and antibiotics.

One of the most commonly used medications on the market is Humira, which is a medicine that my sister has relied on heavily throughout the years.

And, if you try something and it doesn’t work, something else most likely will. If medications don’t work, surgery is also an option for patients living with Crohn’s Disease.

Replenishing Lost Nutrients and Getting Exercise

For Crohnies living with Crohn’s Disease, you can expect to lose not only your appetite, but also vital nutrients.

In fact, in severe relapses or Crohn’s flareups, the lack of appetite and decreased over sense of well-being could lead to malnutrition.

Your doctor might recommend meeting with a dietician who specialized in helping patients living with Crohn’s disease, and customize a meal plan that is best for your individual needs.

Regardless of if you can meet with a Crohn’s dietician, the following is considered a standard diet for a Crohn’s patient to help prevent malnutrition and promote a more comfortable lifestyle:

• Drink lots of water
• Dairy products should be limited
• Eat low-fat foods
• Increase your fiber intake
• Avoid foods that produce gas
• Cut portion size in meals

Exercise is also important for people living with Crohn’s Disease, as strengthening the body tends to help build the immune system as well. It can also help with the following:

• Improve overall health
• Reduces stress
• Controls weight
• Helps with anxiety and depression

During an active relapse, you might not feel like exercising, which is understandable. But, while you are in remission, it’s best to keep the body as healthy as possible.

Check with your doctor to see what exercises are best for your specific condition.

To sum it up, it’s best to keep regular appointments with your physician, eat right, and exercise when you can.

It will significantly improve the quality of life for a person living with Crohn’s Disease.