Crohn's Disease

We just found out that our daughter has Crohn's via serology testing. I'm hoping that we caught it early. The only other family member that has Crohn's is my husband's sister. I want to find out all that I can about Crohn's including alternatives to life-long meds. Any info as to the best that we can find medically would be appreciated. We will do whatever to get her the best...even if it means 'selling the farm' so to speal.

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Crohn's Disease NEW
by: Annette Young

Hello there,

Thank you for contacting us. I am really sorry to hear that your daughter has been diagnosed with Crohn's disease, it must be a great shock to you all, especially if your knowledge about Crohn's disease is limited.

What I can tell you is that Crohn's disease affects people differently so although there is a common set of symptoms, there are variables in terms of aggressiveness and pain too. You don't mention the symptoms that your daughter has been experiencing but they typically include:

Nausea
Bloating
Abdominal pains
Diarrhoea among others

Sadly to some people, the pain can be overwhelming and those with Crohn's disease will confirm that Crohn's has completely disrupted their lives.

Unfortunately there is an air of mystery around Crohn's disease. It's a disease that people don't always want to talk about or to share with others if they have it and this doesn't help others to understand the extent of it.

Because you haven't given much information about your daughter's personal situation, I can only give you general answers. It is quite likely that when she sees a specialist, that she will be prescribed medication to help control Crohn's disease. It can be a bit hit and miss initially simply because some medications work well for some and not for others.

If the symptoms do not ease, then she should go back to see a doctor and to try something else. Do be aware that Crohn's can make an individual quite depressed and certainly introverted, so she will benefit from as much support as possible from those around her.

Once she is on medication it is likely that she will always be on medication because those who have come off of their drugs, have suffered with quite severe flare-ups as a result. The most important thing to her at this period of time is to ensure that she seeks medical advice and to take the first steps into managing the disease.

She should keep a food Journal and to monitor things that she is eating to establish whether some foods are causing a problem. If she can eat as simply as possible, no spicy foods, reduce dairy products and try to have easy to digest foods and this should help. Smoking and alcohol are definite no-no’s.

I'm sure the doctor will explain all of this to her but really, she is aiming to try to keep her life as simplistic as possible, to avoid external stresses and to manage the Crohn's disease as there is no cure.

If you write back with more information, I may be able to be more specific.

I hope this helps,
Annette

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