For those living with Crohn’s Disease, you know how challenging it can be to manage your symptoms and live a normal life. Whether it is the pain, the unpredictability of your symptoms, or the need to adhere to a restrictive diet and have frequent doctor visits, you may feel overwhelmed at times trying to navigate this condition. But all hope is not lost! By having proper knowledge and understanding of Crohn’s Disease, along with taking steps to manage it properly, it is possible to live a healthy, happy life despite this condition.
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What Is Crohn’s Disease?
Crohn’s disease is a chronic condition that causes inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. It can last for years and may affect any part of the digestive system, including the mouth, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine. Typically, Crohn’s Disease affects the end of the small intestine, known as the ileum.
This part of the body is responsible for absorbing essential nutrients from food, so when it is affected by Crohn’s Disease, you may experience a range of symptoms as a result. Each of these can make living with this condition challenging and stressful.
Symptoms Of Crohn’s Disease
Depending on where the inflammation occurs and how severe it is, the symptoms of Crohn’s Disease can vary. Most commonly, people with this condition experience pain and cramping in their abdomen, diarrhea or constipation that lasts for several days at a time, rectal bleeding or bloody stools, extreme fatigue, fever, and weight loss.
In addition, those with more severe cases of Crohn’s may also experience:
- extreme thirst and dehydration
- a lack of appetite
- bad breath and body odor
- skin rashes or lesions around the anus that don’t heal properly
- joint pain and swelling
- mouth ulcers, rectal prolapse (when part of the intestines sticks out through the anus)
- liver problems
- gallstones
- kidney stones
Causes Of Crohn’s Disease
Although the exact cause of Crohn’s Disease is still unknown, many factors can contribute to it. These may include heredity or genetics (you are more likely to develop this condition if you have a family history of it), an abnormal reaction in the immune system, smoking, and certain medications.
Some other suspected causes of Crohn’s Disease:
- Having a diet high in sugar and processed foods
- Drinking too much alcohol or caffeine
- Taking antibiotics frequently
- Being overweight or underweight
- Exposure to toxins or irritants (such as food additives or chemicals)
- An intestinal infection caused by bacteria, viruses, or parasites
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Depression
Diagnosing Crohn’s Disease
Diagnosing Crohn’s Disease can be a complicated and lengthy process, but it can be done with the right medical team and careful testing. Each patient’s experience when being diagnosed is unique, and different tests may be necessary depending on symptoms and health history. First, family history is usually taken into account as an indicator of genetic risks. Testing may involve blood work to measure inflammation levels, imaging such as ultrasounds or MRIs to check for structural changes in the digestive tract, and endoscopies to get a closer look at the organs and tissue affected.
Keeping track of your own symptoms over time with a journal or calendar can also help generate clues that lead to a diagnosis. With patience and comprehensive tests, getting an accurate diagnosis of Crohn’s Disease is possible.
Tips For Living With Crohn’s Disease
If you are currently living with Crohn’s Disease, there are a number of things that you can do to manage your condition and live a healthy, happy life. These include:
