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Living with Crohn’s Disease

By Lois Fordham

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“Living with Crohn’s Disease” by Lois Fordham

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Please Read This First

This Electronic book is Copyright © 2007 eBookwholesaler. All rights

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Disclaimer

The advice contained in this material might not be suitable for

everyone. The author provided the information only as a broad

overview by a lay person about an important subject. The author

used information from sources believed to be reliable and from his

own personal experience, but he neither implies nor intends any

guarantee of accuracy. The results you obtain will depend largely on

your own efforts and other factors beyond the knowledge and

control of the author, publisher and distributors. No particular result

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practices are constantly being developed in this area.

The author, publisher and distributors never give legal, accounting,

medical or any other type of professional advice. The reader must

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“Living with Crohn’s Disease” by Lois Fordham

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apply the latest technical information and review their own

particular circumstances.

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act on the information contained herein. All readers must accept full

responsibility for their use of this material.

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“Living with Crohn’s Disease” by Lois Fordham

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About the Author

Lois Fordham is the pen-name of a person whose life has been

affected by Crohn’s Disease.

She has enjoyed writing fiction with some success for several years

and never thought of writing non-fiction.

But she found that people who had this condition or whose

immediate families included sufferers were often unable to discuss

their situation or get answers to common questions about the

disease.

Lois hopes that her ebook, though only an informed lay-person’s

opinion, will help people that have or care for those with Crohn’s

Disease.

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“Living with Crohn’s Disease” by Lois Fordham

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Please Read This First ........................................................................ 2

Disclaimer................................................................................................................. 2

About the Author ................................................................................. 4

TABLE OF CONTENTS........................................................................ 5

Crohn’s Disease - An Overview ......................................................... 8

What is Crohn’s Disease? ................................................................ 11

What Happens with Inflammation of The Bowels? ............................................ 11

Effects of Crohn’s Disease ................................................................................... 12

Who Named Crohn's Disease?......................................................... 14

What Causes Crohn's Disease?....................................................... 15

Other Factors ......................................................................................................... 16

Signs and Symptoms of Crohn’s Disease....................................... 17

Signs and Symptoms of Crohn’s Disease .......................................................... 17

Who Gets Crohn’s Disease? ............................................................ 20

Common Complications of Crohn's Disease .................................. 21

Common Crohn’s Disease Complications.......................................................... 21

Types of Crohn’s Disease................................................................. 24

Crohn’s Disease in Children............................................................. 26

Crohn's Disease Symptoms in Children ............................................................. 26

Effects of Crohn’s Disease in Children ............................................................... 27

Treatments for Crohn’s Disease in Children ...................................................... 28

Crohn’s Disease in the Elderly......................................................... 29

Crohn’s Disease and Women ........................................................... 30

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Effect of Crohn’s Disease on Reproductive Abilities of Women...................... 30

Osteoporosis ......................................................................................................... 31

How is Crohn’s Disease Diagnosed? .............................................. 32

Blood Tests ............................................................................................................ 32

Stool Samples .................................................................................................... 32

Endoscopy ............................................................................................................. 33

Barium X-rays ........................................................................................................ 34

White Blood Cell Scan .......................................................................................... 34

CT scan............................................................................................................... 35

What to Expect During Testing for Crohn’s Disease...................... 36

How is Crohn’s Disease Treated?.................................................... 38

Need for Treatment of Crohn’s Disease.............................................................. 38

Treatment Options of Crohn’s Disease............................................................... 38

Drug Therapy ......................................................................................................... 39

Nutrition Supplements .......................................................................................... 41

Surgery ................................................................................................................... 41

Alternative Therapies ............................................................................................ 42

Surgery for Crohn's Disease ............................................................ 44

Surgery and Crohn’s Disease .............................................................................. 44

Partial bowel resection ......................................................................................... 45

Correction of Fistulas ........................................................................................... 46

Strictureplasty ....................................................................................................... 46

Draining of Abscess.............................................................................................. 46

Medication for Crohn's Disease ....................................................... 48

Types of Medication for Crohn’s Disease........................................................... 48

Inflammation Reducing Drugs ............................................................................. 48

Symptom Treating Drugs...................................................................................... 50

Cure Research for Crohn's Disease ................................................ 52

Complementary and Alternative Treatments for Crohn’s Disease 54

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Living with Crohn's Disease............................................................. 56

Diet and Nutrition for Crohn's Disease............................................ 58

Nutritional Requirements of Crohn’s Disease.................................................... 58

Diet Patterns of Crohn’s Disease......................................................................... 58

Important Foods That You Should Include......................................................... 59

Foods Better to Avoid ........................................................................................... 59

Essential Dietary Tips for Crohn’s Disease Patients......................................... 60

Specific Carbohydrate Diet................................................................................... 61

Important Constituents of the Diet ...................................................................... 61

Travel Tips for People with Crohn's Disease .................................. 63

Essential Tips .................................................................................................... 63

Emotional Factors and Coping with Crohn's Disease.................... 66

Coping with Stress and Emotional Factors ........................................................ 66

Simple Treatments and Lifestyle Changes ..................................... 69

Small Lifestyle Changes and Cures .................................................................... 69

Diet and Nutrition .............................................................................................. 69

Exercise .............................................................................................................. 69

Special Events ................................................................................................... 70

Relationships and Physical Intimacy .................................................................. 70

Stress Management............................................................................................... 71

Management of Crohn’s Disease ..................................................... 72

Support Groups for Crohn's Disease .............................................. 74

Crohn’s Disease FAQ........................................................................ 75

Glossary of Crohn's Disease Medical Terms .................................. 78

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“Living with Crohn’s Disease” by Lois Fordham

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Part-I: Introduction

Crohn’s Disease - An Overview

Crohn’s disease is an inflammation of the

gastrointestinal tract.

It is a type of bowel disease, although it

can erupt anywhere between the mouth

and the anus. Crohn’s disease affects the

digestive system of the body. However,

most incidences of the disease manifest

in the lower part of the small intestine or

the early part of the large intestine.

There can be perfectly normal parts of

the bowel between severely affected parts.

Crohn’s disease normally affects people between the ages of fifteen

and thirty years with some instances among people in their sixties

and seventies. It does not affect young children.

This disease affects around 400,000 and 600,000 people in North

America. Estimates suggest that around 27 to 48 people in every

100,000 are affected by Crohn’s disease in Northern Europe. The

incidence of Crohn’s disease is higher in women than in men. This is

not an infectious disease.

Crohn’s disease gets its name from an American gastroenterologist

surgeon, Burrill Bernard Crohn. Crohn, with two of his colleagues,

described the disease in 1932. Together, they explained the

presence of the disease in specific patients with inflammation of

terminal ileum. A Polish surgeon, Antoni Lesniowski, had also

described the disease as early as 1904.

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There is no specific cause of Crohn’s disease. It could have a genetic

cause. Siblings and relatives of people with Crohn’s disease have a

higher than average chance of suffering from the disease at some

time.

Most gastroenterologists are of the opinion that Crohn’s disease

could be due to overreaction of the body’s immune system to any

specific virus or bacteria. Once you develop Crohn’s disease, it

becomes your lifelong companion, although with periods of

remission.

Doctors hint at various environmental factors and dietary habits that

could be the main cause for Crohn’s disease. Smoking is an inherent

risk factor. Other than that, foods rich in sugar, fats, and refined

products could cause this disease. High intake of shellfish with low

intake of fruits, potassium, water, magnesium and vitamin C-rich

products could encourage Crohn’s disease. Regular intake of oral

contraceptives might also be a factor with this disease.

Common symptoms of Crohn’s disease includes abdominal pain,

diarrhea, weight loss, loss of appetite, rectal bleeding and, in some

cases, fever.

Additionally, it causes mouth ulcers, eye inflammation, joint pains,

and inflammation or ulcer-like eruptions on the skin.

In severe cases, Crohn’s disease could cause inflammation of

neighboring body parts like the other bowels, vagina or bladder. It

could also cause infections of the urinary tract. Sometimes, it

causes bowel cancer.

Crohn’s disease could also cause osteoporosis, arthritis, and a

thinning of bones leading to bone fractures.

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Perianal discomfort with itchiness and inflammation around the anus

is common. Fecal incontinence with twenty to thirty bouts of fecal

discharge, sometimes even in the middle of night, is common with

Crohn’s disease. Teenagers developing this disease could exhibit

retarded growth.

Symptoms of Crohn’s disease are very similar to those of ulcerative

colitis. Both diseases cause inflammation of the bowels. However, a

clear distinction in the diagnosis of the disease is essential to decide

a definite pattern of treatment.

Doctors can diagnose the presence of Crohn’s disease after studies

of various tests. These tests include blood tests, stool tests, X-rays,

gastroscopy, colonoscopy, CT, ultrasound, and MRI scans.

There is no single cure for Crohn’s disease. You can take drugs or

medications, undergo surgery, and follow a specific dietary routine

to combat the disease. All medications and surgeries can only

reduce the effects of this disease. Nothing can completely clear your

system of Crohn’s disease at this time.

However, it is possible to live a full life with Crohn’s disease. It does

not cripple you in any way. You can continue with the normal

routines of your life. You only need to follow a strict diet regimen

and take regular medications. There can be flare-ups of Crohn’s

disease. Since these are most unpredictable, it is best to stay within

reach of medical help.

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Part-II: Understanding Crohn’s Disease

What is Crohn’s Disease?

Crohn’s disease is a specific disorder of the digestive tract. It

affects the gastrointestinal tract. Although Crohn’s disease can

affect any part of the intestine, it mostly affects the ileum or the

lower part of the small intestine. Inflammation causes swelling of

the ileum which, in turn, causes immense pain and discomfort.

You feel increasing intensity and frequency to empty your

intestines. This causes a diarrhea-like situation. This disease is the

same as enteritis or ileitis.

Inflammation of the bowel can occur at any age. However, this

mostly starts in the teens and extends into adulthood. Crohn’s

disease can lead to various other diseases like colon cancer,

arthritis, kidney stones, gallstones and skin ailments like eruptions

and eczemas.

What Happens with Inflammation of The Bowels?

Crohn’s disease can affect any part of the bowel, although it

primarily affects the lower part of the small intestine and the upper

part of the large intestine. Inflammation causes the formation of

various muscular layers in-between.

Additionally, this inflammation causes swelling of the mesentery, a

fan-shaped tissue containing lymph glands and intestinal blood

vessels. The mesentery connects the small intestine to the back

abdominal wall. It may cause total dysfunction of the intestinal

tract.

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Inflammation of the in