Crohnie Quote of the Day

"If in your heart you are happy, you have the greatest blessing of all" 

@Ltd_to_two (Twitter)

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IBD Myths.....

....and how many of us have heard this one eh?!
FICTION: IBD is all in your head.

FACTS: IBD is not imaginary (diagnosis depends on the presence of inflammation in your gastrointestinal tract), nor is it caused by psychological problems. On the other hand, IBD can lead to anxiety or depression. These issues are often associated with any chronic illness and are not the nature of IBD itself.

Reference: http://www.salix.com/patient-resources/digestive-health-newsletter/archive/ibd-myths-facts-fiction.aspx

November is Crohn's and Colitis Awareness Month

From http://invisabilities.org

Canada has one of the highest rates of Irritable Bowel Disorders in the world.

November is Crohn’s and Colitis Awareness Month. Do your part to support those living with IBDs by getting educated! Check out this infographic and take the first step in fighting the stigma surrounding IBDs.

IBD Myths...

FICTION: IBD is caused by stress.

FACTS: No one knows exactly what causes IBD. There are a number of hypotheses (for example, immune system malfunction, environmental factors, genetics, infection), but stress is not one of them. Studies have shown that stress does not cause the inflammation associated with IBD, but it can exacerbate the symptoms of an inflamed digestive tract and increase IBD severity.

Reference:
http://www.salix.com/patient-resources/digestive-health-newsletter/archive/ibd-myths-facts-fiction.aspx

IBD Myths

FICTION: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are the same thing.

FACTS: It’s easy to confuse IBD and IBS, since they occur in the same part of the body (your gastrointestinal system) and often share similar symptoms, like pain and diarrhea. But there are significant differences. For example, a hallmark of IBD is chronic inflammation of the digestive tract that sometimes flares, whereas IBS is a functional disorder of the intestines that does not involve active inflammation. Keep in mind that, 30% to 40% of the time, a person may have both IBD and IBS, since once the bowel is inflamed for any reason, an irritable bowel may develop due to heightened sensitivity.

Reference:
http://www.salix.com/patient-resources/digestive-health-newsletter/archive/ibd-myths-facts-fiction.aspx

Did You Know...........

..... something as small as one tiny kernel of popcorn can cause an obstruction in the bowel when your Crohn's is active??

Something to think about....

Crohnie Quote of the Day

“Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.”
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Remicade : Day 99

Yesterday was day 99 of Remicade treatment, I guess making today lucky number 100, and once again, I don't feel any different than day 98...
The nurse was a little shocked to hear that I was in hospital a couple of weeks ago with the bowel obstruction.  Ya...SHE was shocked.

Overall though....looking at everything over the past 100 days, I do feel better and I'm slowly gaining weight (eventhough I lost a bunch while in hospital).  I weighed in at 70.8 kg's, (156 lbs) up from 68.9 kg 8 weeks ago. 

Doses are now every 8 weeks.....

You Know You Have Crohn's When.....

....you keep a hospital spreadsheet of when you were in, what you were in for, whether you were in through emergency or admission, a list of your family doctor, GI, surgeon and their phone numbers, and a list of your meds with dosage.

Comes in handy when you get asked the same questions over and over by numerous doctors and nurses whnever you go in to hospital.

It's easier to just hand over the sheet, cuz sometimes you're just in too much pain and discomfort to answer.

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Crohnie Quote of the Day

With Crohn's, as in life, you feel as though you take two steps forward and one step back.....

.......But you are always moving forward.


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