Living with Crohn’s Disease
Sharon is a 17 year old young women, her mother noticed that Sharon had lost a significant amount of weight, and she looked pale and had dark circles under her eyes. Sharon was complaining of severe diarrhea, stomach cramps, and after battling this for weeks she was extremely tired. Her doctor conducted a standard physical exam, and interviewed Sharon about her general health, diet, family history, and environment.
Her doctor performed laboratory tests of blood and stool matter, as well as X-rays of the upper and lower gastroesophageal tract (GI).Sharon had to have a colonoscopy to obtain a biopsy of the colon. Sharon was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease.
Crohn’s disease, also called Regional Enteritis, belongs
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Cells move from the blood into the intestines and produce inflammation which is a normal immune system response. The inflammation does not subside, leading to chronic inflammation, ulceration, thickening of the intestinal wall, and eventually causing patient symptoms.
The tell-tale symptoms of Crohn’s disease are abdominal cramps and pain, urgent need to move bowels, sensation of incomplete evacuation, severe or persistent diarrhea, constipation which may lead to bowel obstruction, rectal bleeding, fatigue, weight loss, loss of appetite and malnutrition because the disease causes inflammation of the lining of your digestive tract .Some other general symptoms may also include, fever, night sweats, loss of normal menstrual cycle. Crohn 's disease can be both painful and incapacitating, and sometimes may lead to life-threatening complications. If you think you are showing signs of Crohn’s Disease, loss of appetite, weight loss, and feeling of low energy, and fatigue, schedule an appointment with your doctor. Crohn 's disease in children may delay growth and development. Remember, only your doctor can render a diagnosis, so seek medical attention if experiencing any of these symptoms because in more severe cases, Crohn’s can lead to tears in the lining of the anus, which may cause pain and bleeding. Inflammation may also cause a fistula to develop, which is a tunnel that
Complications of Crohn’s may include bowel obstructions, ulcers, fistulas, malnutrition, anal fissures, colon cancer and other health problems. The bowel may become thickened and narrowed disallowing digestive contents to exit
I was a 14 year old freshman in high school when I started getting sick. I was always a pretty healthy kid who had perfect attendance records UNTIL that year. The extreme fatigue and weight-loss was the main sign to my mom that something was seriously wrong. Around January of 2010 I had a colonoscopy to confirm what my doctor already believed. I have Crohn’s Disease.
Crohn’s disease is a chronic condition that affects a person’s digestive system with no known cause. When Crohn’s disease strikes, it can affect any part of your digestive system ranging from your mouth, all the way to your anus. Crohn’s disease is chronic and there is no known cure for this condition. So basically, once someone is diagnosed with this condition, they might as well get used to living out the remainder of their life being affected by Crohn’s disease. Crohn’s is not, shall we say, “constant”. The symptoms happen on and off in what are usually called “flare-ups”.
The symptoms adults experience are much the same as the children experience without the stunning of growth and affect on puberty. Some adults having a mild form of the disease exhibit almost no symptoms. Others may experience a loss or gain in appetite, abdominal pain, bloating, gas or indigestion. In addition, other people have bothersome symptoms including diarrhea, weight loss, abdominal discomfort, and excessive gas caused by vitamin and nutrient deficiencies (The Mayo Clinic staff, 2011).
Crohn 's disease is one of two conditions referred to by the term "Inflammatory Bowel Disease" (IBD). The other condition that is referred to as an IBD is called Ulcerative Colitis. Both Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis are conditions that cause recurring or persistent inflammation in one or more sections of the intestine. The literal definition of "inflammation" is "being set on fire". It is a protective reaction that happens when tissue is injured or destroyed. There are two types of inflammations. The first is acute inflammation, which is defined by heat, redness, pain and swelling. The
Crohn’s disease is characterized by inflammation of segments of the GI tract. The parts of the tract where Crohn’s disease is most often seen are in the terminal ileum, jejunum, and right side of colon. Involvement of the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum is
Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It causes inflammation of the lining of your digestive tract, which can lead to abdominal pain, severe diarrhea and even malnutrition. Inflammation caused by Crohn's disease can involve different areas of the digestive tract in different people. The inflammation caused by Crohn's disease often spreads deep into the layers of affected bowel tissue. Like ulcerative colitis, another common IBD, Crohn's disease can be both painful and debilitating, and sometimes may lead to life-threatening complications. Although it may involve any part of the digestive tract from the mouth to the anus, it most commonly affects the last part of the small intestine (ileum) and/or the large
A group of doctors in New York City first documented about Crohn’s Disease, but it was only named after one doctor. The group of doctors included Burril B. Crohn, Leon Ginzburg, and Gordon Oppenheimer. The doctors who discovered the irritation seen an array in some patients symptoms, “…noticed that fourteen patients shared the same characteristics of a disease pattern affecting the last part of the small intestine known as the terminal ileum” (Sklar 6). They only noticed the type of Crohn’s that affected the small intestine; there is more than one type of Crohn’s that affects your GI tract. At that time the terminal ileum was the only place doctors seen the disease strike. The New York City doctors may not be the people who discovered Crohn’s, a Scotland physician reported a case of “chronic intestinal
Crohn’s disease is a debilitating disease that can affect your entire life and lifestyle if you allow it to. It affects someone that is very dear to me, my best friend’s mother, Stephanie. I see her live through this day in and day out, and it has raised many questions in my mind. Questions like how you get it, why you get it, and what you really go through when you have it. It is something I have little knowledge of, and by learning more information on it, I feel as if I can possibly help her cope with it in the future.
I confirm that I have known Mary Barber Burks for the past 35 years of my life. I am her daughter and have witness the cause and effect of her illness. Ms. Barber-Burks has suffered with colitis since I was 11-years-old, and recently several attacks of pancreatitis. These diseases have had a negative impact on her, as well as, unable her from living a normal life.
It is important that they get enough calories, protein, and essential nutrients from a variety of food groups. The patient needs to eat smaller meals, and eat more often and need to drink plenty of liquids. The doctor may prescribe drugs that will help relieve the patient's symptoms such as anti-diarrhea drugs, fiber supplements, and pain medications. To help manage the patient's Crohn's disease is to join a support group and exercise. Also trying biofeedback to reduce muscle tension, deep breathing exercises, listening to music, and other ways to relax.
The most symptoms of ulcerative colitis are abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea mixed with pus, blood and mucus. Individuals may become very sick and weak, they can suffer form anemia, weight loss, loss of appetite, rectal bleeding, loss of body fluids and nutrients, skin lesion, joint pain, and growth failure specially in children according to the extent of the disease. Just how risk factors have a different affects on everyone symptoms are also different. A quarter of the patients only have the disease only have mild symptoms while others suffer from fevers, bloody diarrhea, nausea and severe abdominal cramps. Complications may also occur outside the colon such as arthritis, inflammation of the
Focal inflammation is characteristic of CD and may affect any or all layers of the GIT. Severe inflammation may cause the outer tunica of the affected areas to swell due to the build-up of exudate (characteristic of inflammation), which can cause pain, leading to abdominal cramps, and frequent emptying of the bowel, leading to diarrhoea. As CD is a chronic disease and persists for long periods of time, continuous diarrhoea may lead to weight loss in affected individuals.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can be defined as the chronic condition (it is persistent/ long-standing disease) resulting from inappropriate mucosal immune activation. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can start at any age. However, it is frequently seen among teenagers And also among young adults in their early twenties, both genders can be affected by this disease. There are two conditions that traditionally comprise inflammatory bowel disease (IBD): Ulcerative colitis and crohns disease. Comparison between Ulcerative colitis and crohns disease are clinically useful, because distinguishing between the two conditions allow specialists to choose the right management way. Comparison between Ulcerative colitis and crohns disease are
People who suffer from Crohn’s disease may also suffer the same risks of colon cancer, but typically only if the entire colon is affected. There are also rare extra-intestinal cases of Inflammatory Bowel Disease that occur in organs other that the intestinal tract. These symptoms may include arthritis, liver and kidney disorders, bone loss, and more.