Crohns Disease

1930 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Crohn's disease conclusion

Crohn’s Disease

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 know that Stephanie’s intestines are severely affected by it, and I think the disease eats away at your intestines. You can only imagine how painful that sounds, and this woman experiences it. Certain foods can trigger a flare up, such as peanuts, sometimes chocolate, and so on. This becomes a hassle and an unwanted burden when you are trying to enjoy quality time with your family. I know that it gives you chronic diarrhea and unbearable stomach cramps. I have even seen her lay out of work for days due to extreme pain and flare ups of the diarrhea. She has also been hospitalized because it became so severe at one time. It can control your life, and you sometimes have to plan your activities around it. For example, when we go on trips, we always have to stop frequently at a rest area when it becomes bad. In order to fight the disease, Stephanie takes numerous amounts of pills and medicines, and she has even taken up to 25-30 pills a day.

In order to answer the questions I have about Crohn’s disease, I have looked through the books and web articles to try and satisfy my need for understanding it. But still, there are many things that I don’t know about it, things beyond what I physically see Stephanie experience. I have often wondered how she got Crohn’s disease. Is it something that you can catch, or can it fully develop and mature at any point in your life? Also, what are the ways in preventing yourself from getting it, if any? I think one of the main questions is what happens to your body and can the affects be deadly? Another thing I wonder about is whether or not it will ever go away, or is it just going to take her on a roller-coaster ride, up and down, up and down?

Crohn’s disease is something that I want to know more about so I can help a victim of it. I feel that the next time Stephanie has a bad exp...

... middle of paper ...

...ny other disease, the realization can never be grasped efficiently. I hope, in the near future, the fight for the cure will end in a victory and victims everywhere will be allowed their normal lifestyles back.

Work’s Cited

Goldstein, Laura. “Peppermint Oil May Soothe Crohn’s Symptoms.” Prevention, Mar. 2001. 5 Apr. 2001.

Lewis, Carol. “Crohn’s Disease: New Drug may help when others fail.” Food and Drug

Administration. Sept./Oct. 1999. 5 Apr. 2001.

National Foundation of Ileitis & Colitis. The Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis Fact

Book. Macmillian: USA 1983.

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. “Crohn’s Disease.”

Feb. 1998. 5 Apr. 2001.

NIDDK. “Crohn’s Disease.” 12 Apr. 2001

http://www.webmd.lycos.com/content/article/1680.50985

Recer, Paul. “Drug for Crohn’s Disease OK’d.” (News). News & Observer (Raleigh,

NC), August 25, 1998. 29 Mar. 2001

Works Consulted

“Biologic Therapy Helps Fight Crohn’s Disease.” USA Today; New York; Feb. 2001.

5 Apr. 2001.

Bland, Elizabeth L.; Lisa Granastein. “Health Report.” Time, 10/20/97. 16 Apr. 2001.

HealthCite Physician Staff. “Crohn’s Disease.” 2001. 29 Mar. 2001.

Show More
Related

  • Crohn's Disease Case Study

    1315 Words  | 3 Pages

    Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory bowel disease. It is a fairly common disease that affects a large population causing abdominal pain, frequent bloody stools, and fatigue

    Read More

  • Schizophrenia in The Center Cannot Hold by Elyn Saks

    1573 Words  | 4 Pages

    ... of the treatment methods that I previously mentioned. She also put a great deal of effort into resisting treatment, which in my research I found is actually fairly common. Several studies reported that, although symptom remission could be obtained for 27% of patients within 4 weeks and 45% within 5 years following treatment initiation, 20– 30% of patients reached a treatment-resistant status on the other side. (Kanahara, et al., p. 1)”

    Read More

  • Crohn's in College Students

    1415 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Crohn’s is usually thought of as an old person’s disease,” said Michael. The harsh reality is that many Crohn’s sufferers are college-aged teens, many of whom were diagnosed as young children.

    Read More

  • Caring for Children with Cystic Fibrosis

    2008 Words  | 5 Pages

    Being diagnosed with a chronic illness is a life-altering event. During this time, life is not only difficult for the patient, but also for their loved ones. Families must learn to cope together and to work out the best options for the patient and the rest of the family. Although it may not be fair at times, things may need to be centered on or around the patient no matter what the circumstance. (Abbott, 2003) Sacrifices may have to be made during difficult times. Many factors are involved when dealing with chronic illnesses. Coping with chronic illnesses alter many different emotions for the patients and the loved ones. Many changes occur that are very different and difficult to get used to. (Abbott, 2003) It is not easy for someone to sympathize with you when they haven’t been in the situation themselves. No matter how many books they read or people they talk to, they cannot come close to understanding.

    Read More

  • Crohn's Disease

    1561 Words  | 4 Pages

    When someone first finds out they have Crohn’s disease, they will probably feel overwhelmed. There are so many questions. Will I be able to work, travel and exercise? Should I be on a special diet? Could my medications have side effects?

    Read More

  • Celiac Disease Essay

    661 Words  | 2 Pages

    Celiac Disease was very unknown in the early 2000’s, making it hard for doctors to diagnose. Most people that develop the disease do so during adulthood, but I was born with it. From birth, my immune system would attack the protein found in wheat, rye, malt, oat, and barley; when attacking the protein, the walls of my stomach and intestines were also being damaged. I would have stomach aches and vomit almost every day. Because the doctors had not diagnosed the disease, I continued to eat gluten, and it continued to cause my body to destroy itself.

    Read More

  • Lupus Informative Speech

    1028 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...se it eventually kills. I learned about Lupus from my mother who struggles to be healthy on a daily basis and also from my aunt who thought she was dying from Liver failure, but it was the Lupus that eventually killed her. I only hope that you have come to understand Lupus and the unpredictable nature that accompanies it.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Melvin Udall

    1864 Words  | 4 Pages

    One very special case can be displayed by none other than David Beckham, the famous international football star. He says that he has tried various treatments, but the biggest success came from learning to live with the disease (Healthguru, n.d.). His family is also very supportive of his condition, which shows how important family support is. Quoted by Victoria Beckham, his wife, “We've got three fridges - food in one, salad in another and drinks in the third. In the drinks one, everything is symmetrical. If there's three cans, he'll throw one away because it has to be an even number” (Frith,

    Read More

  • Essay On Crohn's Disease

    666 Words  | 2 Pages

    Crohn’s disease is a disease that causes inflammation, swelling, and irritation to any part of the digestive tract which is also known as the gastrointestinal tract or GI tract. The disease most commonly targets the ileum which is a part in the small intestine. The digestive tract is organs that connect your mouth to your anus and it releases hormones and enzymes for the digestion in food. The inflammation caused by the disease goes deep into the lining of the digestive tract. It creates a stricture in the small intestine which is a narrowing of the pathway that can slow the movement of food through the intestine. The stricture can then move to large intestine which can cause many problems for absorption. When the disease causes the intestine to swell it can also be very problematic because the large intestine wouldn’t be able to function properly. Crohn’s disease is considered as an inflammatory bowel disease.

    Read More

  • Ulcerative Colitis Essay

    1123 Words  | 3 Pages

    There are quite a few differences between Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis. Both of which have symptoms ranging in severity, which vary widely from person to person. In Crohn’s Disease, these symptoms and complications can include abdominal pain and cramping. Others include frequent diarrhea, rectal bleeding, feeling of need to move bowels, and constipation.

    Read More

  • Vaccines Do Not Cause Autism

    3078 Words  | 7 Pages

    Wakefield, A. J., Murch, S. H., Anthony, M. A., Linnell, J., Casson, D. M., Malik, M., Berelowitz, M., Dhillon, A. P., Thomson, M. A., Harvey, P., Valentine, A., Davies, S. E., & Walker-Smith, J. A. (1998). Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive developmental disorder in children. Lancet, 351(9103), 637–641.

    Read More

  • Stone Man Syndrome Research Paper

    721 Words  | 2 Pages

    Human body is such an enigma. It is very fragile and there is not even a single person who did not fell sick in his lifetime. Some people suffer from minor flus and some have to undergo life-threatening surgeries. There are some who will have to take medicines all throughout their life and some face horrible treatments. But the most saddening thing is suffering from a disease that is so rare that only handful people know about it. It is such a bad luck that you are one in a million who is suffering from a weird disease.

    Read More

  • What Is Crohn 's Disease?

    1328 Words  | 3 Pages

    As you can see there are a few common mispellings of Crohn 's Disease. The definition of Crohn 's Disease is a chronic inflammatory disease of the intestines, especially the colon and ileum (the 3rd portion of the small intestine, between the jejunum and the cecum), associated with ulcers and fistulae (an abnormal or surgically made passage between a hollow or tubular organ and the body surface, or between two hollow or tubular organs). In layman terms the definition of Crohn 's Disease is best explained as The body 's immune system tries to cure the digestive tract, but the digestive tract does not really need curing because it is not sick. The tissue of the digestive tract then becomes inflamed. The inflammation starts to eat away at the lining o...

    Read More

  • Autoimmune Disease Essay

    1764 Words  | 4 Pages

    Inflammatory bowel disease is a life long disease, and it particularly targets the gastrointestinal tract (GI tract), which consists of the mouth, esophagus, stomach small intestine, large intestine (appendix, cecum, colon (ascending, transverse, descending, and sigmoid), and rectum), and anus. The gastrointestinal tract is very important to the human body; some of its functions include mechanical and chemical digestion of food, the movement of food and waste from mouth to anus, secretion of enzymes and mucus, and the absorption of nutrients. These are some reason why it’s so destructive when this part of the body becomes impaired or even damaged.

    Read More

  • The Digestive System of the Human Body

    1624 Words  | 4 Pages

    National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NDDIC). Skip NavigationU.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, 2014. Web. 20 May 2014.

    Read More

More about Crohns Disease

Open Document