Living with Crohns Disease
03.30.10
Most people living with Crohns disease find that periods of remission (when they are free from symptoms) are longer and more frequent than periods of acute illness. This has never been truer than it is today, when doctors have large and growing arsenal of treatment options to prescribe.
The severity of Crohns disease can be measured objectively with indexes that chart symptoms, including:
• The number of bowel movements per day
• Appetite level
• Fever
• Number of days in a month when an individual must modify his or her work, home, or social schedule because of diarrhea, fatigue, fever, and other symptoms
Severity can also be measured subjectively, through a doctor’s assessment of an individual’s general state of being (such as whether he or she is angry, depressed, in pain, or embarrassed by needing to use the toilet frequently in social or business situations).There is considerable variation in how people with Crohns disease experience their illness.
An individual whose radiological examinations reveal an extent of disease that would seem to be debilitating may lead a relatively normal life, while a person with few objective signs of disease may find his or her symptoms totally debilitating, both physically and mentally.Although Crohns disease is a chronic (long-term) inflammatory bowel disease, it is not a constant disease.
That is, Crohns disease is characterized by acute flare-ups of symptoms followed by remissions that last for varying periods of time. Each individual’s pattern of symptoms is different, and conscientious doctors treat patients according to their reported symptoms rather than the results of laboratory tests or radiological exams. Diarrhea, pain, and fever-along with fatigue, chills, and possibly vomiting-come and go, sometimes in waves and sometimes in sharp bursts.
Flare-ups can occur out of the blue, following a viral illness such as a head cold, or during times of extreme personal, business, or social stress. People with Crohns disease may feel well and be free of symptoms for substantial spans of time when their disease is not active. Despite the need to take medication for long periods of time and occasional hospitalizations, most people with Crohns disease are able to hold jobs, raise families, and function successfully at home and in society.
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