Crohn's and me =)

My name is Steph, I am a twenty-one year old University student going into my final year starting in September, I also happen to have Crohn's Disease.

My nephew and I in Spring 2009

Well what is Crohn's Disease?

It is described as an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which causes inflammation and ulceration of the gastrointestinal tract from your mouth to the anus. It is most commonly diagnosed between fifteen to thirty years of age, but can occur at any time. It is also said to be genetic (I must have been the unlucky one in my family as no one else has Crohn's Disease).

At present they do not know what causes the onset of the disease which means there is no known cure. Researchers think they have a link for Crohn's disease which is environmental, immunological and bacterial factors, but are still not one hundred percent sure what actually causes it. As there is no specific cure for Crohn’s the doctors can only help us ‘Crohnies’ by medication, surgery or helping us find a certain diets or lifestyle changes (which is different for every person with Crohn’s Disease) to help us stay in remission (when the symptoms are not prominent). If we do not stay in remission we have flare ups (when the symptoms are prominent) which is not very pleasant at times and can mean hospitalisation if the flare up is really bad.

With Crohn’s Disease simple things in life such as; going to university, going out with friends, getting out of bed and eating food becomes complicated. It is not just the disease which us ‘Crohnies’ have to deal with, it is the side effects of the medication as well as being more vulnerable to infections. However, the worst part is the sheer pain which we can get when the disease is active, and it is not just the abdomen it can be any part of the body for example, joints.

I have tried talking to my friends and family about my disease and they think life for me is easy like any normal person but I am hiding the chaos going on underneath on the outside. This is because most people think Crohn’s is like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and I can eat and drink everything I like, but I wish it was that simple.

Due to this I have started this blog to help people understand what us ‘Crohnies’ can go through on a daily basis and create a personal insight for those who wish to learn more about the disease, as well as raise more awareness of IBD.