Caring for Crohn's & UC

My best friend, a new Crohn’s patient

October 23, 2012 at 6:04 pm Rebecca K. 1 comment

Last week, my best friend was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease.

My heart goes out to her- she lives in upstate New York several hours from her family. She sent me a text message to tell me the diagnosis and when I called her, she had been at the doctor alone except for a friend picking her up from the colonoscopy. She knows what Dan and I have gone through over the past six years. She’s also a nurse, which helps her have a clinical understanding of the disease. But not much can prepare you for the diagnosis of Crohn’s Disease or UC.

I can’t imagine how she must be feeling. I remember when Dan was diagnosed six years ago. He was still in college and his mom took him to the doctor for his colonoscopy and I was at his parent’s house when he got him (this was after we were only dating a few weeks). Dan isn’t one to get very emotional about things like this but you could tell he was upset. Not having the disease, it’s hard for me to sympathize but I can only imagine how awful it must be to feel crappy all the time.

So today’s post is advice to my friend, a new Crohnie. If you have anything advice for a new Crohn’s patient, please add it below!

• Keep your head high and breathe through the pain- it passes eventually
• Keep track of what you eat- if it triggers cramps, don’t eat it!
• Read a lot about the disease and go on forums to connect with others with the disease
• Try and explain it to your friends and loved ones but don’t get mad if they don’t understand it right away
• Get pissed off that you have the disease- it sucks and its unfair
• Be proactive about your care- if something doesn’t feel right, go see your doctor as soon as possible, don’t put it off
• Make a joke out of as much as possible- it’s the only thing that’s gotten us through the tough times

Entry filed under: General.