If you think you may have Crohn’s Disease or have been recently diagnosed, is can be overwhelming. From what are the symptoms, stages of the disease, to reducing flare-ups, understanding the truth can help alleviate your concerns.

Symptoms of Crohn’s Disease

Not everyone’s experience with Crohn’s disease is the same, which can make it confusing. For some, the symptoms are sporadic, while for other patients it’s constant. Some patients experience just a few symptoms, while others suffer with may of symptoms, which include:

Abdominal pain

Bloating, cramps

Abscesses and localized infections

Gas, diarrhea, fever

Fistulas-abnormal tubes or opening between two hollow organs

Inflammation of joints, eyes, skin

Weight loss, intestinal obstructions

Stages of Crohn’s Disease: Basically, there are three stages or levels of intensity

Mild to moderate: A patient can typically eat food normally without experiencing stomach pain, fevers, dehydration, or intestinal blockage.

Moderate to severe: This patient may have abdominal tenderness, weight loss, nausea, vomiting, anemia, stomach pain and high fevers. They don’t usually respond well to treatment.

Severe: This patient may experience intestinal blockage, vomiting, high fevers, and abscess. Even with steroidal medication they continue to have symptoms.

How to reduce/minimize flare-ups

When your Crohn’s Disease symptoms are active, they are considered flare-ups. When the symptoms are minimal or inactive, you are considered to be in remission. Keeping flare-ups to a minimum and living comfortable is key to a person with Crohn’s Disease. Here are a few ways to keep the symptoms at bay:

Avoid trigger foods: It is important to know which foods trigger your symptoms and avoid them as mush as possible. This can mean avoid eating at restaurants or changing certain cooking techniques.

Don’t skip medications: When you’re feeling better, it can be tempting to skip your medication. Unfortunately, not taking your medication on a regular basis can increase the chances of future flare-ups.

Avoid over the counter medications: Some OTC medications have been known to do more harm than good. Speak to your doctor before taking any medications.

Stop Smoking: not only is smoking bad for you, it makes Crohn’s Disease more active and interfere with the remission stage. If you’ve had surgery or plan on having surgery, smoking will increase the risk of having a blood clot and interfere with the healing process

Crohn’s Disease can be debilitating and even life threatening in severe cases. According to the Center for Disease Control, CDC, between 26 and 199 people per 1000,000 suffer from Crohn’s Disease.

Fortunately, Crohn’s disease can be effectively managed by a gastroenterologist. Treatment may include:

Test to check for nutritional deficiencies and anemia

Nutrient and vitamin supplementation

Reduce digestive system inflammation with corticosteroid medication

Reduce inflammation and symptoms with immunosuppressive medications

Antibiotics to eliminate an infection caused by bacteria

At Gastroenterology Consultants of Central Florida, we work with you, so you can live your best life. We create a  treatment plan that is designed to meet your individual needs