Crohn's and Colitis For Dummies

Get relief from your inflammatory bowel disease symptoms Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are diseases that disrupt your body’s ability to digest food, absorb nutrition, and eliminate waste in a healthy manner. Crohn’s And Colitis For Dummies is the ultimate reference to these common forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including tips on how to recognize and control the symptoms, so you can get your life back. Get ideas for keeping disease in check through diet and lifestyle changes, learn about the various medical and surgical treatment options, and discover healthier living with this friendly Dummies guide. This updated edition covers the latest research on IBD and new therapies that are helping today’s Crohn’s and colitis patients. You’ll also find resources that will help and offer hope as you navigate your diagnosis. Learn about the different forms of inflammatory bowel disease Ask the right questions at the doctor’s office Make simple changes that will improve your symptoms Know that there’s hope and that you are not alone This book is perfect for anyone who has been recently diagnosed with Crohn’s or colitis, and for those who suspect they may have an IBD. If you’re a caregiver or family member of an IBD sufferer, you’ll also love the easy-to-understand information inside.

Table of Contents:
Foreword xiii Introduction 1 About This Book 1 Foolish Assumptions 2 Icons Used in This Book 2 Beyond the Book 3 Where to Go from Here 3 Part 1: The Who, What, and Why of Crohn’s and Colitis 5 Chapter 1: Crohn’s and Colitis One Step at a Time 7 Defining Crohn’s and Colitis 8 Getting the Treatment You Need 9 Recognizing That You’re Not Powerless 9 Living a Full Life with the Disease 10 Managing Special Cases: Advice for Pregnant Women and Kids 11 Chapter 2: Defining Crohn’s and Colitis 13 Figuring Out What Crohn’s and Colitis Are 13 Looking at the big picture: Inflammatory bowel disease 14 Zeroing in on Crohn’s and colitis 15 Noticing the Signs and Symptoms 20 Blood in stool 22 Diarrhea 23 Abdominal pain 24 Urgency 24 Tenesmus 24 Other symptoms 24 Identifying Other Parts of the Body Involved in Crohn’s and Colitis 25 Bones 25 Joints 26 Skin 28 Liver and gallbladder 28 Kidneys and bladder 30 Eyes 30 Complicating Things 31 Intestinal complications 31 Nutritional complications 35 The cancer connection 38 Chapter 3: How the Digestive System Works 41 Tracking the Journey of Food inside the Gastrointestinal Tract 42 The oral cavity (or mouth) 42 The esophagus 44 The stomach 44 The small intestine 45 The large intestine 46 The anus 46 Getting Help from the Liver, Pancreas, and Gallbladder 46 Liver 46 Pancreas 47 Gallbladder 47 Understanding How Inflammation Affects the Digestive Process 48 Gastritis: Inflammation of the stomach 48 Enteritis: Inflammation of the small intestine 49 Colitis: Inflammation of the large intestine 50 Proctitis: Inflammation of the rectum 51 Chapter 4: Who Gets Crohn’s and Colitis and Why 53 Who Gets Crohn’s and Colitis 54 The Role of the Immune System in Crohn’s and Colitis 54 An immune system primer 55 When your gut’s immune system goes awry 57 Environmental Factors 58 Food 59 Air 60 Hygiene 60 Other environmental factors 61 Genes Gone Bad: The Role of Genetics 63 Considering family history 64 Calling out key genes for Crohn’s and colitis 64 Getting a genetic test 65 Part 2: Getting Medical Help 67 Chapter 5: Assembling Your Healthcare Team 69 Finding the Right Doctor for You 69 Why you need a specialist 70 How to choose among the specialists in your area 70 When you get to your first visit 71 Rounding Up Other Key Players 73 Your primary care physician 73 Nurses 74 Physician assistants 75 Registered dietitians 76 Psychiatrists 76 Surgeons 77 Friends and family 77 Chapter 6: Getting a Diagnosis 79 Preparing for Your First Visit 79 Charting your signs and symptoms 80 Assembling your medical records 84 Talking to Your Doctor 85 Getting over the embarrassment 85 Communicating your symptoms 85 Being realistic about your expectations 86 Knowing What to Expect during a Physical Exam 86 General physical exam 87 Focused physical exam 87 Rectal exam 87 Being Poked and Prodded for Medical Tests 88 Blood tests 88 Stool tests 89 Scans 91 Endoscopy 92 Identifying Other Diseases That Mimic Crohn’s and Colitis 93 Chapter 7: Achieving Remission with Medications 95 Rejoicing for Remission 96 Types of Remission 96 The role of symptom control 97 Using Steroids 98 Types of steroids 99 Side effects of steroids 100 Turning to Aminosalicylates 101 Types of aminosalicylates 102 Side effects of aminosalicylates 104 Getting Involved with Immunomodulators 104 Types of immunomodulators 105 Side effects of immunomodulators 105 Battling Your Disease with Biologics 107 Types of biologics 107 Side effects of biologics 109 Loss of response to anti-TNF therapy 110 Benefits of biologics 111 Targeting Crohn’s and Colitis with Small Molecules 112 Types of small molecules 112 Side effects of small molecules 113 Attacking Your Illness with Antibiotics 113 Types of antibiotics 113 Side effects of antibiotics 114 Considering Other Medications 114 Antidiarrheals 115 Bile salt binders 116 Analgesics 116 Iron 117 Calcium and vitamin D 117 Vitamin B12 118 Chapter 8: Considering Surgery 119 Determining When You May Need Surgery 119 For Crohn’s disease 120 For ulcerative colitis 121 Understanding the Types of Surgery 121 Resectioning the small intestine 121 Repairing a stricture 123 Treating fistulas 123 Draining abscesses 124 Resecting the colon 126 Pouch surgery 128 Considering Complications from Surgery 130 Short-term complications 130 Long-term complications 132 Defining Ostomy: What It Is and How to Deal with It 135 Types of ostomy 135 When you may need ostomy 136 How to care for your stoma 137 Your ostomy pouch 137 Coming to terms with Ostomy complications 139 Listing Some Ostomy Resources 140 Part 3: Healing and Dealing with the Disease 143 Chapter 9: Paying Attention to hat You Eat 145 Considering the Impact of Nutrition 146 The impact on your immune system 146 The impact on wound healing 147 Identifying the Nutrients You Need 147 Macronutrients 148 Micronutrients 152 Wondering about Fiber 156 Types of fiber 156 Why fiber matters 157 Fiber’s role in Crohn’s and colitis 158 Considering Specialized Diets for Crohn’s and Colitis 159 Liquid diets 159 Low-residue diets 160 Lactose-free diets 162 Elemental diets 163 Specific Carbohydrate Diet 163 Mediterranean diet 164 Low FODMAP diet 164 Choosing a diet that suits your body’s needs 165 Getting Nutritional Support: When You Can’t Go It Alone 166 Feeding through a tube 166 Feeding directly into your veins 167 Boosting your diet with supplements 168 Chapter 10: Preventing Health Problems 171 Getting Vaccinated 172 Why vaccination matters 172 Which vaccines you need 172 Caring for Your Skin: It’s Not Just Cosmetic 176 Identifying the skin complications you may face 177 Recognizing and reducing your risk of skin cancer 178 Caring for your skin “down there”: Perianal skin care 179 Boning Up on Bone Health 180 Opening up about osteopenia and osteoporosis 181 Seeing what Crohn’s and colitis can do to your bones 182 Managing bone loss 183 Screening for Cancers 184 Colon cancer 184 Cervical cancer 186 Chapter 11: Alternative and Complementary Therapies 187 Let’s Get Physical: Exercise 188 Looking at how exercise can help with Crohn’s and colitis 188 Gathering some useful exercise tips 190 Working Over-Thyme: Herbal Therapy 191 Healing with herbs 191 Identifying beneficial herbs for Crohn’s and colitis — and knowing which herbs to avoid 192 Homing in on Homeopathy 194 Exploring the pros and cons of homeopathy 195 Using homeopathic remedies for Crohn’s and colitis 195 Tapping into Traditional Chinese Medicine 196 Understanding traditional Chinese medicine 196 Controlling Crohn’s and colitis with traditional Chinese medicine 196 Mulling over Mind-Body Intervention 197 Cognitive behavioral therapy 198 Aromatherapy 198 Yoga and meditation 199 Support groups 199 T’ai chi and Qigong 199 Wondering about Worm Therapy 199 Putting worms to work for your health 200 Seeing how worms can help Crohn’s and colitis 200 Part 4: Living and Coping With Crohn’s and Colitis 203 Chapter 12: Living with Crohn’s and Colitis 205 Dealing with Your Diagnosis 205 Stage 1: Denial 206 Stage 2: Anger 207 Stage 3: Bargaining 209 Stage 4: Depression 209 Stage 5: Acceptance 210 Keeping Your Relationships Going Strong 211 So, what’s new with you? Telling people about your diagnosis 211 Come here often? Dating with Crohn’s and colitis 213 Like a horse and carriage: Keeping your marriage strong 214 Caring for a Loved One with Crohn’s or Colitis 216 Finding little things that help a lot 216 Helping during a flare 216 Helping after surgery 217 Getting the help you need for yourself 218 Chapter 13: Avoiding Triggers 219 Quitting Smoking 220 Deciding to Medicate 222 Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs 222 Antibiotics 223 Stressing Out 223 Craving the culprit: Food, Glorious Food 225 Artificial sweeteners 225 High-fat foods 226 High-fiber foods 226 Caffeine 227 Dairy products 227 Alcohol 229 Inviting the Sandman 229 What sleep does for your immune system 229 The effect of sleep on Crohn’s and colitis 230 How to get a good night’s sleep 230 Traveling at High Altitudes 232 Chapter 14: Working and Traveling with Crohn’s and Colitis 233 Work It Out: Doing your job When You Have Crohn’s or Colitis 233 Coordinating your job hunt around your disease 234 Telling your employer and coworkers about your condition (or keeping it to yourself) 235 Starting your day off right 235 Planning your commute 236 Packing an emergency kit 237 Speed Bumps Ahead: Coping with Job-related Challenges 238 Responding to symptoms when they get in the way 238 Handling your coworkers’ less-than-understanding attitudes 238 Taking advantage of the Family and Medical Leave Act 239 On the Road Again: Traveling with Crohn’s and Colitis 240 Assembling a vacation survival guide 240 Getting immunized before you travel abroad 241 Packing for your trip 241 Avoiding traveler’s diarrhea 242 Finding a bathroom — fast! 244 Part 5: Considering Special Populations with Crohn’s and Colitis 245 Chapter 15: Kids with Crohn’s and Colitis 247 Identifying How Crohn’s and Colitis Are Different in Kids than they are in Adults 248 Sex 248 Symptoms 248 The impact on growth and development 249 Getting a Diagnosis 251 Managing Crohn’s and Colitis in Kids 252 Monitoring medications 252 Paying attention to nutrition 257 Vaccinating your child 257 Growing Up with Crohn’s and Colitis 259 Surviving school 259 Turning 18: Adulthood begins (at least in theory) 261 Going off to college 262 Chapter 16: Having Sex and Getting Pregnant with Crohn’s and Colitis 265 Sex and Fertility 266 Sexual activity 266 Contraception 267 Your menstrual cycle 269 Fertility 270 Pregnancy 271 Pregnancy planning 271 While you’re pregnant 273 The big day and beyond 277 Part 6: The Part of Tens 281 Chapter 17: Ten Myths about Inflammatory Bowel Disease 283 Myth#1: Diet Is the Cure 284 Myth#2: Kids Get It from Their Parents 284 Myth#3: It’s Caused by Stress 285 Myth#4: You Can’t Get Pregnant if You Have It 285 Myth#5: Steroids Are a Magic Potion 286 Myth#6: If You Have It, You’re Guaranteed to Get Cancer 286 Myth#7: You’re Responsible for Your Flares 287 Myth#8: Surgery Cures It All 287 Myth#9: You Can Stop Taking Your Medications if You Feel Better 288 Myth#10: You Have to Stop Taking Your Medications during Pregnancy 289 Chapter 18: Ten Reliable Resources 291 The Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation 291 The United Ostomy Associations of America 292 WebMD 292 Mayo Clinic 293 About IBD 294 IBD Passport 294 IBD School Videos 295 Nutritional Therapy for IBD 295 South Asian IBD Alliance (SAIA) 295 Trustworthy Twitter accounts 296 Index 297