Number of Chrons sufferers

by Dave
(Boston )

I was diagnosed this summer with a mild form of Chrons.
Im on Pentasa and so far i feel great.
Seems like everything i read online states that there is less than 1 million people in this country who have it.
Lowest i heard was 400,000
yet, everyone i know talks about someone who has it.. Is this just a disease nobody wants to discuss. If thats the case..good luck in finding a cure.

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Number of Crohn's sufferers NEW
by: Annette Young

Hi there,

Thank you for your post. I am very glad that your condition is mild. Even though you are on medication that is helping, do pay special attention to your diet and eliminating food or drink that can trigger a bad response.

Food should be easy to digest, reduce or avoid dairy products and spicy foods. Do not eat raw vegetables but have them cooked soft so they are easy to chew and digest, or have pureed foods - soups, stews that kind of thing. This will put less pressure on your digestive tract naturally.

Make sure you have enough vitamins and minerals too. Your immune system will be impacted already so getting enough nutrients is essential. Crohn's also reacts badly to stress so try to live as simple and non-stressful a life as possible - not easy I know these days.

I tell you all this because the condition can change very suddenly and become aggressive and although it might not, you need to be aware of things to do in case. Keep medication stable too, even when you feel 100%. Coming off meds can cause a nasty flare-up.

Crohn's is a silent disease.Many people do not wish to talk about it, they are embarrassed and frustrated by how it affects their lives. I wish more people would talk about it and take the mystery out of the disease. Stats indicate that there may be 700,000 people in the US alone that have the disease. That's a lot.

Greater awareness means more support.

I hope this helps and wish you all the best.

Annette

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