News, articles, resources and more for the person with Crohn’s Disease.

This is the inaugural issue of The Crohn’s Disease and Stress Newsletter. I want you to know that I appreciate your interest in receiving this information, and I promise you that I will endeavor to make it worth your time, both now and in the future.

If you enjoy this month’s edition and find it valuable, then I would appreciate it if you would forward it to other people you know who have Crohn’s Disease or are the family or friends of someone with the disease. If they would like to subscribe, have them send an email to

subscribe@crohns-disease-and-stress.com

Many thanks!

In This Issue.....

1. A Helpful Tip When Friends and Family Don’t Understand
2. Keeping Perspective
3. Is There a Chapter of The Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation Near You?


1. A Helpful Tip When Friends and Family Don’t Understand

Not all family members and friends understand Crohn’s Disease. In fact, many times, they are skeptical about what Crohn’s is and what it can do to the person who has it.

Many people have experienced this skepticism and wonder what they can do about it. Here’s what one person did about it. It will probably work for you.

Alayna described her actions when telling her story on my website.

Here's what she had to say:

I guess the part about my disease that bothers me the most is the misconceptions people have. After telling my mother-in-law what I had, she said that it just meant I had to stop eating corn. Another said her brother was cured of it. Another person said it's because my life is too stressful. People seem to think there's some magic pill or in one case someone asked me why don't you just have your intestine removed? I'm grateful for this website and have sent the address to every family member who has ever told me to watch what I eat and to take it easy (as if it's my fault I have this disease). Thank you to everyone for sharing their stories and thank you even more for reading mine. It is so comforting to know I am not alone in this battle. Alayna S.

You can read her entire story by clicking here.

If you have people who are skeptical, you can do the same thing. Why not send them to www.crohns-disease-and-stress.com or to a Crohn’s Forum or some other site that let’s them understand what you are going through by getting the facts of the disease and reading the stories of others.

Let other sources educate your friends and family members. It’s easier than trying to explain it all yourself.

1. Keeping Perspective

I recently read in a forum where a person with Crohn’s Disease asks if they will live to see their children grow up. This person is new to Crohn’s and doesn’t understand that very few people die from Crohn’s Disease. A person is much more likely to die in an automobile wreck than from this disease.

Given that there is such a small chance of dying from the disease, it’s important to take the attitude “No matter what happens, I will live my life as fully as possible.” We must do this even though we have more in life to handle than the average person.

The key to getting more out of life is to reorganize our priorities because of the disease. In a minute, I’m going to give you a link to a story about one man with Crohn’s who had to change his priorities because of his condition.

[The disease] forced him to change his career goals and to realize what was most important to him — his family and friends. "My career goals changed, and I decided that being president of the company was no longer important," he says. "What I needed was a steady income with a good family life and work balance. It was a life-changing event."

What are your priorities? Do you need to make some changes? Why not spend a few minutes now thinking about your priorities and if they are the right ones for you?

To read the entire article, click here.

3. Is There a Chapter of The Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation Near You?

You might want to meet some people in person who also have Crohn’s Disease. CCFA has more than 40 staffed and volunteer chapters and affiliates nationwide. On my website, I have a page with the different states listed each of which links to the chapters of that state. To go to that page to see if your state has a chapter, scroll down the page after clicking here.

Finally…

I want to include the quote you will find on many of the pages on my website. I believe if you will develop the skill of putting this quote into practice, it will help you immensely in reducing the stress you feel from life and the disease. Here’s the quote:

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
Wisdom to know the difference.

I wish you all the best.

Till next time,

Ed Kalski