1. Create a Food Diary
Keeping a food diary is an effective way to determine which foods aggravate your Crohn's disease symptoms and should be labeled "off limits," and which foods are safe for you to eat. Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disorder that affects your colon and causes severe pain and frequent bouts of diarrhea. Write down details about the meals and snacks you eat and how you feel afterward.
Inflammatory bowel diseases are not caused by certain foods, and each person may react differently to the same ingredients. However, foods that are hard to digest, are highly acidic or contain a lot of fat tend to affect most people in the same way. During a flareup, these eating habits can make your diarrhea and cramping even worse. Manage a flareup of Crohn's symptoms by eating soft, bland meals until you feel better. Remember to keep drinking as much water as you can, because you'll lose a lot of fluids when you have diarrhea.
2. Manage Symptoms With Medication
Anti-inflammatories, antibiotics and immunosuppressant medications are used to treat Crohn's disease. One of the goals of managing this disease is to get your body into remission, a time when you do not have any symptoms. Anti-inflammatory drugs that are classified as corticosteroids and sulfa drugs are powerful, and can reduce the inflammation of your digestive tract. Crohn's disease affects your immune system, in effect by attacking your body. Taking immunosuppressant medicationscan reduce the inflammation, because your immune system is not destroying your colon. Antibiotics can heal the sores--called fistulas and abscesses--that commonly occur with inflammatory bowel diseases. Taking pain relievers may also be part of your drug regimen.
3. Have Corrective Surgery
When your body does not respond to changes in your diet and drug therapy, you may need to have surgery. Some patients can manage Crohn's disease more easily when extremely damaged sections of their colon are removed. Your doctor may also choose to drain abscesses through surgical means.
4. Develop a Strong Support System
Suffering from a chronic disease can be hard on your mind as well as your body, making it very important for you to develop a strong support system of people who can help you through your pain. The Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) is an organization dedicated to education and research of Crohn's disease and other related conditions. Join your local CCFA chapter and get into a support group that can help you deal with the challenges you face.
