How is Crohn’s disease treated?
I’m still on medication. When I had my flare up that put me in the hospital, I altered my diet substantially. I altered my diet when I was first diagnosed, but I made more significant changes after leaving the hospital. I take 20–25 medications a day. That includes a vitamin and iron pill, but I also take many medications related to the Crohn’s. I had a flare up in April of 2000, which put me in the hospital for six days. I was having the same symptoms that I initially had before the diagnosis. I was constantly uncomfortable, and I had lost a lot of weight. They did a CAT scan, and the next day they put me in the hospital. I was on IV fluids and IV antibiotics. They chose to treat it medically, instead of surgically. Did you have to make any lifestyle or dietary changes in response to having Crohn’s disease? It was hard to go out places. There were many things I couldn’t eat, like salads. When you go to someone’s house you don’t want to say, “Hey, can you just fix me a baked potato?” I
