April 25, 2012 - Stress and Crohn's Disease

Crohn's disease is not caused by stress; however, emotional stress can certainly cause a flare up of the disease. The stress that people with Crohn's disease sometimes feel is often due to painful, embarrassing symptoms and the worry that accompanies trying to manage them.  Stress can also come from everyday things in life that have nothing to do with Crohn's, but certainly affect Crohns...if you let it.

Whether the stress you are feeling is directly from dealing with your Crohn's or from something else, you need to manage it the best you can.


It is normal to feel angry, afraid, guilty, or depressed about your condition. But dealing with those feelings constructively can help you better manage the stress you are feeling about Crohn’s disease. Share you feelings with people in whom you trust and then manage expectations with friends and family.  Please keep in mind that you are not alone.   Crohn’s disease affects millions of people across all ages and professions. There are ways to manage the often unpredictable symptoms and lead an active, successful life.  Anticipating how well you may feel tomorrow — or on a special occasion two months from now — can be stressful. But there are ways to manage this anxiety. By accepting the reality of that unpredictability, you can help regain some control over how your Crohn's disease takes its course.  Communicate with family and friends so they understand what you need from them. Accepting that some physical limitations may exist from time to time and seeking understanding from loved ones may help you prepare for the times when you may not be able to go where you wish or do what you had planned.  Fear arises from the unknown.   Educate yourself.   Regardless of how long you have had Crohn’s disease, joining a support group can be valuable in helping you understand and relate to your own feelings about your disease.

Many things in our everyday lives cause stress.  How you deal with that stress is key to managing flare ups of your Crohn's.  Let me give you an example.  We have been having some water issues in our basement that I was pretty sure was caused by a faulty outside water spigot.  I called our contractor that we use to come over and take a look at it.  The wall in our basement where the water line attached to the spigot had some bubbling in it.  I was thinking he would replace the spigot and do some scraping, spackling and painting and the job would be done...no big deal.  Well, it certainly turned out to be a very big deal.  Long story short, it had nothing to do with the spigot.  That part of our yard was graded improperly with all ground water graded towards the house.  On top of that, there is a crack in the foundation.  When I moved some furniture, we found mold covering the carpet.  My step-son is being bar mitzvah'd in a little over 2 weeks and now suddenly, half of our home is unusable.  In addition, the insurance company does not cover any of the repairs.  STRESS !!!!  How I chose to handle that stress was the key to not letting it affect my Crohn's.  The first thing I had to do was get a definitive schedule from the contractor, assuring me that it would be done before the bar mitzvah.  Having that info BEFORE my wife got home from work was a biggie.  The money part was something that I decided a long time ago to never stress over.  It may mean doing a few less "fun things" over the next few months...not a big deal.  I chose to make it a positive.  When Emily got home from work, I told her what happened and how we have been talking about re-doing the basement for a while.  This is a great excuse to do that.  I looked her in the eye and promised her that everything would be done before the bar mitzvah.  We then went out to dinner and toasted our new basement.

No stress, no flare ups.  It's as simple as that. 

April 22, 2012 - "Nothing" to Write About...is a Great Thing !!

I was thinking about my week and about the past month and realized that things have been so good that I basically didn't have any updates regarding my Crohn's, which is a great thing.  Everyone is different, but it certainly indicates that the better you stick to a regimen that works, the healthier you are going to be.  Looking at 2012 thus far, the only times I have flared up have pretty much been when I either went nuts (see Super Bowl XLVI picture below), pushed myself too hard physically (see half marathon training picture) or gone way off my diet (numerous times).  With the race only 6 weeks away I have been really careful with my diet and have found the line not to cross physically regarding training.  The result has been excellent health for the past month and a half.













Training was tough on Saturday.  We are up to 10 mile runs.  My right knee has been pretty sore and my goal right now is to nurse it the best I can through the race.  I stopped after 6 miles.  I have been working on my cardio during the week, without pushing my knee.  I've been spending more time at the gym, working out with lighter weights and basically going non-stop for 45 minutes.  6 weeks to go and I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that my knee makes it through.

Last night was fun.  I got another invite to participate in a handicapping contest at the Meadowlands.  I went with my friend Frank and we partnered on the contest.  Didn't do too well in the contest, however, we did great on our side bets and walked away with a nice chunk of cash.

Today was a special day.  My step-son Adin's hockey team played for the league championship and saved their best game of the year for when it counts the most.  The team they played is excellent and they annihilated them 10-0.  Adin had a spectacular wrap around goal and 3 assists.  Here is the team picture with their gold medals.  Adin is directly behind the goalie.

This week will be time to really step up the fundraising for the CCFA to reach my "running for a cure" goal of $3,000.00.

April 15, 2012 - My Chiropractor Does it Again

I would never make a general statement like chiropractors are the cure for all that ills.  I would, however, say that MY chiropractor has helped heal a number of pretty severe injuries I've had over the past 15-20 years.  About 20 years ago, I was playing centerfield in a softball game and had a viscous collision with my left fielder.  I was unconscious before I hit the ground and ended up with a herniated disc in my neck.  I had a lot of pain in my neck, couldn't lift my arms above my head and my finger tips of my left hand were numb.  I went to an orthopedic doctor, who, after the MRI showed the herniated disc, wanted to do surgery immediately.  I went for a second opinion and was given the same advice.  I really did not want to have surgery and instead went to a chiropractor.  That did not help much at all.  I tried a different chiropractor, same result.  Six months went by and my symptoms did not get much better.  I love working out and really could not during this period of time, especially, if it involved lifting over my head.  I was about to make the decision to go back to the orthopedic surgeon and opt for surgery, when a co-worker suggested a chiropractor she had used with great success.  I figured, why not, so I gave him a try.  I saw a very different approach right from the start.  He explained to me what was going on and what he was going to do to heal my injury.  A combination of chiropractic adjustments, massage and at home therapy complete cured me.  It took about 6 months of this combination of care, but it was well worth the wait.  Before long, I was doing 200lb. military presses over my head and was probably in better physical condition than I was before I got hurt.  Over the years he has also helped me with an assortment of nagging "I'm getting old" injuries.  You may wonder, why the hell is he going on and on about his chiropractor on his blog dedicated to Crohn's disease?  I am doing this because of the issue with my knee's and how it is affecting my running for Team Challenge of the CCFA.  On Wednesday of this week I had an appointment with my chiropractor and mentioned my knee's to him.  As much as I have used him for a multitude of issues, I never thought of him helping me with my knees.  Sure enough, he did it again.  He first tested my range of motion in every possible direction to determine if there was an injury that he could not help.  Once determining that there was not, he said my knees and shin bones were out of alignment and did an adjustment to help align them.  He then suggested a neoprene brace to keep the alignment where it needs to be when I run.

Well, today, 4 days later, I ran a 5k with Team Challenge, wearing those braces.  Here I am about 50 yards from the finish.

It went great !  A little normal soreness during the first mile and very comfortable thereafter.  It was funny, because the last quarter mile of the run we entered a minor league baseball stadium, ran the warning track and finished at home plate.  There actually was a game this afternoon and the smell of zeppoles as I entered the stadium had me break into a sprint for the finish.  I ran with a couple of my Team Challenge teammates, who are all so inspiring to me.

Having said that, the most inspiring thing of all was hearing Emily screaming my name as I entered the stadium.  A great and memorable day that may not have happened, if not for my chiropractor.  Good job Doc !!

April 10, 2012 - A Nice Run

It's been a nice run of health for a while now.  The closer I get to the half marathon, the more careful I have been with both diet and how hard I push myself physically.  Actually, to be perfectly honest, even if I wanted to run 20 miles a day, I can't.  My right knee has been pretty sore for the past week and a half and has really limited my even being able to train properly for this race.  I have a 5k coming up this weekend and I will only be able to run once this week to avoid being too sore for the race.  I just have my fingers crossed that the knee holds up through June 2nd (date of the half marathon).  I'm pretty sure its just a wear and tear thing and not an injury because it feels much better when I don't run.  To try and keep myself in shape without abusing my knees, I have been working out at the gym with pretty light weights, however, non-stop for 45 minutes.  Hopefully, that helps keep me on track for the race?

I have a fundraiser dinner coming up this Thursday and it's looking like there is going to be a huge turnout.  A local restaurant is donating 20% of everyone's food bill that day to the C.C.F.A.  Besides the importance of raising money for such a great cause, it'll be nice to have dinner together with so many friends.

April 7, 2012 - Crohn's/IBS and Genetics

If you think it's difficult for me to live with Crohn's (since the age of 13), consider how difficult it is dealing with the fact that my soon to be 25 year old daughter Jill deals with major digestive issues that most certainly came from my genes.  She deals with a combination of diseases that are extremely debilitating and virtually untreatable.  First, she has gastroparesis, which is a disease where the stomach empty's way too slowly.  She has to eat very, very slowly and very bland food.  If she eats something too rich or too quickly, it comes right back up.  Once she manages to actually pass food into her intestinal tract, that's when her IBD takes over.  Think about it, a stomach that processes food too slowly and an intestinal tract that processes too quickly.  No magic pill that helps move things along in her stomach while, at the same time, slowing things down in her intestines.  I consider myself a pretty tough and strong willed person having dealt with Crohn's for so long.  I don't compare to Jills toughness as she balances a new career and relationship while dealing with her health issues.  Jill and I are not alone.  Below is a copy of a study done on Crohn's and genetics.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Scientists have identified a handful of genes that increase the risk of developing Crohn's disease, confirming that the often debilitating inflammatory bowel disease has a strong genetic component.
U.S. and Canadian researchers scanned the entire genome -- all 22,000 genes -- of about 6,000 people. Approximately half had Crohn's disease and half did not, they reported in the medical journal Nature Genetics.
Previous studies identified two genes involved in the disease.
"I think at this point we have probably up to about eight or nine genes, depending on how you define it," said Dr. John Rioux of the Montreal Heart Institute and the Universite de Montreal, who led the team of investigators.
The researchers said the findings showed genetics play a crucial role in the disease, although environmental factors also are involved. For example, smoking raises one's risk.
Pinpointing the genes that predispose people to Crohn's disease, the researchers said, could help lead to new ways to treat it.
The disease, most commonly diagnosed in people between the ages of 20 and 30, can cause abdominal pain, diarrhea, rectal bleeding, weight loss and arthritis. Chronic intestinal inflammation may necessitate the removal of sections of intestine.
"We have been working toward this for over 10 years to try to put all the pieces together," Rioux said in a telephone interview. "To finally get to this stage where we can look at the entire genome and actually discover a handful of genes, it's very, very gratifying."
Scientists previously had some indications of a genetic component to Crohn's disease. It tends to run in families and is more common in certain ethnic groups, especially people of central and eastern European Jewish descent.
Experts think faulty responses to the microbes that live in the human digestive system somehow cause the immune system to attack the lining of the digestive tract, making it decay and become inflamed.
Rioux said some of the genes identified as risk factors are involved in the body's defense against microbes.

The bottom line is that most of us with Crohn's or any form of IBD not only have to deal with the everyday physical and mental struggles this disease brings, but in many cases,  have an even more difficult task of dealing with our childrens struggles with the same issues.

April 2, 2012 - Crohn's and Dating

Being married, it's been a while since I've dated, however, a "tweet" I read over the weekend from one of my fellow "Crohnies" made me think back about what it was like to date and have Crohn's.  This fellow Crohnie is in the hospital with a major flare up and has a first date scheduled that she obviously could not make.  She was looking for some advice on how to handle the situation.

Dating is difficult enough for healthy people, let alone those of us with chronic health conditions that are difficult to discuss. Crohn's is a disease of young people -- most people tend to be diagnosed between the ages of 15 and 35. This means that there are a significant number of young, single people with Crohn's who have to deal with this issue.

For the Twitter person's case, in my opinion, Crohn's is not a first date conversation.  I certainly don't advocate being deceitful, however, in this case, I would tell a half-truth.  I would say that I couldn't make the date because I am in the hospital, however, would not say anything about Crohn's.  It takes a while for two people to really know each other in a dating relationship.  When you are both comfortable enough to be yourselves, that’s really when you can get a feel for what this other person is really about.  You can learn a lot by seeing how the person you are dating reacts to other people with medical conditions. Without ever bringing up your condition, your date may give you clues about how he or she is receptive to being in a relationship with a person who has a medical condition.  If you decide that you’re having fun being with this person for now, but you don’t think it will go anywhere, bringing up your disease is not really important. If you're well enough during the relationship, you may not feel the need to discuss your Crohn's.

On the other hand, if you do feel like you would like to take the relationship to the next level, in my opinion, it is important to discuss your Crohn's as soon as possible.  It's a sad fact of life...not everyone can cope with the demands of being the partner of someone with a chronic illness. It may be better to find out earlier in the relationship rather than later, when you are more at risk of being hurt and have invested a significant amount of time and energy.

Personally, I was fortunate when I was single.  Not all, but most people I dated were very good as it related to being with me, despite my Crohn's.  I do have an example of why I think discussing Crohn's very early in a relationship is a bad idea.  In 1999, I was scheduled to have surgery for Crohn's.  I had met someone a few weeks before the surgery was scheduled.  On our second date, I told her about the surgery.  She told me on that date, she "could never date someone as young as I was that was that sick".  I never saw her again.  I also have another example of why I truly believe that Crohn's should not be talked about early on in a relationship.  I had a first date in the early 90's where I didn't make it to a bathroom on time.  As horrific as that was, I simply told her that I must be coming down with the stomach flu, because that had never happened before (another half-truth, because it had never happened before...on a first date).  She continued to date me.

Crohn's is difficult and dating is difficult.  Combining the two is certainly not easy, but you can make it a positive.  If you find someone that 100% supports you emotionally when you are going through a bad flare up, you know that you have found someone that will stick with you through anything.