Introduction
What a silly title! I hear you say.
And yes, it is a silly title. You can only get Crohn’s or another chronic illness like it once—because it sticks with you the rest of your life!
The title is an homage to a book I’m continually reminded of during my IBD adventures: You’re Only Old Once!, by Dr. Seuss.
It’s a strange book, by Seussian standards. While most Dr. Seuss books are targeted at children, this book was aimed squarely at older adults, who can sympathize with the unnamed protagonist as he goes from doctor to doctor, procedure to procedure:
He’ll find out by Sniff-Scan the foods you like most.
And when that guy finds out
what you like,
you can bet it
won’t be on your diet.
From here on, forget it!
But I read the book, cover to cover, when I was ten, before I even knew I had Crohn’s disease! Maybe it was fate.
Before I was diagnosed, I had some stomach pain and bowel problems, so I saw my general doctor. Then a GI specialist. Then a few other doctors. Each doctor ordered tests far more exotic than the last, starting with a colonoscopy and ending with the most embarrassingly intrusive test I’ve ever known, the barium enema.
Don’t know what a barium enema is? Don’t worry, you’ll find out in the first chapter!
I started piecing together this book when I was still in college. Then I kept writing myself notes as I found my first job, got married, had my first kid, found another job, had three more kids, and went through all these stages of life with Crohn’s punctuating them with hospital visits and test after test.
If you are an IBD patient, a parent or family member of someone with IBD, or even a friend of someone with IBD, I hope this book can help you, wherever you are on your journey.
What is IBD?
You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means!
—Inigo Montoya
IBD stands for “Inflammatory Bowel Disease.”
IBD patients have either Ulcerative Colitis (“UC”, or sometimes “Colitis”) or Crohn’s Disease (“Crohn’s”).
But some people who have Ulcerative Colitis will end up being re-categorized as having Crohn’s, they just don’t know it yet.
Those with IBD can expect to have inflammation in either their colon and rectum (UC), or anywhere in their GI tract (Crohn’s), and this inflammation comes and goes as it pleases.
You’re going to hear tons of people saying “oh I know so-and-so and they had that and they were cured when they switched to [insert diet here].” Most of the time, these people are well-intentioned but are confusing IBD with IBS.
IBS, or “Irritable Bowel Syndrome”, is vastly different than IBD.
The only common thing between the two is the word “bowel”.
You can’t cure an autoimmune disease like UC or Crohn’s through diet1, though your dietary choices can have an impact on the symptoms caused by IBD. This is something people often confuse, but I find it unproductive to try to correct people on the spot.
Rather, I thank them for their concern and tell them how I have been working closely with my doctor to make sure my lifestyle, diet, and medical plans are aligned towards my personal health.
I don’t trust you, where do I go for more information?
Well that’s just fine, this book is not a medical text, and I’m not a doctor.
Lucky for you, there are tons of great resources on the Internet and likely in your own town!
Head to Chapter 9 for advice on how to interact with the IBD community and help make your life—and the lives of other IBD patients—better.