Taking the Uncomfortable Step to Seek Help Early Can Help Patients Walk in Comfort Far Longer

Imagine losing your freedom daily. Dealing with the inability to leave your house in the morning. Missing out on birthdays, recitals, and family vacations. Requiring other people to accommodate by helping with everyday chores such as grocery shopping. Being terrified to eat any food, no matter where you are. This is how 3.1 million adults in the US live every single day.

While many diseases can yield this lifestyle, these specific nightmares are known as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. They can be elusive and mimic other digestive disorders, leading to misdiagnoses or delayed recognition of the condition. The frustration and anxiety that comes with the diagnosis only worsen the effects.

“I didn’t know what to do when I was diagnosed. I had so many questions, but no one is really open about GI tract diseases,” said one patient. “I looked online and found reassurance that the causes of Crohn’s are unknown, few people know how to live well with it, and every single case is different. I found little comfort, which inevitably made me feel worse.”

These words sum up what so many people with Crohn’s and UC deal with daily. They feel alone and uncomfortable in their own bodies, need to relearn how to live day by day, and deal with the fact their lives will never be the same. The diseases are chronic and very individualized to the point that no two people are diagnosed with the same cause, are triggered by the same foods, or even have the same symptoms.

Liza Maricle, MSN, BSN, RN, Clinical Operations Specialist and nurse educator at Momentum Life Sciences, has had front-line experience helping people with Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis. “Each patient with Crohn’s disease has individual needs depending on where they are in their health journey,” she said. “Understanding these needs is vital to matching up the resources and tools available that improve their quality of life. Personalized education and support is vital to the patient’s journey and can improve daily life.”

“One of my patients, I will call him John, struggled with his relationships and his social life,” continued Maricle. “He was afraid to leave the house not knowing when the urgency to use the restroom would strike. I shared with him a special program called ‘Ally’s Law’ that requires retail businesses with employee restrooms to allow customers with Crohn’s disease access should they have the need. John was elated to have this resource and felt a weight lifted from his shoulders. He reported that being with friends and family also improved his emotional wellness which gave him a better quality of life.”

One of the most important pieces of the patient journey is education. Taking the uncomfortable step to seek help early can help patients walk in comfort far longer.