Man with IBD stands in pain holding his stomachMore than likely you or someone whom you know has Inflammatory Bowel Disease, otherwise referred to as IBD. This disease is really a combination of two ailments that tend to go hand in hand. These two ailments are Crohn’s Disease and ulcerative colitis. Those who have IBD are often not able to work and will have days in which they do not want to do anything due to the pain that they are feeling.

Symptoms of IBD

IBD can affect a person in several different ways, and more than one person may have various symptoms yet have IBD. The most common symptoms with IBD are abdominal pain that can be severe at times, losing weight no matter what you do, fevers, diarrhea that is reoccurring and does not seem to be brought on by anything, bleeding of the rectum and irritations to the skin and eyes. When these symptoms combine, it can make a person feel miserable.

How this is Diagnosed

Most family doctors are not going to diagnose a person with IBD. Instead, they are going to send the person to a specialist. The reason for this is that IBD can sometimes be confused with Irritable Bowel Syndrome since they do share some similar symptoms. However, in order to truly diagnose what the problem is, a colonoscopy needs to be performed. A colonoscopy is performed with the patient asleep, the specialist is looking at the large intestine lining to see the damage and determine whether IBD is to blame for the problems the person has or not.

Treating IBD

Treatment varies from one person to another, as IBD is seen differently in people. However, most people are put onto a steady medication stream that helps to relieve some of the problems that come with IBD. These medications include immune suppressants, steroids and the like. The idea is to try to manage the symptoms to the point that these symptoms are not affecting their daily life.

Disease found in the colon like Crohn's Disease, ulcerative colitis, etc

Living with IBD

For those who are living with IBD, they need to be aware that this is a common problem and they should not feel ashamed in discussing this with their doctor. In addition, they are going to want to make sure that they are prepared for when they travel as many people find that this can flare up as soon as they are away from the house. Thanks to modern medication, a person does not have to feel as though they can go no where, and they can enjoy their lives.

A few good ideas for those who do have IBD:

– See if you can determine if there is a trigger that brings about IBD worse. For example, some people find that stress brings about their IBD worse.
– Consider alternative ways of treating IBD such as relaxation techniques and the like.
– Many people are now considering the alternative medication route and treating this with natural herbs like aloe and the like.

No matter what you do, if you feel that you do have IBD, be sure that you are getting diagnosed as this will make you feel much better.