For Moderate to Severe IBD -
- Steroids have been used for many, many years to treat IBD because they can be very effective but today are being used less often because of adverse and severe side effects like bone loss, severe mood swings, and weight gain.
- Immunomodulators are a newer class of drugs being used to treat both UC and Crohn’s disease. This class of drugs includes medications like 6-Mercaptopurine, Azathioprine, methotrexate, and Cyclosporine.
- Biologic Agents are the final class of drugs currently, and most recently, being used to treat severe cases of IBD, but especially Crohn’s, and include medications such as: Infliximab, Adalimumab, Natalizumab, and Cerolizumab.
- Surgery used to be a last resort sort of treatment for IBD, but today when used properly surgical intervention can be extremely helpful to seriously ill patients who do not respond to prescription medication and diet changes.
Nutrition’s role in treating IBD
Depending on where you are in your disease, nutrition can be a tricky topic for IBDers. When I was at my sickest ten years ago I couldn’t eat anything beyond yogurt, toast, white rice, applesauce, and baked chicken for months. Just looking at a vitamin made me run to the bathroom, and gone were my days of eating out. As you’ve read in my earlier blogs I embarked on an Elimination diet and found which foods were making my symptoms worse, and slowly was able to bring my diet and nutrition back into line. By slowly I’m talking years. It has only been in the past few years that I don’t constantly think about what I’m eating.
As my symptoms improved I was also able to include some vitamins in my weekly routine. I couldn’t take vitamins on a daily basis at first, but am now able to take a variety of vitamins daily and find that I’m no longer getting the cold or flu at the drop of the hat, and generally feeling healthier.
According to Drs. Oliva-Hemker and Korzemik IBD patients should try to eat as well-rounded and balanced a diet as they can tolerate. This will change as your symptom patterns change and as many of you already know diligence and patience are both key in learning to successfully live with IBD. The doctors also discussed the vitamins that most IBDers need like a multi-vitamin, calcium, vitamin D, zinc, folic acid, B12, and iron. However, they were quick to point out that this is not a one-size-fits-all vitamin package and that discussing your individual nutrition and vitamin needs with your doctor or nutritionist is important.
If you are interested in reading more about my journey of learning to live with IBD you can visit my web site: www.ibdandibs.com or buy my book, Living with IBD & IBS: A Personal Journey of Success. Learning to live with any illness or disease is a process and a journey. And I believe one factor that is key to being successful on your personal journey is patience. Be patient with your body, patient with your mind, and patient with your doctors. IBD is much better understood today than when my father was diagnosed with UC back in the 1960s, but treatments and how patients react to them are still very individualized and it can take time to figure out the right combination of treatments for each patient. So, remember, patience will keep you sane and help to make you well.
