My husband has been dx with Crohns at age 10. He's lived with this disease for over 30 years.
We were recently married and of course I see first hand how this disease affect him. Malnutrition,weight loss, diarrhea, lethargy, depression and dehydration to name a few. He's suffered with this pain for so long and dealt with it way too long. He is afraid of the outcome of the stage or status at this time and we do not have health insurance. How can we get help and please tell me what I can do to keep him from being in pain and wasting away to nothing. We live in Charlotte,NC. Any good advise would be greatly appreciated. Tina
Hi Tina,
This is a tough question you pose. There is no one treatment that helps all Crohn's or Colitis patients. There are changes that one can make in diet which helps some IBDers. There are quite a few new Rx medications that can help patients get out of a flare-up, and even without health insurance your husband may qualify to receive these medications free from the pharmaceutical companies - he would need to see his GI and discuss possible Rx treatment options.
I would suggest going to the main page of the IBD site - http://www.healthcentral.com/ibd/ - and reading through all the previous Shareposts from the many Experts we have here. Many articles have been written by me, Dr. Eisner, Hope, and Jennifer that discuss various treatments, diet options, and coping mechanisms that may help your husband and you cope with this illness better.
Figuring out how to live with a chronic illness is always a process, and treatment for IBD has come a long way since your husband was first diagnosed 30 years ago. I truly think his first step is to find a good GI who specialized in Crohn's disease who can help him find treatment options that can fit into your budget.
Best of luck,
Elizabeth
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