All About Telehealth for Crohn's Disease Telehealth allows doctors to care for people virtually over a phone call, text message, or most commonly, video chat. Although some situations require an in-person visit, telehealth is a great option when you can't get to the doctor's office for your Crohn's disease. If you're new to telehealth, here's what you need to know. Medicare will cover telehealth visits just like in-person visits, but state Medicaid programs and private insurers vary, so confirm your coverage in advance. With telehealth, even though you're not in the doctor's office, your private health information is still covered by HIPAA, so it will remain confidential and secure. Although your gastroenterologist can't give you a physical exam via telehealth, they can write you prescriptions and offer quality care, especially if you prepare in advance. Before your telehealth appointment:- Ask if there's anything you should do ahead of time, like adjust your diet- List any Crohn's disease symptoms, including dates and severity- Report any pain or changes in stool- Note any side effects from your Crohn's disease medications- Document any new stresses or recent life changes- Keep track of what you've been eating and drinking- Compile a list of your health conditions and medications, including any supplements- Record your weight, as well as your vital signs if you own a thermometer, blood pressure monitor, or another device- Charge your computer or phone- Make sure your internet is reliable- Download any telehealth apps your specific provider may require- Write down any questions you have for your gastroenterologist- Find a quiet, private space to conduct the call- Be prepared with pen and paper or a note-taking app Turn to Healthgrades to connect with the right gastroenterologist to treat Crohn's disease via telehealth. And share this video to help spread the word!

I'm Margalit. I use they/them pronouns, and this is My Crohn's Confession. I was diagnosed with Crohn's when I was 15 years old. So, at this point, I'm a veteran of dramatic Crohn's experiences in and out of the hospital. And now, I try to laugh about them, but at the time, they were not funny. The day of 13 IVs, the ambulance ride to the emergency surgery, the time I had to take a taxi to the ER, the time I woke up in the middle of a colonoscopy, spending hours last week on the phone begging for my medication. It's not easy, and I don't think you should overlook or undervalue the difficulties of medical traumas. What scares me most about living with this chronic condition is access and affordability of healthcare. Paying for medication and procedures and doctor's visits is unsustainable right now. And in order to maintain the wellness, it's something that I need access to. And living with uncertainty is just part of the deal with chronic illness, and it's scary. I'm not sure I'd say there's a silver lining to having chronic illness, but it sure has taught me a lot. I've learned about resilience, and strength, and to be my own best friend and teammate. I've learned about the importance of laughter and of rest. So, those are all good takeaways, good things to learn in this life.

5 Things You Didn’t Know About Crohn's Disease 1. Crohn's disease is an autoimmune disease, meaning your immune system mistakenly attacks your GI tract, causing pain, fever, upset stomach, and more. 2. The most common type of Crohn's causes inflammation at the base of the small intestine and the top of the large intestine. Another common type of Crohn's affects only the large intestine. 3. We don't know what causes Crohn's, but certain foods can lead to symptom flare-ups. These differ for everyone, but common triggers include alcohol, nuts and seeds, whole grains, and fried foods. 4. People with Crohn's have higher rates of depression and anxiety, and stress is a common trigger for flare-ups. That's why managing mental health, along with following your treatment plan and making smart diet choices, is key to controlling Crohn's. 5. Even if your Crohn's is in remission, meaning you don't have any symptoms, you should keep taking your medications. Studies show stopping meds can increase your risk of having a flare-up. Turn to Healthgrades to connect with the right gastroenterologist to treat Crohn's disease. And share this video to help spread the word!

I jumped to the doctor pretty quickly. You see blood floating in the toilet, that'll get you to the doctor's office pretty quick. And that's what I did. I went and did a colonoscopy and at that point is when they discovered the Crohn's disease. There were the bathroom episodes and there was the classic symptoms that you feel, stomach cramping, feeling bloated, having an urge to use the bathroom but not being able to use the bathroom. A signature moment for me where I knew that there was no turning back and that I was in a bad place, quite frankly, I was in horrific pain and very, very sick, watching my kids from above the steps, watching me get carried out by these guys that were throwing me into an ambulance. I chose, at that point, to have what they refer to as a full colectomy. That was removal of your large intestine. For a couple years I felt much, much better. I would occasionally have a flare-up and we would treat it with a real quick dose of medication. And then I started feeling lousy again, same type of symptoms. I had no choice, but I went to an ostomy. And candidly, the ostomy's changed my life. It has created normalcy and it's allowed me to have the quality of life that we all search for. I've been married 25 years. My bride was my greatest advocate. We talked extensively about how this might affect the spontaneity of our intimacy and so forth. And we've handled things just fine. I have a great wife, great parents, great in-laws, great children, and just a supportive network of family and friends. A lot of people have things that they've got going on that you can't see. Nobody knows I have an ostomy until I talk about it. People meet me, they think I'm as normal as could be. And you know what? I am.

In seventh grade is when I first noticed my stomach pain. I got real constipated. It probably lasted four or five days and you'd go to the bathroom, and it hurt. It was something I really hadn't experienced before. Stomachaches started happening, bottom pain kicked in. I eventually went to the doctor, and the doctor diagnosed me with Crohn's disease. I used to hate going to the bathroom. I used to hate eating even, just because I knew, inevitably, if you eat, then you have to go to the bathroom, and I associated that with pain, and that kind of all drove me downhill because when you don't eat, you don't hydrate, and eventually all that just builds on each other, and you just get sicker and sicker. Going into high school, I was 80 pounds walking in. I was like five foot, 80 pounds, real small. I begged my mom not to make me go. I sat in the car, and I cried, and I was like, "Don't make me go." And eventually I just did it. Sophomore year in high school, I remember being real healthy. I started playing golf, occupy my time. I started working out again. I looked pretty healthy. Inevitably, like as soon as I'm healthy, eventually it's a downturn again. And so I'd be back in the hospital and just repeat the process over and over again. I got the [ostomy] bag summer before my senior year in high school, and that was when things were at its worst. I was in the bathroom nine, 10 times a day. I wasn't going to school because I couldn't make it. I'd wake up, I'd go to the bathroom. I'm in pain. I go back, lay in my bed. I was just throwing up everything, pooping it out. I mean water wasn't even staying down. So I got so dehydrated. Doctor took one look at me and it was like, "You need to go to the hospital." And I mean, at that point, I had no choice. I'd been putting off the surgery for years and years because I didn't want to do it. Before I know it, I'm getting surgery. Wake up. I have it. Part of my intestines just sticking out of my stomach. Just an inch. Not much at all. And poop actually flows out of it, just at a constant daily, all the time, and that's why you have the bag because the bag just collects all the poop, and then when it gets full, like sometimes it's puffing out of my stomach a little bit, and I'll get self-conscious. I'll think people can see it. So I have to go the bathroom and empty it, and it's just another thing. It's like, okay, instead of flossing, floss, Listerine, brush your teeth, change the bag. It's just another step. I started playing golf again. At first, I really didn't like it too much. I'd just do it to occupy my time, but eventually it grew into a love and a passion for it. I can go out there by myself and have a blast. I wish someone told me to just pick your head up and keep walking, keep going because yes, this disease, it brings you down. It's hard. But really I feel like I'm tougher and stronger and more confident than anybody out there just because I know I've been through pain. People complain about a stubbed toe. It's just a stubbed toe, you know? It's nothing bad. The pain you go through on a daily basis, it makes you who you are.

I started having pain in my side and so I started going to the emergency room, trying to figure out what it was. And it turns out my appendix had ruptured and I ended up needing surgery for that and they did a biopsy, and that's when they found the Crohn's. I was in such shock, I don't know if I really understood how much of an impact it would have and how serious the symptoms could be. I started just having severe pain out of the blue and then it kind of dawned on me--okay, so this is what Crohn's is. This is what it really feels like to have a flare. You'll find that most Crohn's disease patients has diarrhea when they're going to the bathroom 20 or 30 times a day. I don't really have that. I usually just have the severe pain, I have a lot of fatigue and I have ulcers. So sometimes I get the burning from my ulcers. But other then that, I usually don't have signs unless I'm in pain. The sharp pains can get pretty strong and there have been times where I would say I couldn't function because I would be in the bed, laying down, balled up and unable to stretch out because it hurts. When you're actually having a flare and it's affecting everything you do, you don't feel like going to work, you don't feel like being a mom, you don't feel like being a spouse. I had insomnia, mood swings where you're depressed and just all over the place emotionally. So for me, it's been a mental thing of just forcing myself to get through the day. You have to do it. You have to get up, you can't let yourself get so tired and depressed that you can't function. So even with family support, friends, if they don't have the disease and they still don't always get it. Support groups and stuff like that is the only outlet you have sometimes. When I get really stressed out, that will bring a flare on. So I have to find ways to reduce stress. So my favorite thing to do is read. I read anything from vampire novels to mysteries. And so I always take time, if only 30 minutes a day, to read something that relaxes me. So I think right now, I'd say I'm in a good place and hopefully it will get better.

I remember Phillip's brother, who is a doctor, said what he's going through would put a grown man on the floor in tears. People get stomachaches when they're worried about something, so we really looked into things like that first, and then realized it was something more. All of a sudden we were at the pediatrician every other week, stomach pain, stomachaches, and constipation. Now, people have heard of Crohn's disease, but when Matt was diagnosed, we had never heard of it, and I think most people hadn't heard of it back then. It's an autoimmune disease that has flare-ups. The frustrating thing and challenging thing about going through treatments is to know whether your treatment is working, or whether you've just ended your flare. Maybe you've just gone in the other side of a flare-up. When Matt was sick, it would affect everybody, because you know, when your child is sick, it never leaves your mind. It affects every aspect of you. They're upset, they're ornery, they're crying because they're hungry but they can't eat. You want your kid to be normal, but you want your kid to be healthy. It's tough, as a mom, to balance that. You have two sides of you. You have your nurse mom, and then your loving and caring mom. Sometimes you have to wear both hats. Because it's such an awkward disease, you don't talk about it. But there's so many people that have it, or know someone that has it, that if you just talk about it, you can get a lot of ideas, and a lot of help. I think the most important advice to a mom going through it at this age is letting go, because if you don't let go, they are never going to take charge, and eventually they've got to. They've got to grow up. You can't spend so many hours and days and weeks in the hospital, or grow up through your high school days being the sick kid, and being different, and it not affect you. It's made him into the person that he is now. He's pretty amazing.

Neal Maziar: I jumped to the doctor pretty quickly. You see blood floating in the toilet? That'll get you to the doctor's office pretty quick. Robyn Diamond: I had no energy. I felt really sick, always cramping. Matthew Miles: Stomach aches started happening. Bottom pain kicked in. Neal Maziar: Stomach cramping, feeling bloated, having an urge to use the bathroom but not being able to use the bathroom. Robyn Diamond: I finally got a colonoscopy, and they said, “Oh, you have Crohn's.” Matthew Miles: The doctor diagnosed me with Crohn's disease. Robyn Diamond: I couldn't eat anything. I couldn't drink anything. I could barely move. I had no energy at all. Matthew Miles: I'd wake up, I'd go to the bathroom. I'm in pain. I go back, lay in my bed. I mean, water wasn't even staying down so I got so dehydrated. Neal Maziar: I was in horrific pain and very, very sick. I was in a bad place, quite frankly. Matthew Miles: Before I know it, I'm getting surgery. Wake up. I have it. Neal Maziar: I had no choice but I had went to an ostomy. And candidly, the ostomy has changed my life. Matthew Miles: I wish someone told me to just pick your head up and keep walking, keep going, because the pain you go through on a daily basis, it makes you who you are. Robyn Diamond: You just have to appreciate those little moments like, “Oh, okay. That was a good moment. Alright.” I could smile in that moment. I could breathe in that moment. Neal Maziar: A lot of people have things that they've got going on that you can't see. Nobody knows I have an ostomy until I talk about it. People meet me and they think I'm as normal as could be. And you know what? I am.

Crohn's disease is a form of inflammatory bowel disease that results in an overactive immune system of the gut that results in destruction and inflammation of the lining of the intestines. As far as the exact cause of Crohn's disease, nobody really knows what exactly that is, but one theory is that there is some abnormal immune response in the gut that leads to an overactive inflammatory burden in the lining of the intestines that results in increased migration of white cells to the gut. We get concerned when patients have diarrhea lasting for more than three weeks, if the diarrhea's associated with abdominal pain and rectal bleeding. We're also concerned if the patient starts losing weight for an unknown reason or if they have a loss of appetite. Those type of symptoms should alert the patient that something is wrong, and they should seek the care of a healthcare provider. When a patient presents with these symptoms, there are important questions that a patient should ask their healthcare provider. Number one should be: what appropriate tests are needed in order to be able to identify the disease? Number two: what treatments are available if I do become diagnosed with Crohn's disease? The third question that most patients tend to ask are related to nutrition: is there a specific diet that I should be following to help manage my symptoms? During a flare, there are certain foods that most patients will find offending, and some of these include things like raw fiber, fruits that have a lot of peel, as well as dairy products. It's important for a patient to keep a food journal to identify what their triggers may be as far as exacerbating their underlying symptoms. There are a few things that patients can do to help minimize their symptoms when they're flaring. Number one, most importantly, is to seek medical counseling and make sure that you're on the appropriate medical therapy. Diet certainly plays a large role in helping to minimize symptoms. We also know that stress can exacerbate symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease, and it's important for a patient to do their best to hold a stress-free lifestyle. Despite our best medical treatments, still over 60% of our patients with Crohn's disease will end up having to have surgery at some point in their lifetime. The most common indication for patients to undergo surgery is due to an obstruction related to a stricture. A stricture is a result of long-standing inflammation, which results in scarring, and unfortunately medications cannot treat the underlying scarring and surgery may be required to correct these areas. As far as a cure for the disease, we hope that that is on the horizon, and through groups including the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America, we anticipate that in the future we will be able to find a cure for Crohn's.

I had no energy. I felt really sick, always cramping, and I got really, really sick. It turned out weeks later that I finally got a colonoscopy and they said, "Oh, you have Crohn's." I was in bed for a good three months. I was really sick. I lost I don't know how much weight, but I was skin and bones. I couldn't eat anything. I couldn't drink anything. I could barely move. I had no energy at all. When Bob and I were talking about having a family and thinking about Crohn's, my disease was not bad enough to me to think, "Oh, I'd rather not have kids." The doctor told me that it was really important when I conceived to not be in a flare-up, to make sure I was feeling the best that I could when I conceived, and I did that because at the time, everything could be controlled through the medication was taking. I had my daughter two and a half years later and I was not planning to get pregnant. And I was in a full-fledged flare-up when I conceived. I was in a flare-up for the full nine months. I think that really took a toll on my body because as the doctors say, every time you have a flare-up, then you have scar tissue. It's a sore. I was not letting the sore heal, so the sore was just getting worse and worse and worse. My children are seven and 10. It's very, very hard on them. My son, he keeps it all inside. My daughter is way overly caring and emotional and she's seven years old. She shouldn't be taking care of Mommy, so that's very, very hard. I'm sure that all this is very hard on my husband. He is an amazing caregiver. He really worries about my health but also worries about just the logistics of running a family when one family member is out. It's really, really hard. One of the best parts, I think, of me is my laughter and my sense of humor and I was not able to laugh or smile. I started studying laughter yoga and it really did help me. It really lightened my mood and made me realize how important positive thinking is. You just have to appreciate those little moments. Like, "Oh, okay, that was a good moment. Alright, I could smile in that moment. I could breathe in that moment." I heard this great quote the other day, "Measure your success in inches and not miles." That is something that I'm really, really working on because it's a nonstop journey and I'm flowing with it.

Bob LaBarge: She needed to go to the bathroom a lot, and once in a while, her stomach would hurt. Robyn was going to have a colonoscopy, and I was clueless, because I had never had one. Bob LaBarge: The doctor comes in after the colonoscopy. Robyn's still under sedation. And she shows me in the scope where there is all of these open sores that are right at the ilium. And that's a very dangerous place for it to be. Bob LaBarge: And so, that just shocked me, because it was the first time I'm actually seeing the disease. It was the first time that I really realized that Robyn had a major problem and a major disease. Bob LaBarge: We decided to have children. And then she had Hudson, and actually the disease was in remission, and we had another child. And Robyn got really sick with Bailey. So unlike with Hudson, where it went away, it actually got worse during the pregnancy. Bob LaBarge: She had ulcers over 80% of her colon. That's often a time when we would think about surgery, but Robyn said, "No, I'm going to figure out how to do this myself." Bob LaBarge: She tried a lot of alternative medicine. Acupuncture, massage... She tried herbs versus taking medicine, taking steroids. All I knew was what I couldn't do. Not what I could do. And what I could do is just support Robyn when she decided to try alternative things. Bob LaBarge: You have to trust the person who has the disease and they have to know that you trust them, as well. Continue to be the person you are and allow the person with the disease to do what they need to do to be healthy and to be happy. Because it can be a very unhappy disease.

Crohn's disease is a chronic disease of the intestines that causes inflammation in the digestive tract. For those with Crohn's, following a healthy diet is especially important, because symptoms can prevent you from getting vital nutrition. Plus, certain foods can make Crohn's worse or better, so paying attention to your diet is key to limiting the impact Crohn's can have on your good health. 1. Common symptoms of Crohn's disease, like poor vitamin and mineral absorption, decreased appetite, and bouts of diarrhea, prevent your body from getting the nutrients it needs. Figuring out which nutrient-rich foods keep your symptoms at bay can help you get the vitamins and minerals essential to healthy living. 2. Specific foods groups can wreak havoc on your digestive system, so it's important to avoid them, especially during a Crohn's flare-up. Bulky grains, high fiber foods, hot spices, fried or greasy foods, alcohol, and dairy products may increase stomach pain and diarrhea in someone with Crohn's disease. 3. You may not feel like you want to eat anything when your Crohn's flares up, but try foods that go easy on your tummy. Although everyone's body is different, low fiber foods like cooked vegetables, white breads, and lean meats can be easily digested and slow down bowel movements. And protein-rich foods like fish and eggs, plus fermented items like kimchi, pickled cabbage, are generally easy to digest and high in nutrition. 4. It's important to have the best health care team for you and your Crohn's disease. By using Healthgrades' Guided Physician Search, it's easy to find a doctor who's the right fit. 5. Instead of eating the usual three means, try eating five small dishes a day to help your body digest better. Eating small meals every three to four hours can prevent abdominal cramping and discomfort. Everyone with Crohn's is different, so your diet should be tailored just for you. Talk to your doctor about how to find the best eating strategy for you and your condition. You can find the right doctor to treat your Crohn's disease at Healthgrades.