If you or someone you care about has been diagnosed with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, you are not alone. In fact, there are 233,000 Canadians living with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), and 10,200 new cases are diagnosed every year. That is 1 in every 150 Canadians!
I don’t want to publish the next statistic, because I have a parent with IBD, and two children who are at risk due to the genetic component to the disease. Nevertheless, the fact is that people are more frequently diagnosed with IBD between the ages of 15 and 30.
And, having a child with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis can be an emotional roller coaster.
Chances are, you know a child with IBD. Sadly, I know three. The most recognized symptoms – fatigue, frequent or urgent diarrhea (possibly bloody), abdominal pain and cramping – are hard enough for adults to cope with. But with children, it’s next to impossible to explain to someone so young why they do not feel well. And, it can be equally hard as a parent to cope with seeing your child ill and dealing with the complications that go along with these diseases. …
Juvenile arthritis is an autoimmune disease. To put it simply, the immune system goes a little bit haywire and sends out white blood cells to attack the body’s own healthy cells. The result is inflammation in joints, as well as other health issues such as fatigue, rash, vision problems, slow growth or swollen lymph nodes, to name a few. …