Can you live a normal life with Crohn’s Disease?
Can you live a normal life with Crohn’s Disease?
Can you live a normal life with Crohn's disease? When I was first diagnosed in 2016, I wondered about this for a very long time. I felt afraid of what the future might bring with this illness (and sometimes I catch myself being afraid now, too).
The answer is yes. You can live a normal life with Crohn's disease.
Living with Crohn's disease is not easy, but you can thrive and live a normal life.
In my own experience, it requires effort, and it will require you to define your new normal.
This article is written from my perspective of learning to live a normal and thriving life with Crohn's disease - my new normal.
This is what I will cover in this article:
Can you live a normal life with Crohn's disease or IBD?
Defining your new normal
Your mindset matters
Your lifestyle is an important piece to manage your IBD symptoms
Focus on more than just-food
Bolster your support system
Be open and honest with yourself, first
Blend the conventional with the holistic system
How partnering with a wellness coach can help you
Can you live a normal life with Crohn's disease?
The answer is yes. You can live a normal life with Crohn's disease.
Living with Crohn's disease is not easy, but you can thrive and live a normal life.
Your new normal
Let's start with the definition of normal:' to conform to a standard or to what is expected' - this last part is very important. What do you expect this 'new normal' will bring for you?
I had to redefine what normal meant for me.
What did I want from my life with chronic illness?
Health for me no longer meant the absence of disease or pain but rather the ability to enjoy the pleasures of life and that I can still experience joy in every day, despite this illness.
When I coach my clients, we explore the new normal - what it might bring you - the change it might inspire in your life. We do not downplay the reality of the illness and the challenges, but we choose to get un-stuck and define what it will take to thrive.
Joy in the journey
Learning what needs to happen for us to experience joy despite the diagnosis is the journey.
I had a client describe her journey to experimenting with holistic approaches like traveling to a new country. We don't know what to expect; we go anyway; we may find things we enjoy and things we don't; we may hit some curveballs along the way, but then we come home having experienced and tried something new.
Your journey with illness won’t always be joyful. Medication side-effects, pain, the loss of the life you used to live before you had to worry about this new illness…there is so much that goes into this “new normal” that you could not have anticipated but know that it is a journey. One that you CAN navigate through and eventually, thrive with.
Are you ready to get unstuck and find what makes you thrive with chronic illness, despite your challenges?
Your mindset matters
When you are diagnosed with an autoimmune disease such as IBD (Crohn's disease in my case), it's normal to go into fear mode. Part of my journey was asking the very question that landed you on this page "can I really live a normal life with this illness?".
It took me a long time to view my illness as something that happened for me, not to me, but this shift was very empowering.
If I could pinpoint one moment that changed things for me was the morning of my second surgery - which I talk about more in this interview with Eileen from Phoenix Helix. I woke up and decided that this would be the turning point for me - that I could come out of this stronger and eventually healthier, too.
My life up until my diagnosis had been filled with 'hustle,' - I put a lot of stress and pressure on myself.
In hindsight, that needed to change, but it took me a few years (and two surgeries) to realise this.
Some examples of mindset shifts my clients have made in our sessions:
"It's such a hassle to do countless tests, anticipate the results, and continually monitor the progression of this illness" BECOMES "These tests give me insight as I get to monitor my illness and watch as it progresses, and with time I may go into remission."
"This new way of cooking real-food that is more nutritious is so untasty, and it takes so much time." BECOMES "I will see this as a journey to experimenting and finding new and exciting ways to prepare nutritious food that tastes good, too".
"I have little control in how anything goes in my life" BECOMES "I have already made many choices that have propelled me into doing so much with my life - I have more control than I think I do."
Can you manage your Crohn's disease symptoms with food?
Nutrition alone is not a treatment for Crohn’s but it can help you manage your symptoms. Nutrition has a big role to play in managing our symptoms, and here's why.
In his book, Healthy Gut Healthy You, Dr. Michael Ruscio explains, "You must first eat to control inflammation. Eating to control inflammation will create a healthy environment for gut bacteria and thus improve your microbiota." he goes on to say that "Certain food additives can damage your gut and might have a negative impact on your microbiota. These changes correlate with certain diseases and conditions of the gut."
There are many foods that we eat today that are not necessarily made equal to when our ancestors walked the earth. Many foods like processed foods and industrial seed oils (like canola, rapeseed etc.) were never around back then. The world has evolved but our bodies still thrive on real, fresh, foods.
The Autoimmune Protocol was a great starting point in me managing my symptoms, and studies have concluded its efficacy, too. Through elimination, I gave my body a clean slate and slowly introduced foods to identify my triggers. You can learn more about it here.
If the thought of eliminating so many food groups overwhelms you (a normal reaction to have) - limiting sugar, gluten, dairy, alcohol, and industrial seed oils is a great start to giving your body a break from having to process these foods.
Dr. Sarah Ballanthyne explains the rationale behind eliminations in her article here.
Focus on more than just-food
Food is a core component to giving your body the nutrition it needs to thrive. The chances of seeing significant improvements in symptoms without focusing on other elements of your life are slim.
Other aspects of your lifestyle are fundamental, too.
Are you managing your stress, and how do you react to it?
Stress has a significant impact on our symptoms because it impacts every cell in our bodies and our brains. Taking steps to be aware of our stressors and managing them is so important.
Are you moving your body daily?
Did you know that exercise can be a stressor on our bodies? Although it's considered a good stressor, most autoimmune folks do better with less vigorous training. The key is to move our bodies in a way that feels good.
My mindset has shifted from daily exercise to daily movement.
I focus on moving daily by walking and regular yoga practice. That also means listening when I need rest and moving less when I can sense my body needs it. This article might shed some more insight on the topic.
Are you getting 7-9 hours of quality sleep?
The important word here is "quality" sleep. All the aspects listed in this article impact our sleep, from the food we eat to our stress levels.
Incorporating a proper sleep routine and limiting your screen usage before heading to bed can help.
Are you setting boundaries?
The definition of boundaries is: identifying what is and what is not okay.
What can you start saying no to so you can prioritise the list above? What could you start saying yes to?
The most challenging part about setting boundaries is communicating them and maintaining them, which I help my clients do.
Are you asking for help when you need it most?
These are all challenges I continually support and partner with my clients through coaching.
There are many reasons we don't prioritise our wellbeing, and getting you unstuck is part of what I do so you can make space for what matters.
Bolster your Support System
Your support system is a critical piece to living well with autoimmune disease!
If you don't have the right people supporting you as you navigate this journey, it will be that much harder. That means finding doctors that you feel comfortable with, letting those who care about you know what you are going through, and asking for help when you need it most.
Be open and honest - with yourself first.
It can be challenging to be open and honest about where you are and what you need. We begin by being open and honest with ourselves before asking for help and sharing with others. Often we don't know what we need, and thinking about it can be painful and the most courageous thing you can do for yourself.
Journaling is a great way to put thoughts to paper.
What do you need right now?
What do you feel? What is contributing to that emotion?
Who might support you in getting what you need?
What can you do today that your future self will thank you for?
When I was diagnosed, telling my family and colleagues was a pivotal step for me.
I needed to let them know what to expect and what I was going through.
Like many autoimmune conditions, Crohn's is an invisible illness, so we need to learn to communicate where we are at and what we need.
Blend the conventional with the functional medicine approach
This article is great at describing the difference between both approaches.
Two critical differences I want to highlight:
Conventional doctors administer drugs to suppress the symptoms of your illness; Functional doctors see your body as a whole system and look at the root cause of your symptoms instead of masking them.
Lab tests are more in-depth, and unlike conventional medicine, they consider the entire body and each of your systems like your reproductive and digestive. They also take your lifestyle into account and work with you to address elements of it that you should focus on.
There is a significant opportunity to blend the conventional and the functional approach.
Functional medicine can be expensive but cost-effective in the long run. Find a practitioner who prioritizes lab tests that will give you the most information first.
If functional medicine is not accessible to you right now, other elements of this article can help you live a better life with Crohn's disease and embrace your new normal.
Here are some resources to help:
More about Functional vs Conventional medicine
Find a Functional Medicine Practitioner here
How partnering with a coach can help you.
I became a coach because I believe that we can build the life we want, despite our illnesses and our challenges.
Crohn's proved this to me. Now, I empower others to do the same.
We all have a choice of where we want to go from here.
Whatever your challenges are right now - perhaps you are looking to build the confidence to start the AIP Protocol, manage your stress better, communicate your needs to friends, family and coworkers or set better boundaries - wherever you are, I can support you.
Click here to get unstuck and create the life you want, despite your autoimmune health challenges.
