coping with crohn’s
coping with crohn’s and colitis Conditions common in Chaldean community BY JOYCE WISWELL After 109 hospital visits in the last 12 years, Deanne (Kirma) Toma knows an awful lot about Crohn’s disease and colitis. She’s had her colon removed, her rectum reconstructed, and been hooked up to an ostomy bag twice. Today at age 34, she’s relatively healthy — but knows she’ll spend the rest of her life battling these insidious diseases. “I want people to be knowledgeable about this, not to be ashamed of what their body is going through,” said Toma of her decision to go public with what can be an especially embarrassing condition. ALL TOO COMMON Many Chaldeans are all too familiar with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). “The incidence of Crohn’s and colitis is very high in the Chaldean population,” said Jason Bodzin, a physician who specializes in IBD at Beaumont Hospital. Bodzin’s practice alone includes 115 Chaldean patients. A recent University of Chicago study in which Bodzin participated found that a defect in chromosome 1 gives Chaldeans IBD. Jewish people have the same defect, but in chromosome 16. “Chaldeans and Jews are from the same area of the world, so it’s interesting that it’s a defect in different chromosomes,” Bodzin said. Also contributing to a high rate of IBD among Chaldean Americans is their migration to the United States, Bodzin said. Iraqis have parasites in their system that can protect against such diseases. By the time an immigrant family hits its third generation in the U.S., those parasites are completely gone from the system. While the concept of harboring parasites is certainly unappealing, they can actually help keep balance in the digestive system. IBD includes Crohn’s — which involves all layers of the intestine and can occur in the both the small intestine and colon — and ulcerative colitis, which involves the inner lining of the colon. Symptoms of both include persistent diarrhea; abdominal pain or cramps; blood passing through the rectum; fever; weight loss, joint, skin or eye irritations; and delayed growth and retarded sexual maturation in children. Both diseases are unpredictable; some patients recover after a single attack or are in remission for years. Others, like Toma, require frequent hospitalizations and surgery. Coloctomy (surgical removal of the colon) cures colitis, but there is no cure for Crohn’s disease. According to the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America, up to 1 million Americans suffer from IBD, with approximately 30,000 new cases diagnosed each year. Anyone can get IBD, but it’s most common in people between the ages of 15 and 35. MYTH BUSTERS Despite popular opinion, there is actually no link between stress or diet and IBD. However, dietary modifications, especially during severe flare-ups, can help reduce symptoms and replace lost nutrients. “The most important thing for people to understand is that diet doesn’t cause it and diet doesn’t cure it,” said Pam Thomas Haddad, 41, a registered dietician who was diagnosed with colitis at the age of 16. “However, nutrition does play a very big role. If you’re not well-nourished, your body can’t heal well.” While diet doesn’t cure IBD, it can help make the symptoms more manageable. Digesting fiber is often a big issue, so Haddad offers suggestions such as peeling and thoroughly cooking — perhaps even pureeing — fruits and vegetables. Better yet, she advises, eat canned fruits and vegetables rather the fresh, chew your food extremely well and eat small, frequent meals. Fried and spicy foods, nuts and seeds, popcorn, non-tender meats, bran and whole grain breads and cereals can sometimes cause problems with IBD. But the 26 CHALDEAN NEWS APRIL 2005
time to get in on the trick Haddad said, is to take each case individually. “You can’t automatically assume that you can’t eat tomato sauce because the person next to you can’t,” she said. “Don’t unnecessarily avoid specific foods unless you know they’re a problem.” Some IBD medications can cause nutritional deficiencies. Also troublesome is the fact that, because digestion can cause pain, some patients try to avoid eating as much as possible. Haddad suggests IBD sufferers consult with a dietician if they are losing a lot of weight or are anemic, weak and/or tired. Everyone associated with IBD agrees that you can run, but you can’t hide from these conditions. “When you start to get a lot of diarrhea, get to the doctor as soon as possible,” said Bodzin. “It only gets worse if left untreated.” Toma learned that fact the hard way. “I waited too long to go to the doctor. People have to realize that the doctor is there for a reason, not just to give a flu shot,” she said. To compound her problems, when Toma finally did consult a physician, she said he mishandled her medications. “I bled for three months from the rectum, which caused me to become anemic,” she said. “If you don’t feel good about the doctor you’re with, do more research and switch. That’s what I did, and within a week the bleeding was controlled.” Haddad urges patients to keep in touch with their physician, even when they are symptom-free. “I have learned that good health is not the absence of disease. The model of good health is doing what you can to build up your resistance,” she said. “Take charge when you learn you have one of these diseases. Then build up your resistance as much as possible with diet, exercise and stress management, so when you do have a flare-up, hopefully you’ll do better.” Finally, Toma wants people to remember that there is still an individual under all those medical problems. “I want to tell friends and family to give them all the space they need. And don’t focus on the fact that they are sick — they know they are, and they don’t need a constant reminder,” she said. “Don’t call and ask how they are, call and ask them out to lunch or a movie.” Escape to Las Vegas! April 4th - May 12th MGM Grand is sending 10 lucky players each week on the ultimate spring escape to Las Vegas. Just use your Players Club Card for your chance to spend cool spring nights in the city of lights! • Win a trip for two to fabulous Las Vegas, 0 in FreePlay and an entry into the Second Chance Drawing for a chance at ,000 • Receive one free entry per day, plus receive bonus entries while playing your favorite slots and video poker • Drawings are held every Thursday at 6pm at the Stage Bar See Players Club for details For more information call 1-877-888-2121 or visit us on line at: mgmgranddetroit.com 1300 John C. Lodge, Detroit, MI 48226 Lodge (M-10) South, exit Bagley or Howard Where the City Shines. © 2005 MGM Grand Detroit Casino MGM Grand Detroit Casino reserves the right to modify or cancel this promotion or sweepstakes at any time, for any reason without prior notice. APRIL 2005 CHALDEAN NEWS 27
