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Author: Admin | 2025-04-28
Says Hans Herfarth, MD, a professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina and co-director of the UNC Multidisciplinary Center for IBD Research and Treatment.Still, if talking helps, someone is out there to listen.What’s the one thing I can do to make sure this doesn't control my life?“The best thing you can do is to surround yourself with a medical team that you trust, and that you are on the same page with, and that you feel confident in that they are recommending things for you that are thoughtful, that are specific to you and … are up to date [with] the latest recommendations," Harper says. "And that everything that they’re saying to you comes from a place of understanding of who you are.”Get comfortable with doctors and other medical professionals. "You want a care team. You want a doctor whom you trust, whose nurse you trust," Harper says. "You may have pharmacists. You may have dietitians. You may have a whole team of people who you’re going to be working with. For somebody who’s brand new to this and hasn’t really needed the medical profession very much, this is kind of like going from 0 to 60 overnight."It can be overwhelming, but Harper says there's one rule you should follow: “Find a team that you’re comfortable with.”Show SourcesPhoto Credit: Jacob Wackerhausen / Getty ImagesSOURCES:Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation: “Crohn’s Symptoms.”National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases: “Definition & Facts for Crohn’s Disease.”Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation: “Understanding Crohn’s Disease.”American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons: “Crohn’s Disease Expanded Version.”Jason Harper, MD, gastroenterologist, University of Washington Medicine, Seattle; board member, Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, Northwest Chapter.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases: “Symptoms & Causes of Crohn’s Disease.”Hans Herfarth, MD, professor of medicine, division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of North Carolina; co-director, UNC Multidisciplinary Center for IBD Research and Treatment, University of North Carolina School of Medicine.UCLA Center for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: “Ulcerative Colitis vs Crohn's Disease.”Atilla Ertan, MD, clinical professor of medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, and Weill-Cornell Medical College, New York; professor, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston; medical director, Gastroenterology Center of Excellence and Digestive Disease Center, Memorial Hermann Hospital-Texas Medical Center, Houston.Ertan, A. Journal of Gastroenterology, Pancreatology & Liver Disorders, published online Oct. 9, 2017.American Gastroenterological Association: “Drug Therapy for Crohn’s.”Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation: “Crohn’s Treatments.”American College of Rheumatology: “TNF Inhibitors.”
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