Famous People with Crohn's Disease or Ulcerative Colitis

In my random browsing of the "interwebs" I have come across several lists of celebrities and other notable people who have Crohn's or Ulcerative Colitis. It is nice to know that we aren't limited in what we can do or where we can go in life. Also it makes for an entertaining read, to kill a few minutes while sitting on the can ;) ...

Here is a quick run-down:

Dwight D. Eisenhower - Former U.S. President.

Beth Orton - British Singer, Songwriter.

Anastacia - American Singer, Songwriter and Dancer.

Chris Conley - Singer for Saves the Day.

Marvin Bush - Son of former president George H. W. Bush and younger brother of former president George W. Bush.

Rolf Benirschke - NFL Placekicker.

Shannen Doherty - American Actress.

Kevin Dineen - NHL Player.

Shayne Corson - NHL Player.

Theoren Fleury - NHL Player.

Chris Gedney - NFL Player.

David Garrard - NFL Quarterback.

John F. Kennedy - Former U.S. President.

Al Geiberger - PGA Golfer.

Carrie Grant - British celebrity vocal coach.

Mike McCready - Lead guitarist for Pearl Jam.

Steve Redgrave - 5 time Olympic Gold Medalist.

Daryl Palumbo - Singer for Glassjaw.

John York - American Actor.

Mary Ann Mobley - Former Miss America.

Joe Rogan - American Comedian and Actor (host of Fear Factor).

George Steele - Professional Wrestler.

In case any of you want to check out my sources, here they are:

http://crohn-colitis.hu/eng/famous-people-with-ibd.php

http://ibdcrohns.about.com/od/guesswhohasibd/Guess_Who_Has_IBD.htm

http://www.ihateibd.com/famous_people_with_ibd.html

http://organizedwisdom.com/Famous_People_with_Crohn's_Disease

Riding a bike...

I just got back from a 5 mile bike ride with Wifey and I'm feeling pretty good. It is always nice to get out and get some exercise.

I have made an important mathematical discovery tonight: Crohn's + Spaghetti Dinner + Bike Ride = Explosive Bathroom Break!!!

Biofeedback and Crohn's Disease

During the summer between my Junior and Senior year of high school I was in a small car accident. For a normal person this might not have been a very big deal; maybe a little whiplash and thats all. But a couple of years prior to this I had been diagnosed with Crohn's disease.

Unfortunately the stress from the accident caused my Crohn's to flare with a vengeance. Of course being a teenager at the time I knew everything ... so I decided that since medicine had failed me, I was going to ditch medicine. Thus began my [short] journey through the world of alternative treatments.

After some in depth [superficial] research into possible treatments I decided on Biofeedback. For those of you unfamiliar with Biofeedback, it is a non-medical process that involves measuring a patients bodily functions such as blood pressure, heart rate, skin temperature, sweat gland activity, and muscle tension, giving the information to the patient in real-time. This raises the patient's awareness and the possibility of conscious control of those functions.

I learned some very important lessons during this time in my life; Probably the most important is that Crohn's, at least for me, cannot be controlled without conventional treatments. However I also learned that Biofeedback can be a very helpful tool in managing Crohn's disease. There are times when I am in severe pain, or really have to use the restroom but have to wait, where the relaxation and breathing techniques have really helped me to cope. It is no replacement for conventional medicine, but it sure has helped over the years.

For anyone interested in learning more, here is a link to an article on Biofeedback by the Mayo Clinic: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/biofeedback/SA00083

Welcome to Crohn's Voice

Welcome, this Blog is a chronicle of my ongoing experience with Crohn's. My goal is to provide a place where people can come to learn, vent or just gather some comfort from the fact that they aren't the only ones living with this "crappy" disease.
I was diagnosed with Crohn's in 1997 at the age of 14. Since then I have been on a plethora of medications including Prendisone, Imuran, Asacol and Remicade.
In June of 2005 I underwent surgery to remove 18 inches of necrotic intestine. Since then I have managed to put on a bit of weight for the first time since being diagnosed.
In the past couple of years I have learned that Crohn's is also causing inflammation in my Liver. This was a scary thing to learn but hopefully it doesn't progress into something worse.
I have a wonderful Wife and a loving Family who are very supportive and usually quite concerned about my health. I don't know what I would do without them.
Hopefully my thoughts and experience can help some of you who are suffering or have loved ones suffering from this awful disease. Feel free to comment and share your experiences as well.