Diet helps control inflammatory bowel symptoms
Updated Mon. Oct. 30 2006 2:27 PM ET

Canadian Press

TORONTO -- Adriana Vaduva is rhyming off some of the foods she's eliminated from her diet since being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis a few years ago during exam time.

"I cut out dairy - I'll drink lactose-free milk, soy cheese and stuff like that. I cut out red meat. I'll eat egg whites, but I won't eat egg yolks," the 21-year-old University of Toronto student says as she discusses her condition.

"Certain things I've found irritate me - like popcorn. I think everyone who's got Crohn's and colitis avoids popcorn."

Matthew Coorsh, 28, a manager of public affairs for a major bank, smiles as he listens intently and quickly concurs.

"Popcorn is absolute death!" he says emphatically.

Both Coorsh and Vaduva were diagnosed at the age of 18, and want to speak openly about the challenges they face in order to help others recognize symptoms, and so that non-sufferers will have a better understanding of what people with colitis or Crohn's disease are going through.

Inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, is the broad term. Tissue in the digestive system becomes inflamed, sores form and bleed easily. Crohn's disease can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract, while colitis affects the large intestine.

It can be, quite literally, gut-wrenching. Abdominal pain, cramping, fatigue and diarrhea are among the symptoms.

Vaduva's disease began with terrible stomach pains.

"I had to end up going to the emergency room several times and being misdiagnosed with practically everything under the sun," she said. When she was finally diagnosed, she spent two weeks in hospital and was put on a number of medications.

"I remember asking the doctor 'Am I going to die?' I just had no idea, I found it so scary.... and it's kind of freaky when they tell you, 'OK, it's never going to go away.' "

Various anti-inflammatory drugs, including corticosteroids, are used to control the disease and push it into remission.

The only cure for colitis is surgery to remove the colon, but neither Coorsh nor Vaduva have gone that route.

"For some people who have really bad pain, it's their only choice and it's a great move for them," said Coorsh.

"I'm really fortunate that I don't have pain. I just have to go to the washroom - a lot. And I have urgency to go to the washroom."

Coorsh says a stalled subway train or a traffic jam on the highway can be nightmare scenarios.

"You try and live your life, you try not to use it as a crutch.... Unfortunately, as I've found and recently found even more, it's something that you really need to pay attention to because it really does affect every aspect of your day-to-day life."

Coorsh loves to travel but recently put off a trip.

"It's just not practical for me to be in the far reaches of Thailand, with all your bags, and sort of just drop them to find a washroom," he said.

"I never thought I'd have to, but I really am dependent on someone just to sort of say 'hey, can you watch my stuff for a second while I try and find a washroom?' "

IBD affects an estimated 170,000 Canadians, who are most commonly diagnosed between the ages of 15 and 25, and also between 45 and 55.

Dr. Richard Fedorak, director of gastroenterology at the University of Alberta Hospital, says it's found mostly in developed countries, and Canada has one of the highest rates in the world.

The disease doesn't seem to occur in South America, Africa and Asia. The cause is unknown - although there are theories.

"There has got to be a genetic component that predisposes you to the disease, and then the more complex problem is there's an environmental component because not everyone with a genetic mutation gets the disease," Fedorak said.

"But we don't know what that environmental component is."

He notes that socioeconomic status, stress levels and foods are different in developed countries than in other parts of the world - "so each of those could be playing a role - or not."

People with IBD have different bacteria in their intestines than people who don't have the disease, Fedorak said.

"People with inflammatory bowel disease have too many bad bacteria, and not enough good bacteria (probiotics). So it may be that you're predisposed to inflammatory bowel disease because you have the genetic mutation and then for whatever reason ... you grow too many bad bacteria inside your intestine and not enough good bacteria. And that combination gives you the disease."

Despite its prevalence in Canada, IBD doesn't get much publicity - compared to cancer or diabetes, for instance.

"A lot of people are very shy and they don't want to talk about it, which is fine, because it's not something that's easy to talk about," Coorsh says.

"People have an easier time talking about what kind of cancer you have or what your sex life is like than saying 'I have colitis and I have to go to the washroom, right now.' "

Fedorak agreed that it's not a high-profile disease.

"You can't go to a cocktail party or an art show and talk about your diarrhea ... it's not a sexy topic, and so it doesn't engender a lot of public awareness."

Vaduva and Coorsh both agree that supportive friends and family help, and say it's important to try to keep a sense of humour.

To that end, Coorsh has written a little book on the toilets of Toronto, and is looking for a publisher.

"It's not a hobby of mine, but more born out of necessity of knowing where the washrooms are, that I've got this vast knowledge of pretty much every washroom in the city of Toronto," he said.

"How many stalls there are, what they look like, the quality, what ply of toilet paper they use. You tell me where you are in the city, I'm like a GPS. I can tell you where the nearest washroom is. No problem!"

 
From:   http://www.ctv.ca/health