Parenting a Child Who Has Crohn's Disease

When your child is diagnosed with Crohn's disease, the first thing you think is, "Ha!" After all the wrong diagnoses, after months of trying to convince doctors that your instincts are telling you that something is wrong, finally: you have validation.

Then comes the sickening feeling when you really take in the fact that your child having an incurable, chronic disease.

Next will come the doctors. You've probably already been dealing with lots of them-- your child's primary care physician, lab technicians, emergency room doctors, specialists, medical students, and nurses galore. You've already experienced the frustration of contradictory expert medical opinions and advice, and doctors who barely glance at you and your child before departing the room in a rush, too busy to answer your questions. Now you'll get a pediatric gastroenterologist that will see your child far more frequently than your primary care pediatrician ever will.

The biggest problems you will face as a parent of a child with Crohn's? Getting the doctor(s) on the same page as you. What is the single best way to get ahead of the curve? Talk to other parents of children with Crohn's disease. Check online forums and your local Crohn's and Colitis Foundation support group. These parents will have the inside scoop on the best doctors, the newest treatments and research, and plenty of emotional support.