Best Crohn's Websites on the Net: You Are Not Alone; Find Strategies to Cope

A Crohn's diagnosis is both confusing and scary. It is a disease, until recently, that few people talked about. There are still relatively few people who know about the disease, but each year more and more people are diagnosed with Crohn's and Colitis.

Like everyone else, you need help understanding Crohn's, the symptoms, and emotions that Crohn's causes. There are a number of excellent websites put together by people just like you who suffer from Crohn's. They exist to offer information and support. Crohn's websites are a great place to share and learn. You can openly discuss issues that you may be hesitant to discuss with those around you who don't have Crohn's and don't fully understand its impact.

Below are five of the best Crohn's sites I have found. I've used most of these sites for over five years. While I do not have Crohn's I am intimately involved with the disease. The websites included here are growing and thriving communities in which Crohn's patients are welcomed to become involved.

Helpful Crohn's Support Website - www.healingwell.com

A good place to start when coping with Crohn's is www.healingwell.com. HealingWell is a message board where Crohn's and colitis sufferers share symptoms, pain, tips, and in general, empathize with others who have been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. The message board forum allows for anonymity, although many Crohn's sufferers develop significant supportive friendships over time. HealingWell also offers a variety of articles related to Crohn's, other chronic illness, nutrition and disease, and other topics of interest to Crohn's patients.

On Healing Well's homepage locate "diseases and conditions" at the top. You will be taken to a second page on which you scroll down to Crohn's Disease. Ulcerative Colitis is included in the Crohn's topic since the two diseases essentially cause similar problems on different ends of the colon.