Irritable Bowel Syndrome/A child of 6 with crohn's disease

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Expert: Heather Van Vorous - 4/25/2005


Question
My granddaughter who is 6 years old has recently
been diagnosed with crohn's disease.  She was ill for most of December, then hospitalized for a week on Christmas night. She was again hospitalized for 2 days when they did biopsies from her lip and her mouth due to sores there. She lost 9 lbs. during this time, but has gained it back since.  She finally was taken to a doctor
in Portland, Oregon where she was diagnosed with
having crohn's disease.  She was put on steroids and recently was put back on them and the dosage
increased.  Her face is extremely puffy and she
has had to go to an eye doctor and get glasses. Is
there anything other than the steroids that could
help her?

Answer
Hi - I'm so sorry to hear about your daughter. Crohn's disease is really out of my league, but there is a great message board where you should ask this question - check http://www.helpforibs.com/messageboards/ubbthreads/postlist.php?Cat=&Board=IBD  Jill Sklar moderates that board, she's the author of the First Year Crohn's and Colitis, a terrific book. Please see what she has to say about all of this - I'd guess she'll have really good advice for you.

Best,
Heather

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

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Heather Van Vorous

Expertise

I can address questions regarding diet, cooking, recipes, and non-pharmaceutical supplements (soluble fiber, herbal, probiotics, etc.) for IBS. I can supply information sources about diagnostic guidelines, symptoms, and the medical pathology of IBS, but I cannot give a diagnosis or analyze test results a patient has obtained. I would prefer not to answer questions about prescription drugs and diagnostic tests. PLEASE DO NOT TELL ME YOUR SYMPTOMS AND THEN ASK ME TO DIAGNOSE YOU!

Experience

I'm the founder and CEO of HelpForIBS.com, an organization dedicated to serving people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. My goal is to offer education, support, and help that allows people with IBS to successfully manage their symptoms through lifestyle modifications.

I'm the author of Eating for IBS, the only explicit dietary guide and cookbook for people with bowel disorders. Eating for IBS then led to my second book, The First Year: IBS, a comprehensive view of the disorder and every way to successfully manage it. Together, these works have become the two best-selling, best-reviewed IBS books in America.

My writing has led to an ongoing Canadian clinical research study of the groundbreaking dietary guidelines for Irritable Bowel Syndrome in Eating for IBS; this work also led to my inclusion in the 4th edition of Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare. Today's Dietitian has featured my IBS dietary guidelines, and my work has reached gastroenterologists and internists. I'm the author of "Heather's IBS Newsletter", which is free to subscribers and is published twice monthly. As a result, I've become recognized as the foremost patient-expert on IBS in America. I've personally had IBS since age 9.

I now teach classes on managing IBS through lifestyle modifications, I developed the Heather's Tummy Care line of organic medical foods for the dietary management of IBS, and I'm planning to work with corporate HR departments to offer employee IBS education programs. I host Heather Cooks!, the Seattle television cooking show for good digestive health, which is now available on DVD and also on the HelpForIBS YouTube Channel.

Organizations
Help for IBS on Facebook

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Amazon Author Profile

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IBS Discussions RSS Feed

Heather Cooks for IBS - Watch the Video!

Publications
Canadian Living Magazine
USA Today
Today's Dietitian
Digestive Health & Nutrition Magazine
Health Magazine
American Airlines In-Flight Magazine
Health.com
DiscoverCare.org
Drkoop.com

Eating for IBS excerpts and recipes licensed by Novartis Pharmaceuticals



Education/Credentials
M.A. 1996
B.A. 1992


Awards and Honors
Inclusion in Marquis Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare

Eating for IBS Finalist for an IACP Julia Child Cookbook Award 2001

Eating for IBS #17 on the Library Journal's Cookbook Bestseller list for 2000






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