Costco Connection - December 2012

osteoporosis or eye damage in some patients, they are now used sparingly to quell flare-ups.

“It’s important for people to realize there’s a risk [associated with] not taking medications, which far exceeds the risk of the medications themselves,” says Dr. Kerman, adding that new, promising medications are already in the pipeline and awaiting approval from the Food and Drug Administration.

Researchers are studying whether a low-fiber diet may help during flare-ups specifically. To date, there’s not one evidence-based article that says changing your diet in any way, shape or form, other than eating healthy, is helpful for preventing flares or keeping IBD in remission. But experts hope to soon publish research on nutritional and dietary therapies they’ve employed with success.

BREAKING THE SILENCE

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 59

The brown and red ribbon

WHEN COSTCO MEMBER Lois
Fink was first diagnosed with
Crohn’s disease at age 17, the
last thing she wanted to do
was talk about it. Now 64,
Fink has made it her mis-
sion to get people talking
about IBD and the ostomy surgery
some IBD patients like her go through. To
that end, Fink and another Costco member
and Crohn’s patient, Barb Wodzin, created a
ribbon to bring awareness to both issues and
break the ice on these often taboo subjects.

The ribbon color represents the byprod-
uct of the disease; the red “gem” in the mid-
dle represents the ostomy. “We realized there
was an element of humor to it,” says Fink.
The ribbon’s tagline: “It’s More Than a
Ribbon ... It’s a Movement!”
Since launching their magnetic ribbon
(www.ibdandostomyawarenessribbon.
bbnow.org) in February 2011, Washington-
state residents Fink and Wodzin have
received ribbon orders from hundreds of IBD
patients in the United States and around the
world, including Australia, England, Canada,
Malta and New Zealand.

The ribbon already has celebrity backing in Mike McCready, lead guitarist for Pearl Jam, who was diagnosed with Crohn’s at age 21. Last September, the Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society also formally recognized the ribbon, and Fink hopes to get more doctors and nurses wearing it on their lapels.

“It was long overdue,” says Fink. “I just went with a gut feeling that I had.”—RC

A future with IBD

There’s currently no cure for IBD. In both adults and children, the disease proves an elusive target, changing or growing quickly and frequently with damaging consequences. Up to 50 percent of Crohn’s patients and 20 to 30 percent of colitis patients will eventually require surgery.

Aside from the physical manifestations,
the emotional toll on IBD patients can be
enormous. Advocacy organizations like the
Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America
(CCFA; www.ccfa.org) offer numerous ways
for patients and their families to get the sup-
port they need.