Something I'm curious about...

[Gnarwhal]

I'm curious what your thoughts are on this situation:

What would you do if you had a friend who suffered from a severe case of Crohn's Disease, but limited themselves only to the input of Specialists and prescription drugs? Say that this friend over the few years that they have had the disease never saw any improvement yet continued to take drugs like Prednisone which actually worsened their overall health? Let's say also that this friend doesn't work, and spends all of their time shut into their home, keeping everyone apprised of their poor condition via Facebook, sometimes with unnecessary details (to the frustration and aggravation of many).

If you had a friend like this who only appeared to get worse from their current treatments, yet outright refused any suggestions from friends or family to explore other options because 'they don't know anything about it', and at the same time seemed to wallow in their own misery, how would you relate to that friend?

 

[Kyleiferous]

This is a tough one. They really don't want to accept any help? Maybe they enjoy suffering or want the pity? I dunno. I have crohn's and even though mine wasn't that bad it was still pretty horrible at one point, so I can see why one would feel the way your friend does.

If you have already told them how worried everyone is about him/her then I don't think there is much you can do, ultimately it's their choice if they want to recieve the help or not. Hopefully they will realise that life is better when you recieve help.

 

[Observer]

There are plenty of people who are against natural medicine and other alternatives, you can't force them, so I guess you just have to tolerate it.

Natural medicine can be extremely successful for Crohn's, IBS and other kinds of inflammatory conditions. The key would be reducing inflammation, modulating the immune system and healing the bowel/reducing diarrhoea etc, which certain herbal extracts/preparations are proven to do. Not to mention the major role nutrition plays in these kinds of cases.

There are plenty of people who feel they have a good diet, but don't realise the way they are eating is causing their condition or symptoms. Things can boil down to a simple deficiency.. not to mention white carbs and processed foods are the norm now

 

[Bobinator]

I have a tendency to tell people like it is. It may not be the most diplomatic, but that's just me. I'd let the chips fall where they may. If they de-friend me, than it saves me the trouble of putting up with their nagging and quite frankly- idiocy.

I would say something like, "Hmmm, not working huh? Time to try something else, or continue suffering."

Sometimes people need the blunt truth to wake them up. I know I do.

 

[Gnarwhal]

This is a tough one. They really don't want to accept any help? Maybe they enjoy suffering or want the pity? I dunno. I have crohn's and even though mine wasn't that bad it was still pretty horrible at one point, so I can see why one would feel the way your friend does.

If you have already told them how worried everyone is about him/her then I don't think there is much you can do, ultimately it's their choice if they want to recieve the help or not. Hopefully they will realise that life is better when you recieve help.

Yeah I understand.

There are plenty of people who are against natural medicine and other alternatives, you can't force them, so I guess you just have to tolerate it.

Natural medicine can be extremely successful for Crohn's, IBS and other kinds of inflammatory conditions. The key would be reducing inflammation, modulating the immune system and healing the bowel/reducing diarrhoea etc, which certain herbal extracts/preparations are proven to do. Not to mention the major role nutrition plays in these kinds of cases.

There are plenty of people who feel they have a good diet, but don't realise the way they are eating is causing their condition or symptoms. Things can boil down to a simple deficiency.. not to mention white carbs and processed foods are the norm now

I agree, I am one of them. Actually, I prefer no medicine of any kind (pharmaceutical or alternative, although I trust pharmaceutical far more than alternative). As far as the diet of the person in question goes, it's literally probably 50% hard candy. They don't eat any raw vegetables because apparently the fiber content aggravates their Crohns badly, they don't eat dark meat and rarely eat fish or chicken. So overall they aren't receiving much in the way of nutrients.

I have a tendency to tell people like it is. It may not be the most diplomatic, but that's just me. I'd let the chips fall where they may. If they de-friend me, than it saves me the trouble of putting up with their nagging and quite frankly- idiocy.

I would say something like, "Hmmm, not working huh? Time to try something else, or continue suffering."

Sometimes people need the blunt truth to wake them up. I know I do.

Yeah, I wish I was that bold. Most of the people I know who know the person in question have simply blocked their status updates on Facebook so they don't have to see the same old nonsense a dozen times per day, every day.

Basically my issue boils down to: They have a debilitating disease, I understand that and I can sympathize. BUT, my issue arises when they use it as an opportunity to complain and garner attention every chance they get yet they don't seem to be actively pursuing any type of healing. As if they believe any recovery actually exists and their only hope is maintenance.

Phrases like "fish or cut bait" come to mind, like they need to do something different or basically shut up. I know that's horribly insensitive but I honestly think this persons antics are losing them support because people are feeling less sympathetic towards someone who wallows in their circumstances.