Young Girl Overcomes Crohn's to Run Marathons
Esther was finally diagnosed correctly
Finally, Esther’s health took a turn for the better when she met Dr. Jesse Reeves-Garcia. Dr. Reeves-Garcia was a doctor who specialized in gastroenterology for children. He was able to correctly diagnose Esther with Crohn’s disease. The poor girl didn’t have an eating disorder – she had inflammatory bowel disease.
Esther was started on the appropriate treatments for her Inflammatory Bowel Disease
With this new knowledge, Dr. Reeves-Garcia promptly started Esther on a short course of steroids to calm down the inflammation. After getting some of her symptoms under control, he switched her to a biologic therapy known as Remicade. This treatment is given as an infusion every 8-10 weeks. It is commonly used to treat moderate to severe Crohn’s disease.
Biologic treatments are really great because they prevent destruction of the tissue before it happens. They do this by halting inflammation before it can destroy the tissues in the gastrointestinal tract. By preventing the damage in the first place, you ultimately prevent the complications that come with Crohn’s. Complications can include leaks in the gastrointestinal tract lining that lead to dangerous infections. Infections due to Crohn’s can lead to painful hospital stays, and can even be life-threatening if it spreads to the bloodstream.
