[This course is currently under construction, but please feel free to browse!]
About this eCourse
Welcome! I’m glad you’re here. Are you ready to learn?
Crohn’s 101 is the crash-course that I wish had existed back when I was diagnosed. When you’re first diagnosed, there’s a lot to learn—from how your body works to building a new way of life.
All the “new” material can be overwhelming, so I’ve designed this course to be as flexible as possible. Here are a few tips:
- Go at your own pace—you decide when you’re ready to move on to the next module (or skip around if you want!)
- Document your progress in a notebook—each module offers with a reflection prompt and a learning activity, designed to help you make connections between your learning and your life
- Don’t just take my word for it—everybody’s experience with this disease is a little bit different, so don’t just rely on me (do your own research!)
Audience
This course is designed for people who are newly-diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease, friends or family who want to learn more about what it’s like to live with this disease.
If you have a lot of experience living with Crohn’s Disease already, you may also benefit from this course—just keep in mind that I’m going to cover a lot of the basics. š
Course Goals
My goal is to take you through an introductory overview of what it’s like to live with Crohn’s Disease. Our starting point is your current foundational knowledge (sit tight, we’ll assess that soon), learn some stuff, and end with a clearer picture of your “next steps”in finding a path to good health.
Overall, this course is designed to teach you about:
- What Crohn’s disease is, and how people live with it
- Your body, how it works, and how it’s impacted by Crohn’s Disease
- Your mind, and how it’s connected to your body
- The healing process, and various approaches to treatment
- Evaluating your options and making decisions
- Taking action, and finding your path to health
Materials & Readings
All course materials will be available online, for free, in publicly accessible formats. These may be blog posts, web pages, YouTube videos, testimonials, or anything else freely available on the web.There’s a reason I’m not charging any money for this course, and that’s because I’m merely CURATING information that is already out there. You can definitely find it on your own, if you want.
Because of this, I advise you to use discretion when you read any material on the web. Critically evaluate who is providing information, and what they are benefiting from by giving it to you. Everyone has a bias: the Mayo Clinic is pushing a certain agenda…and so is a blog post from “Natural Health Hippie Mama dot com.” Each of these sources might be right, but you need to think critically before taking action on any information. (I’ll talk more about this in Module 5.)
In each section, I’ll provide links to some Bonus Reading. You don’t have to read them for the course, but they will help provide in-depth information on specific issues, if you want to learn more.
Requirements & Assignments
Guess what? This is a free, online, self-paced course—so there are no requirements!
That’s the reality of it. I’m not going to “make” you do anything. I encourage you, however, to take your health seriously. You only get one life. Crohn’s Disease can take over and swerve your life into a ditch, if you let it.
It’s worth taking the time to reflect, learn, and apply practices of good health.
Time Expected
I suggest setting aside 1-2 hours a week to read, reflect, and do.
Office Hours
If you have any questions during this course, feel free to email me!
I’ll be online to answer course emails every Monday from 6 – 8 pm Pacific Standard Time.
Ready to Get Started? (Reflection #1)
Alright! With all that out of the way…let’s check in with your thoughts and feelings. Time for a reflection.
- Set a timer for 5 minutes using your phone, or other timekeeping device
- Open your notebook to a fresh, clean page—and grab your favorite writing tool
- Take a deep breath and consider your experience with Crohn’s Disease so far. How are you feeling? What do you fear? What are your hopes for the future? Are there major experiences or realizations that stand out to you?
Now, start the timer and write for 5 minutes. Write whatever comes to mind, no stopping. If you get stuck, write “I don’t know what to write” until something else comes to mind.
There are no right answers. The goal here is to check in with yourself.
When you’re done, read back through what you’ve written. What stands out as important? Are there any questions that you want answers to? Underline key words or phrases.
Okay—you’re done! Great job.
Take a deep breath, get up and stretch, whatever break you need.
Next up, we’ll dive in to Part I: Clinical Descriptions and Diagnosis