Quality of life and gastroenterology are important topics to us. We partner with gastroenterologists nationwide to treat patients just like you. At Paragon, we know that each of our GI patients faces a unique set of obstacles related to their condition, symptoms, and therapy. Even though 60 to 70 million people are living with a digestive disease, you are not just a number to us. You are part of our family. We see the challenges you face and are here to provide clinical resources to best support you where you’re at on your journey. Our goal is to help you overcome hurdles related to your health, comfort, and happiness in order to improve your overall quality of life.

What is Quality of Life?

"Quality of Life" is defined as the standard of health, comfort, and happiness experienced by an individual or group. The CDC states, “Health is more than the absence of disease; it is a resource that allows people to realize their aspirations, satisfy their needs, and to cope with the environment to live a long, productive, and fruitful life.”

Quality of life asks questions like, “Do you perceive that your life is going well?” This question must consider your joy and grief, housing, employment, relationships, and overall sense of well-being. These factors are not easy to measure since well-being is a subjective concept, but these areas are critical to painting a picture of your quality of life.

What types of challenges do GI patients face?

No two patients are the same, and neither is their experience with a digestive condition. We know that a child’s experience is different from that of a teen or young adult, and a parent of a child has a vastly different set of challenges from an elderly patient with a similar condition. When you come on our service to treat your GI condition, our team considers multiple lifestyle factors when building your customized plan. We partner with your physician and you to ensure you have a care plan tailored to your specific needs.

Many patients with a digestive disease have reported the following:

• Feeling discomfort related to symptoms of their digestive condition. Many GI conditions can cause pain and discomfort for the patient. Each situation is different, but many patients may experience bloating, constipation, bleeding, diarrhea, and more. These symptoms can interfere with how a patient feels while at work, school, or traveling, making it essential to find positive ways to manage symptoms and the condition itself.
• Feeling embarrassed or like they can’t tell people about their condition. An invisible disease, meaning one that other people cannot see, comes with a unique set of challenges. A patient may be having a digestive flare-up that can interfere with their daily routine, and no one else know or understand. Talking about certain bodily habits can be considered taboo in many situations, but it can be helpful to learn ways to communicate with others about what you’re going through. Education and awareness about any specific health condition can help relieve the confusion and fear of others.
• Feelings of isolation or frustration. It’s easy to feel alone or frustrated when dealing with an acute or chronic health condition – but our team here at Paragon is ready to support you every step of the way. You are not alone. We are here to help provide you with clinical resources, education, and more so that you can successfully manage your GI condition.
• Feeling discouraged through the process of finding a therapy that works. Learning what works best for a patient may take time. This can be challenging, especially when it would be ideal to have immediate results. Our team will work with each patient and their physician to navigate finding the best regimen for the individual.

There is hope. Our heart is to see you thrive in life and reach each goal you set for yourself, big or small. There are multiple online resources, community support groups, specialty therapies, and helpful information available. Whether you have been diagnosed with diverticulitis, Crohn’s disease, or ulcerative colitis, we’re here to provide the infusible and injectable therapies needed to manage your symptoms. Together with your physician, caregivers, and family, we believe you can live your life to its fullest.

What resources are available to GI patients?

• Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation – “We serve more than 1.2 million patients annually, empowering patients and caregivers through our chapters and our education, support, and advocacy programs. Since our founding in 1967, the Foundation has played a role in every major breakthrough in IBD research. We have invested more than $384 million into finding the causes, treatments, and cures for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. And we won’t stop until we realize our vision of a future free from Crohn’s and colitis.”
• IBD Support Foundation – “IBD impacts the whole family, not just the patient. At the IBD Support Foundation, we recognize the importance of strengthening the family unit while addressing the psychological, social, and emotional needs of each patient. This is done through various programs including individual and family counseling, hospital visitation programs, peer mentors, school advocacy, and psychoeducational support groups for IBD patients and their families.”
• Pediatric IBD Foundation – “The mission of the Pediatric IBD Foundation is to improve the lives of children with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis through advocacy and education. The Foundation is currently developing a much-needed and groundbreaking public safety registry for medicines used to treat children with IBD. Patient education has been at the forefront of the Foundation’s activities since its inception. The pedsibd.org website was one of the Foundation’s first completed projects and the first of its kind to offer disease-specific information directly related to pediatric care. This comprehensive patient/parent education website is particularly sensitive to the fact that a pediatric illness impacts the entire family and not the patient only. To this end, the Foundation’s website addresses this important issue by including information, tools, and resources for both parents and patients.”
• Smart Patients IBD Support Group – “The Smart Patients Inflammatory Bowel Disease Community was created as a resource especially for patients, their family caregivers, and other loved ones affected IBD, a chronic autoimmune condition involving the intestines. Members share stories, advice, encouragement, and information about their experiences living with all types of IBD, including Crohn's Disease (CD), Ulcerative Colitis (UC), microscopic colitis, and indeterminate colitis.”

As the healthcare industry shifts to focusing on gastroenterology patients’ experience, physicians and providers alike are recognizing that happy and healthy patients are the sum total of a positive physical, mental, and emotional state. Quality of life is a term used to encompass more than just a patient’s physical symptoms from their health condition. Our goal is to empower you to take charge of your health by learning practical ways to manage your condition.

For more information about Paragon Healthcare, visit https://paragonhealthcare.com/.