The First Year: Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis: An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed

Award winning author of various health topics, Jill Sklar has come out with a super- winner. It truly lives up to its sub-title as an essential guide for newly diagnosed patients with IBD (Crohn's or ulcerative colitis). The author discusses what IBD is and stresses that it is NOT your fault if you have it. Not only she talks about how to interpret results but also how to manage life both at work and home. Even legal issues as they relate to patients are discussed. An important part of the book is, "How to assemble a health team" and of course what does it consist of. In addition to reviewing IBD itself, the author also discusses the associated health conditions and cancer that these patient face. She not only discusses the role of diet, medicines, surgery etc but also talks about simple but important things like when to call a doctor. Significant portions of book are devoted to important issues of pregnancy, childbirth, lactation and travel as they occur in the patients and how to cope with them. I highly recommend it. Anil Minocha MD Author: Natural Stomach Care

In January 2003, at age 40, after years of living with what I thought were my severe food allergies reactions, I was diagnosed with accute, universal, UC. I did not know where to turn for accurate, complete and honest information. I felt my doctor could only offer an overview of the disease. This was one of the first books that I read and I would strongly recommend it. Until I met fellow suffers through CCFA, I felt very alone with this disease. This book gave me a clear indication of what I have and what to expect with UC. I highly recommend this for the newly diagnosed - it was incredibily informative.

This is a great reference reference book for anyone interested in IBD, regardless of how long you have had the disease. The title implies it is for the newly diagnosed, but I found it to be a great reference and I have had Crohn's for over ten years and have done a lot of research in the area. While I have read other good overview books, they become dated as new treatments become available. Sklar's book provides a fairly comprehensive and up-to-date review of the current treatments. It's also great to have a fellow-sufferer's perspective. Read it (and don't forget to support the Crohn's and Colits Foundation of America).

An excellent overview of the disease and the most up-to-date and complete listing of current treatment options. I have had Crohn's disease for ten years and am very well researched on the disease and still found this book helpful. The title would imply it's a "starter" book, but it's also an excellent reference for veterans of the disease like me. The one negative review that claimed the author was "jaded" is a rather poorly thought out comment. When you write a book about the disease, you talk about the disease and it's complications. While it might be uplifting to read about all the people living comfortably with the disease, it doesn't help you take an active role in determining your treatment. This book does. All of us that suffer with the disease need to take the lead in understanding the disease and making sure we have the best medical care. So do your work! Read this book and others and support the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America. Here's to hoping you feel better soon!

I have a small library of books on Crohn's disease and Ulcerative Colitis, and this one by far offers the most updated and helpful information. Whenever I have a question about my diet, or my medication, or a new symptom, this is the first book I pull off the shelf. The book is also extremely well-written, with clear explanations of all of the medical information, and some nice personal perspectives from the author, who has Crohn's disease. If you--or a loved one--have recently been diagnosed, do yourself a favor and buy this book. When you close it, you will be a wiser and more prepared patient or caregiver than you were before you opened it.