I’ve been fortunate enough to have been invited to join the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation for a Facebook Live Chat during World IBD Day (2018)!
I was joined by Dr. Smita Halder (Associate Professor, Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, McMaster University) and Rebecca H. Kaplan (Public Affairs & Social Media Manager for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation) to discuss the similarities and differences in IBD care between Canada and the USA.
You can watch the video below:
Questions we answered (plus more from the live viewers):
Q1: Eric, can you share with us what it was like when you were being diagnosed with
Crohn’s? How long did it take you to get a diagnosis from the time you started having
symptoms?
Q2: How did you go about finding a gastroenterologist/IBD specialist?
Q3: What’s been your overall experience accessing IBD care in your country?
Q4: Dr. Halder, what led you to specialize in IBD?
Q5: What do you think are the biggest hurdles that patients with IBD face in their care?
Q6: We know that living with IBD places a huge burden on a person’s emotional health
and quality of life. How are psychosocial issues incorporated into patient care in
Canada?
Q7: What’s the one thing you’d like to see changed related to IBD care in your country?
Q8: Crohn’s and colitis are complex diseases and can cause patients to feel isolated.
What are some of the educational resources and support services available in Canada
to empower patients?
Q9: What’s the one thing the IBD community has in common, in your opinion,
worldwide?
Q10: How do you feel that uniting globally around awareness dates like World IBD Day
makes a difference for IBD patients?
Special thanks to the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation for hosting this Facebook Live Chat and Crohn’s and Colitis Canada for getting me involved in it!
For more information on the Gutsy Peer Support program offered by Crohn’s and Colitis Canada, click HERE.