Newly Diagnosed

IBD stands for Inflammatory Bowel Disease, which actually refers to two types of conditions: Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Crohn’s disease means a person can have patches of inflammation in any part of the GI tract, including both the small and large intestines. Ulcerative colitis means a person has inflammation in just the large intestine. Inflammation in the large intestine can sometimes look like both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, so doctors call this indeterminate colitis.

Do you know what kind of IBD you have? Ask your doctor if you’re not sure. There is no cure for IBD, but by now we have lots of different strategies to manage it. It might seem scary at first, but millions of people around the world have IBD! You’ve probably met someone with IBD before -- maybe even a member of your family. People with IBD can still do lots of things that they love, and so can you!