Professor Anthony O’Connor, consultant gastroenterologist in Dublin, said there is a need to start breaking down barriers in talking about the condition and in creating greater understanding.
Inflammatory bowel disease, affecting around 50,000 people in Ireland, is a term used to describe long term conditions that cause severe stomach pain and diarrhoea.
The main causes are Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
“We know that people have lost friends because of IBD. They’ve had romantic relationships that have broken up because of inflammatory bowel disease,” he said.
“Some haven’t been able to achieve their potential academically or have had jobs that they have had to walk away from. It’s important that employers understand a bit more about the disease and understand where people are coming from.
“You know, it’s a difficult thing for people to talk about their symptoms with their boss. It’s about trying to understand what people’s lived experience is, what people are going through, and to try and support them.”
He was speaking as Crohn’s and Colitis Ireland launched the ‘It Takes A Village’ campaign to coincide with World Inflammatory Bowel Disease Day on May 19.
The charity has developed a new hands-on guide on supporting people with the condition .
It is hosting a free webinar next Tuesday, May 19 from 7pm to 8.15pm, featuring contributions from Dr Susan Brannick, a clinical psychologist and clinical director with Aware, and Gogglebox Ireland TV critic, Sarah Reilly, who lives with Crohn’s disease .
Victoria Spillane, Chief Operating Officer with Crohn’s and Colitis Ireland, who herself lives with Crohn’s disease, said each of us taking just one practical step would make the world of difference to people with IBD.
“There have been times in my life when I wished the village around me had known more and understood more, and things could have been so different,” she said.
“I can remember standing in an Irish concert arena, desperately needing a toilet, but being denied access to an accessible facility. I used to play basketball, yet on the days that illness left me unable to train or compete, this was often perceived as laziness rather than simply being too unwell.
“I can recall comments about my changing appearance, whether bloating caused by steroids, or dramatic weight loss caused by flares, remarks that education and empathy could have changed.
“Living with inflammatory bowel disease is never an individual experience. There is not one part of life that it does not impact, whether it’s home, school, work, social life, travel and daily routines.
“There’s the mental strain, the financial pressures, the social impacts. That impact radiates outward, touching easily ten or more people – parents, siblings, partners, friends, and colleagues. With approximately 50,000 people living with IBD here, that means half a million people, and more, directly affected, through shared daily life.”
