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Dwight D. Eisenhower and Crohn's

Did anyone know that former president Dwight Eisenhower had Crohn's disease? I just found this out today while at the doctor. I was asking my GI about what foods to avoid and he told me to avoid crunchy, raw vegetables, which led him to telling me that Eisenhower had Crohn's, and had an emergency bowel resection, and his surgeon actually found tons of undigested CELERY lodged throughout his intestines. I love celery...but probably will never eat it again. Yikes! :ybatty:
 
It's definitely new to me. Too bad it was way back--a current president with such issues can maybe help us (better funding, an urgency to learn more about the disease for all GI's, better treatment, cure).
 

imisspopcorn

Punctuation Impaired
I just read that the screen writer for the movie Alien had Crohn's.....I find it frighteningly fitting that the alien emerges out of the abdomen, since we all joke about "the Crohn's alien" when our stomachs grumble and hurt....His name was Dan O' Bannon. He had Crohn's for 30yrs. He died at the age of 63.
 

GoJohnnyGo

One Badass Dude
imisspopcorn said:
I just read that the screen writer for the movie Alien had Crohn's.....I find it frighteningly fitting that the alien emerges out of the abdomen, since we all joke about "the Crohn's alien" when our stomachs grumble and hurt....His name was Dan O' Bannon. He had Crohn's for 30yrs. He died at the age of 63.
Wow. Art imitates life.
 
When I had abscesses in my abdomin wall, they looked like an alien was bulging out of my abdomin and cracking it's way out. I guess the surgeon showed that little bugger what it deserves when he cut me and drained those abscesses :)

By the way, Alien is one of my top favourite movies, Go figure :)
 
Mike McCready lead guitarist of Pearl Jam, Joe Rogan, and a whole handful of professional athletes too. Also quite a few other famous people but non who I'm very familiar with.
 
Don't forget me. I have Crohns and I'm a famous person. I put my pants on the same as them. We all are famous people in our own right.

Sorry, just can't stand how society puts celebs and such on a pedestal and make a big fuss over them. A celeb gets more coverage time for doing something than a soldier killed in action gets. Its like its mentioned and than forgotten. That is why I joined the Patriot guard riders.
 
I wouldn't say we are putting them on a pedestal but its very cool to know that somebody with Crohn's was able to become President of the US! and David Garrard can be the most accurate passer in the NFL, and Theo Fleury can be an all-star NHLer. Thats amazing and on some of my worst days its nice to know people who have Crohn's are living their lives under intense pressure and under a microscope are able to excel in what they are doing. It's because they are famous this info is easier to come across. My aunt with Colitis just ran a marathon, that too is amazing but nobody else on this site would know by searching google would they?

I also would like to politely disagree with your soldier killed in action refrence. A young man from my city who went to my old high school was just killed in Afganistan. His full page picture has been on the back of every local paper lately and all the flags in the city are stll at half mast over a week later. To be honest I know his name, I know he was killed, and I do not know or remember what I watched on TV last night or who the last person Tiger slept with was.
 
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Jennifer

Adminstrator
Staff member
Location
SLO
I was the first person in my area diagnosed with crohns back in 1991. Since there were so few people diagnosed around that time my mom said that I might be related to Eisenhower because he had crohns and that it's hereditary (least that's how I got it cause I was 9 and both of my parents are carriers). I know now that that can't be true but I've known about Eisenhower since then. Didn't know about the surgery or celery though.
 
Hahaha that Alien reference made me really happy to hear somebody else mention it. Before I had surgery to remove my ileum in 2002, I had a really bad obstruction that for some reason was impossible to diagnose. My doctors thought I was crazy and actually sent me to counseling because I kept telling them that when I get these spasms, my something pertrudes inside my abdomen, and I feel like something is going to pop out like in the movie Alien! my parents made references to that movie for years after.
 
I was diagnosed with Crohn's in 1997 while I was inpatient at the (Dwight D.) Eisenhower Medical Center in Augusta, GA. There's some irony huh?
 
Hereditary?????

CrabbyRelish said:
I was the first person in my area diagnosed with crohns back in 1991. Since there were so few people diagnosed around that time my mom said that I might be related to Eisenhower because he had crohns and that it's hereditary (least that's how I got it cause I was 9 and both of my parents are carriers). I know now that that can't be true but I've known about Eisenhower since then. Didn't know about the surgery or celery though.

I didn't know Crohns was hereditary....is that true?
 
Sue-2009 said:
I didn't know Crohns was hereditary....is that true?
There is no definitive answer. Some people have family histories some don't.

I am the only person in my family history as far back as I can trace that has had any form of digestive disease.
 

Jennifer

Adminstrator
Staff member
Location
SLO
CrohnsHobo said:
There is no definitive answer. Some people have family histories some don't.
Exactly. I don't believe it's true in all cases but I do believe that there is a link and that the risk goes up slightly if its in the family.

"The exact cause of Crohn's disease has yet to be proven. At present, theories and research focus on immunologic and bacterial causes. Many current researchers believe that the immune system, acting by itself, attacks the GI tract, what triggers this is yet to be discovered. Other researchers believe that a strictly environmental agent is involved and some believe that an environmental agent causes triggering of the immune response. While it is known that chances of getting Crohn's disease increases if another family member has had it. Only 20 to 25% of patients with Crohn's disease have any family history of the disease. (C.C.F.A. statistics 2008)"
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Is_Crohn's_disease_hereditary

My parents were both carriers but neither had it themselves. As a result, they had four children and two of them have the disease.
 

Crohn's 35

Inactive Account
Crohns can run in families and skip a generation. 5 of us have a form of it, and my mother nothing but her mom had gastroentestinal problems and a cousin of hers.

My brother has UC and his daughter has a aunt on the other side who has UC, the incidence rises for my nieces children and one has bowel problems.

Could you imagine having Crohns way back when.... not me!
 
Did anyone know that former president Dwight Eisenhower had Crohn's disease? I just found this out today while at the doctor. I was asking my GI about what foods to avoid and he told me to avoid crunchy, raw vegetables, which led him to telling me that Eisenhower had Crohn's, and had an emergency bowel resection, and his surgeon actually found tons of undigested CELERY lodged throughout his intestines. I love celery...but probably will never eat it again. Yikes! :ybatty:
I knew President Eisenhower had Crohn's or as they said back then, regional ileitis. Like President Eisenhower, I recently had surgery to remove the diseased portion. Fortunately, I had the kind that stayed in one place so I am hoping it doesn't come back. Unfortunately, I don't like celery even though I can have it now!:sign0144:
 
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