NAVIGATING A PANDEMIC WHILE “AT RISK” OF INFECTION
By Tamsin Vidal
April 2020
(Photo courtesy of Zoe Pleasure)
Zoe Pleasure, 26, is a Brooklyn resident who works at the Guttmacher Institute, a sexual and reproductive health nonprofit, where she does public health and sociological research.
Pleasure has been living with Crohn’s Disease since October of 2019. For months doctors believed Pleasure suffered from Ulcerative Colitis, which can have similar clinical presentations as Crohn’s. Currently, Pleasure takes immunosuppressant medication to help control her illness. She talked about living with Crohn’s during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how she deals with being at increased risk for complications related to the novel coronavirus.
This interview has been condensed and edited for length and clarity.
Is it stressful handling Crohn’s right now, on top of everything else going on in the world?
I think it was more overwhelming in the fall when I didn’t know what was wrong with me, and I wasn’t sure why I was so sick and why I needed surgery. I had a doctor at Mount Sinai who was really good at talking through things like this. Once I had a treatment plan it all was so much more manageable. I started my treatment in January of this year, which is Remicade, a biologic medication. It’s an anti-tumor necrosis factor protein that helps stop the immune response, I think. I’m not entirely sure about the science.
That is the immunosuppressant medication you are on right now?
Yeah. They do say that I am technically more susceptible to getting sick and it takes longer for me to get over the flu and colds than the normal person.
Are you a part of any Crohn’s support groups?
I’m a part of a Remicade Facebook group. But I found the group to be a little bit too scary for me. People talk about really drastic side effects, which is helpful to know sometimes, but it’s not great for me to read over and over again.
Have you checked the group since everything shut down?
Some. I think the admin people are trying to keep the hysteria in check of people freaking out about it. There are some useful posts, like one of the doctors over at Mount Sinai started an IBD registry, tracking all the COVID cases around the world of people who have an IBD, to see what their clinical outcome are, and if these medications actually do have an effect on fatality, or whether you are more susceptible to getting the coronavirus. It didn’t show that more people were hospitalized or more likely to die if they had an IBD. So that was good to see.
Was it easy for you to transition to work from home?
It was a little frantic at first when I was trying to decide what to do. I was worried about going on the subway and commuting to work, so my doctor said I should just stay home. She gave me a letter basically saying I needed to work from home earlier. My supervisor was really supportive, understanding, and wanted to make sure I was doing the best thing for me. That was very reassuring.
With all the craziness that is going on, what would you consider to be the biggest gift Crohn’s has given you?
I have a great care team at Mount Sinai who truly care for their patients and have been very helpful at assuaging any fears that I’ve had. I’m glad I have clear guidance from them that it’s safer for people with Crohn’s to continue with their biologic therapy than to stop it. And generally understanding that I am capable of preventing myself from getting sick.
IBD Registry Link: covidibd.org