Brooke Abbott

In our four-part series of interviews with gastroenterologist Dr. Neilanjan Nandi, he will be answering patient questions on all-things IBD. First up is Brooke Abbott. She was diagnosed with ulcerative...

While I was pregnant, I was very focused on what the needs of the baby were going to be. As well as the needs of my spouse. I worried about...

This past October, I celebrated the 10th anniversary of giving birth to my son. It was also the 8th anniversary of my journey as a single mother. Becoming a mother...

I can remember it like it was yesterday. The cold, sterile room, the hint of hand sanitizer combined with the smell of latex gloves and a tiny squeaky voice with...

When the doctor who diagnosed me mentioned the possibility of surgery, he told me it was a long way off. That I wouldn't need it until after 40 because my...

Being a patient and a parent, the holidays are always a mixture of joy and stress. The food. The family. The travel. I get so excited about the holidays because...

The holiday season is a perfect opportunity for families and friends to get together. We are sometimes fortunate to not see people we haven't seen in a while. People who...

As I talked about in a recent article, ulcerative colitis robbed me of my education. I decided to register for college on National College Signing Day. After a chat with...

Eight years ago, I officially became a mother. Ten years ago, I officially became an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patient. And the two lives often bicker and fight over who...

When I was 16 years old, I decided I wanted to be a filmmaker more than I wanted to be an actress. But having grown up in the entertainment industry...

It's 3 p.m. on a Thursday and you’re on your 4th doctor's appointment of the week. Glancing down at your bandaged arm you count the bruises and scabs from a...

Summertime is a great time of year. The kids are out of school. The weather is warm and friendlier to joints. No one has to get up at the crack...

Sometimes it’s easier to blame every terrible moment on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It seems like the only logical thing to do, considering most of the most traumatic events in...

Living with autoimmune diseases and the challenges they bring is enough for any one human. Then pack on raising and caring for a smaller human. And if that’s not enough...

Halloween is a favorite holiday in my house because it comes exactly 10 days after my little Hippo’s birthday. He’s a party animal who is always looking for a reason...

As much as we love spending time with our little pumpkins over the summer, it’s kind of nice when they go back to school and we get a break from...

I’ve been a mother longer than I’ve had a j-pouch. So, facing drastic body changes was not new for me in 2012 when I started talk about having my colon...

As patients, we often find it exhausting to continue talking about our lives with inflammatory bowel disease. However, the lack of awareness about life with IBD, proves that our stories...