Living

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional and my point of view reflects what rheumatologists and gastroenterologists have advised me in the past, in addition to reliable, scholarly resources. Always...

It's January, the start of a new year, and, unfortunately for me and many others, the start of a flare-up too. Each year, just after the holidays, I really struggle...

I honestly have a headache just typing the title for this article. As anyone on any type of expensive medication knows, a new year means new prior authorizations are required...

Currently, my boyfriend and I are renovating an apartment and the plan is to move into this apartment once it is completed. Thankfully we have our own place as we...

As someone living with Crohn's disease, I'll be the first to tell you that my relationship with food has admittedly been complicated for a long time. There were years prior...

It's officially cold season and whilst I actually prefer winter to summer, I don't love the colds that are going around. Because of COVID-19, many of us have avoided colds...

Do you ever feel like your life is just constantly one step forward, and two steps back? I have felt this way so often since being diagnosed with colitis. When...

This is a question I often see discussed amongst IBD patients. Are food diaries a good idea for those of us with Crohn's or colitis? Or are they a waste...

I often miss my grandma. She was my biggest supporter. She really encouraged me to follow my own path. In adolescence, I tended to feel alienated from my family, for...

"Time for grillin’ and chillin’!" That’s how the invitation read. Would I attend the "I Do BBQ" request? Of course, I would attend! After all, this was my son and...

When I started taking Humira a few months ago, I was assigned a Nurse Ambassador — I’ll call her S — who would focus on how I was feeling with...

Well, I did it. I knew I shouldn’t, but I did anyway. At this point, I didn’t want to opt for "safe." No, I wanted to live life on the...

Acupuncture is a form of Traditional Chinese Medicine that has been used for thousands of years. It is often employed for pain management and symptom mitigation. While some are creeped...

Health anxiety is a thing. Health anxiety is when someone spends so much time worrying about their health – that they are ill, or about getting ill, that it negatively...

For the last few months, my doctors were monitoring my hemoglobin levels, in case of anemia. Since I was bleeding from my ulcerative colitis flare, my care team really wanted...

The other day, I read a quote that said, "We are all broken... that’s how the light gets in." It got me thinking about my journey living with ulcerative colitis...

People who rant endlessly about the power of positive thinking often get on my nerves. With certain types, it’s almost a religion. Anything can be overcome if you think positively...

As a Crohn's patient, I have had numerous colonoscopies (truthfully, too many to count!) and I always like to share tips to make others' experience better. For those with Crohn's or...

I regularly find myself "nagging" at people because they're suffering, but not contacting their healthcare professionals (HCPs). Often using reasons such as work or other commitments. Lots of us don't...

Between my recent flare and the pandemic, my world has mostly become confined to my own apartment. While I’ve become more comfortable with the occasional eating outside at a restaurant...