Living

This year has proven to be one of the toughest years mentally for many people. As much as I wanted to exercise, the pandemic made me more worried about catching...

Confession time ... I’m a toilet paper snob. Yep, it’s true. For this UC sufferer, I possess real discriminating tastes towards the paper products I use in the "nether regions."...

I often talk about how complicated having inflammatory bowel disease is. It can be difficult to diagnose, difficult to treat, and difficult to understand by both patients and clinicians. The...

I fully confess that lately, in order to avoid thinking about the decline of my own health, I've been doing something I would tell others to absolutely not do, myself...

Seven years ago, I was not sure about anything. I’d been debilitatingly ill for a while already, with no answers and no reasonable treatment options. I was in and out...

Some days are better than others when living with Crohn’s. Perhaps we ate something that didn’t agree with our digestive system or our nerves got the best of us and...

Diet is a tricky subject. No two Crohn’s patients are identical. A food one patient can tolerate, another might find troublesome. What general advice can be given then that applies...

Thirty-plus years as an IBD sufferer, and I can't even begin to tell you how many public restrooms I've experienced. Actually, any Crohn's or UC person possesses firsthand knowledge of...

I recently ran across a post by a young woman who was told to “just apply for disability,” in response to her discussion on chronic illness and her financial well-being...

Is it just me, or are toothaches just the absolute worst? I have experienced so much pain with my IBD. But then, there's a toothache! Another level of completely different...

It seems that every time I go to a doctor or new specialist, I end up walking out with a handful of things - but mostly, acronyms. New diagnoses. Almost...

Unfortunately, I know I am not the only one that experiences this, but how disheartening is it to know that your own family has not taken the time to research...

If you have IBD, you are probably all too familiar with the "dreaded" colonoscopy. I put "dreaded" in quotes because I actually don't mind a colonoscopy.  The test itself is...

It’s hard not to get the New Year’s blues when everyone around you appears to be moving forward with life. I see my friends getting married, having babies, and living...

You know the feeling. You must find a restroom, now. Except, you’re not alone. You have a little one with you - a baby, a toddler, or even someone under...

What do you get when you mix an ice storm with a colitis sufferer, a loss of electricity, and the final drip-drip of water from the bathroom faucet? “H-Have we...

People with inflammatory bowel disease often avoid eating certain things because they're worried about the aftermath. I stopped eating altogether. Back in 2007, just before my diagnosis, I stopped eating...

When I began writing for Health Union four years ago, I was adamant about using this platform to remove the stigma and demystify every aspect of living with inflammatory bowel...

Growing up I never had pets. My parents just didn’t allow it. I don’t think they wanted to be responsible for the daily maintenance of animals. You know, the food...

We believe the voices and personal experiences of people living with chronic conditions are the most important voices in healthcare – which is why we sometimes work with client sponsors...