Living

I like posting health updates. I don't do it all the time, but I think it can be useful. It can be a quick and easy way to spread awareness...

As patients with chronic conditions, we heavily rely on the healthcare system. Let's face it, we need it. Whether we'd like to believe it or not. Even those of us...

How many times have you walked into the Emergency Department and tried to accurately explain why you are in there? Do you think that they understand that you are (if...

Dear Self, For twenty years of your life, you had an “iron stomach.” No foods bothered, you, and you were the “good eater” of the family.  Unfortunately, that has changed. All...

To my newly diagnosed self (in 2013), I'm nearly six years into this Crohn's malarky now so I thought it only right to look back and give you some much-needed...

When I first began showing symptoms of IBD back in the fall of 2009, I was living with a roommate in a high rise apartment in the city and had...

"Broken homes, where all the broken people live." If you're a true Grey's Anatomy fan, I assume you know where this quote comes from. On a very old episode of Grey's, Meredith said she...

It is common, if not expected, for those with IBD to have the "why me?" mentality. Sure, we deal with chronic pain, the urgency to find a bathroom, extreme fatigue...

Have you ever been afraid of being positive? Afraid of having high expectations of yourself or your body? Solely because you know better. Have you ever wanted to have faith...

Oftentimes those who don't have IBD ask, "What does the pain feel like?" If you're like me, it can be difficult to put into words. At the same time, the...

Do you remember that childhood game red light, green light? You know, that game where you had to race across a field when the gamemaster would yell out "green light."...

We have been getting a lot of questions in the IBD community about whether living with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis can cause weight gain. I know the more common...

I struggle all the time to recognize myself. My body has drastically changed over the past 5 years. And when I struggle with my mental health, my physical health starts...

Don’t get me wrong. I love that I have a J-Pouch. I would not be able to live the life I do, without one. What a J-Pouch is is something...

Have you participated in a study? I haven’t, but I’ve always wanted to. I love science. And since I’m not a scientist, participating in a study could be my personal...

For a long time, I didn't realize there was a difference between a gastroenterologist and an actual IBD specialist. I assumed that because I was seeing a gastroenterologist, or "GI,"...

I've recently lost a fair amount of weight and I can't really say that the feedback has been fantastic. I wanted to write about it and my hubby wanted to...

Having become chronically ill nearly a decade ago, I’ve learned so much about how I process disease, hardship, and other challenges in life. Having symptoms that for years had no...

I'm not going to lie. As I'm typing this, I'm having one of these evenings when I get caught in a 'what if?' cycle. I've not long blogged up about...

No more than five minutes after my best friend decreed, “You may kiss the bride,” it happened. My little cousin ran up and exclaiming, “Great, you did it! When are...