Living

Mental Health isn't just supposed to be talked about a few times throughout the year on the National Awareness Days, its for every single day but those days are meant...

Around 2 years ago I experienced one of the worst periods of my life: I had a fistula. If you haven't heard of them, then you're incredibly lucky. They're thought...

Statistics. Numbers. Research studies. When battling inflammatory bowel disease, it's easy to feel like you're just another number. A patient, but not a person. It's an isolating condition, even when...

We see commercials for pharmaceutical drugs and treatments all the time now, but they don't seem to understand what it's really like to live with a chronic illness.I’m not sure...

Resuming a normal sex life after surgery can be intimidating for both you and your partner. After the intensive surgery that your body has been put through, it’s normal to...

One thing I absolutely love to talk about is mental health. Whether it's on my blog, Chronically Strong, my social media and other outlets, or in person. I genuinely think that...

It's important to be able to recognize when you need to breathe, take a moment, perhaps step back and get a clearer picture of things and figuratively hit "reset" when...

A new year has arrived yet again. Resolutions are set (and underway), intentions are made (and in progress) and you're waiting to see what the rest of this year has...

Many of us know that Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis can come with extraintestinal manifestations. In fact, one of the things I know many IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) patients wish...

Official Rules, Terms and Conditions for the IBD Awareness Month Giveaway NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE DOES NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED...

So, you’re living with Crohn’s Disease, a chronic illness that plagues your life with stomach pains, exhaustion, strict diets, and urgent trips to the bathroom. Each day is a new...

Social media runs the world when it comes to the way we communicate, learn about news and express ourselves. While it often gets a bad rap for being all-consuming and...

I am a person who always gets excited for a new year. It signifies a fresh start for me. A chance to do things a little differently, hopefully accomplish more...

Happy holidays everyone; it's insane how fast 2017 passed by. In honor of the holidays and December being my 3 year anniversary with my GI, I decided to make holiday...

It's Christmas. Well... almost. In fact, alcohol consumption tends to be highest in the weeks leading up to it than the day itself. Work party? Family reunion? Friends you haven't...

For many people, holidays are a point of struggle. Memories, sometimes even flashbacks of hospital visits, can linger, blocking good holiday cheer. We sometimes fear that we may land in...

When's it going to happen next? Oh, you know what I'm talking about. That moment when your inflammatory bowel disease randomly, haphazardly, decides to interrupt your day and your life...

When people first ask me to explain how my Crohn's disease affects me, there are a lot of questions related to diet that follow. I have my own "elevator speech"...

When I was discharged from the hospital after my year-long stay, they had to send me home with a twenty-four-hour nurse.  A nurse? Why would I need a nurse?  The...

The day I decided to tell my boyfriend that I had an ileostomy, I was a nervous wreck. In my head, I rehearsed what I should say. I wanted the...