Articles

Living with Crohn's disease inevitably involves flares. These are times when inflammation increases and symptoms worsen. It is uncomfortable, painful, and draining. To better understand Crohn’s flares, we recently asked...

Let me state the obvious: getting an IV is not fun. I have had probably hundreds of IVs inserted into my body since being diagnosed with Crohn's in 2009 and...

Some things in life can’t be explained. The hole that took up my stomach is one of them. I always thought I had a great-looking stomach. I was thin, had...

One slightly vexing aspect of IBD is the stool test. For the uninitiated, this involves defecating in a pan before scooping out your excrement in little lab vials. I remember one...

I have a secret... No one can outwardly see my struggle. From all appearances, I look normal. More importantly, I look healthy. But I know differently. I'm not like everyone...

I've talked on here before about how IBD can impact your mental health and why we need to do more to support patients with it. But new research has emerged...

In 2021, I started to flare worse than any flare I’d had previous to this. My body was not responding to my mesalamine at all and a strong course of...

Since getting my PICC line and coming off total parenteral nutrition (TPN) in June, my body has been declining rapidly. I’ve chosen to try and keep things private, but it’s...

Accidents. Incontinence. Call it what you will. To be in your 20s and experiencing fecal incontinence is soul-destroying. I’m not saying it’s any less soul-destroying later or earlier in life...

Over 30 years ago, if you told me that one day my Crohn's and I would be finally pain-free, I would have probably thought it a dream. Well, I guess...

Today I wanted to share a personal post about my experience with a changed menstrual cycle since I started Humira (also called adalimumab). After asking in Facebook groups and doing...

Living with a long-term health condition requires us to stay on top of everything: doctor’s appointments, new symptoms, insurance, and, of course, managing treatment – all while taking care of...

As someone who grew up in a working-class home, I’ve always been highly conscious of money and spending. As a graduate student, my attention to money has continued to be...

It’s holiday vacation time. I’m sitting in a restaurant enjoying an ocean view and finishing a scrumptious seafood meal with my husband when the pain hits. The low rumble, gurgle...

About 4 years ago, I stopped taking my medications. I had been on mesalamine for my ulcerative colitis and had been in remission for about a year. I was in...

When I first began experiencing symptoms of Crohn’s disease, I went into survival mode. Anything else took too much of my time, my energy, my hope, my life – and...

When you suffer from a Crohn's diagnosis or any chronic illness for that matter, we are masters at faking being well. That's right. Have an important event you need to...