Articles

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...

During the last several years, I’ve written about my life with Crohn’s disease. I’ve written in-depth about how it’s impacted my mental health, my physical health, my identity, my relationships...

The first time I started taking rectal medications I used to go to the pharmacy and fill my whole backpack with boxes of enemas. These were mesalamine enemas and I...

Recently, a friend called. She'd only had Crohn's disease a few months, hadn't eaten in a few days, and was now in severe abdominal pain. Should she go to the...

In a recent post, I talked about how I stay organized in managing the logistical part of living with IBD – including keeping track of important contacts, symptom fluctuations, appointments...

Note: These descriptions are based on my personal experience with a variety of treatments as an ulcerative colitis patient. Always remember to speak directly with your doctor about your medications...

A pulsating throb awakens me at night. I attempt to stretch, to ease the lightning bolts of shooting pain, but my arms don’t seem to want to move easily. At...