Celebrating my five-year ulcerative colitis diagnosis this year, I had an epiphany. I realized that my diagnosis isn’t about me anymore. I’d started out sharing my story to find community and emotional healing, and now I share my story to help others. If you find yourself in a similar boat, keep reading to see why […]
Accepting Your Chronic Illness Isn’t a One-Time Thing
Happy September everyone! This month is very special to me because it’s my five-year ulcerative colitis diagnosis anniversary! In honor of this, I’m doing a five-part series of the five most significant lessons this chronic illness has taught me. Today’s topic is about why accepting your chronic illness is not a one-time thing. Accepting Your […]
5 Practical Ways to Launch Your Patient Advocacy Journey
So, you’re interested in becoming a patient advocate. That’s awesome! I truly believe that creating inspirational and educational content for others is a serious silver lining to living with chronic illness. Although you know that sharing your story will be amazing and empowering, starting your journey of patient advocacy can feel a little intimidating, too. […]
3 Reasons to Get a Bone Density Test if You Have Inflammatory Bowel Disease (And What to Expect at the Appointment)
If you have inflammatory bowel disease, you’re probably aware of the many ways IBD affects body parts that aren’t your bowels—from arthritic joints, to skin rashes, to mouth ulcers, to inflammation behind the eyes, and more. But did you know that ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s can affect your bones too? In this blog post, I […]
Encouragement to Those Dealing with Insurance Issues
Living with chronic illness means hours of frustrating hours spent on the phone dealing with insurance issues. Am I right, or am I right? In this post, I’m going to share a recent experience dealing with a major health insurance issue and how I resolved the issue. If you’re going through a similar experience, read […]
3 Reasons Why Prednisone Causes Weight Gain (And 3 Tips to Stop Gaining More Weight)
If you have Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis, you’ve probably taken prednisone at some point. Prednisone, sometimes referred to as the “devil’s tic-tacs” in the chronic illness community, has some fairly intense side effects including weight gain. But why exactly does it cause weight gain? And what can you do to prevent gaining weight? Keep reading […]