Something you might not know about me is a terrible ulcerative colitis flare forced me to drop out of college. In this blog post, I share the symptoms of this life-changing flare and why dropping my classes surprisingly turned out to be the best thing for me. Flaring at the Beginning of Grad School In […]
The Remarkable Ways Vancomycin Improved My Ulcerative Colitis and Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis
I had elevated liver numbers near the end of 2017 and my gastroenterologist believed I had the rare liver disease, primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). Unfortunately, the results of my procedures (including a specialty blood test and an MRCP) were normal. That’s why my GI and I decided that I try vancomycin to see if it […]
How an Ulcerative Colitis Flare Actually Improved My Perspective on Life
Living with IBD or chronic illness can oftentimes make us feel trapped—especially when we’re flaring. In 2018, I was hospitalized for the worst ulcerative colitis flare of my life. However, this awful flare actually improved my perspective on life! When I was finally able to leave my house and travel, I found a new appreciation […]
Health Update: An Inflamed Colon, an Inconvenient Hospitalization, and Starting Entyvio
In August 2018, I was hospitalized for five days for the worst ulcerative colitis flare of my life. In this post, I share why I was hospitalized, how they managed my symptoms in the hospital, and how this flare affected my long-term school and career plans. Let’s dive in! The First Signs of the Flare […]
I Flared Two Months Before My Wedding: This Flare Food Helped Get Me Through
One year before my wedding, I switched from Remicade to Sulfasalazine, a 5-ASA oral medication. It kept me in remission for nearly about twelve months, but I fell into a flare one month before my wedding. In this post, I share the flare food that helped me manage my symptoms until a new medicine kicked […]
Ulcerative Colitis Diagnosis: How my Chronic Illness Journey Began
Ah, August of 2014. The summer I transferred to William Jessup University—a small, humble school on the outskirts of Rocklin, California. I had always dreamt of attending a large university after my two years at a cramped and overcrowded community college—someplace where I could continue to appease my inner introvert and hide camouflaged amongst the masses…