In December 2023, my world tipped upside down. I was just coming out of a six-month ulcerative colitis flare. One day, it felt like a literal bowling ball had lodged itself in my upper abdomen. It hurt to move. It hurt to eat. It hurt to breathe. The only thing that gave me some relief […]
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 […]
Why I Had an MRCP to Help Diagnosis My Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis
When my gastroenterologist noticed I had elevated liver numbers in late 2017, one of the procedures she scheduled was an MRCP. Keep on reading to learn what an MRCP looks for, my experience with the procedure, and why my doctor and I opted for an MRCP to help investigate my possible primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). […]
What is a Capsule Endoscopy and What Should You Expect Once You Swallow the PillCam
A traditional endoscopy is when you’re under anesthesia and the doctor sends a probe with a camera down your mouth, into your esophagus, and into your stomach. A capsule endoscopy is SO MUCH COOLER.
The Strange Link Between Elevated Liver Numbers and Failing Remicade
Near the end of 2017, I had elevated liver numbers while I simultaneously began to lose response to Remicade without developing Remicade antibodies. The combination of these two red flags is a sign that there might be something deeper at play than just ulcerative colitis. A lot of the time, these signs point to a […]
How Elevated Liver Numbers Threw a Wrench in My Health Plan
After taking a one-year break from Remicade, I restarted the biologic in 2017. Unfortunately, it didn’t work as well as it originally did, and my doctor thought that my high liver numbers might hold the keys to discovering the answer. In this blog post, I share why my elevated liver numbers threw a wrinkle in […]