Archive for November, 2012
Join Us for a Crohn’s & Colitis Awareness Week #PurpleChallenge
Crohn’s & Colitis Awareness Week starts tomorrow and we are so excited to celebrate it with everyone in our IBD family!
The ABC’s of Crohn’s & UC: “I”
Next up in the alphabet series is the letter I. I never thought I’d be saying that when 20 years ago I would run out of the room when the letter I came on during Sesame Street. But I digress.
There are a lot of really important I’s, so read up!
The Essential Hospital Bag
If you have IBD, it’s inevitable that at some point, you will wind up in the hospital. Some stays might be for a few hours, some a few days, and for the unlucky ones, a few weeks or months. Regardless of how long you are in the hospital, there are some essentials to take with you to ensure that your patient’s stay, and subsequently yours, is as pleasant as a stay in the hospital can be.
If only it were this simple…
I’ve come up with a list based off of what I’ve brought to the hospital the three times Dan has been hospitalized. Obviously, everyone has different interests so this list can be modified to fit anyone’s needs.
My Belated Gratitude Challenge
I found a blog recently written by a Crohnie called My Journey with Crohn’s. Sarah, the site’s author, recently did a week-long series on gratitude. I’m a little bummed that I didn’t find her blog sooner otherwise I totally would have participated.
Every day for one week, she posted five things that she is grateful for (in the spirit of Thanksgiving). On the last day, she also posted what some of her followers are grateful for. It’s such a great idea, given how unsettling and upsetting Crohn’s and UC can be, to think about gratitude and give thanks to the things that are good in your life.
That being said, while I won’t list 35 things that I am grateful for, I will do a short list here in the spirit of her series from last week.
Holiday Eating for IBD
With Thanksgiving tomorrow, I thought it would be appropriate to do a short write up about holiday eating for Crohnie’s and UC-ers.
Holidays mean food and lots of it. Some is good, some is bad, and some is all around delicious. But for those with IBD, eating the wrong thing or too much of the right thing can ruin the holiday and equal hours in the bathroom.
The ABC’s of Crohn’s Disease & UC: “G” & “H”
In my next ABC’s of Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis, I explore the G’s and H’s of the diseases. I found that there aren’t that many of either but enough to make it worthwhile to combine the two into one entry.
There are some obvious ones and some not so obvious ones but overall, a lot of important terms that start with G and H.
So without further ado, I present to you the G’s and H’s of Crohn’s and UC.
UC Mom Chats with Caring for Crohn’s About Her Daughter’s Battle
Tara Blackburn is 27 years-old, a wife, and a mother of two adorable young girls, Alexis, 5, and Kyleigh, 2. On paper, it seems like her life is normal. However, two year ago, everything changed when her oldest was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis.
Since the diagnosis, Alexis has been through numerous medications, hospitalizations, and surgeries. Tara documents her journey caring for a young child with UC in her blog From a Mother’s Perspective.
While I have experience caring for a loved one with Crohn’s who is in his 20’s, I cannot imagine what it must be like to care for a young child with the disease. I was so excited when Tara agreed to answer a few questions for Caring for Crohn’s and tell us a little more about her life with Alexis and Ulcerative Colitis.
The ABC’s of Crohn’s Disease & UC: “F”
I am really doing a bad job at keeping up with this blog. Every time I start to get into a groove with it, something pops up and I get very busy and this suffers. So I apologize to those out there who read my blog and promise that I will make an effort to really post more than once a week.
Today’s post is a continuation of my ABC’s series. Without further ado, I bring you the letter F.
Ally Bain (of Ally’s Law) Chats with Caring for Crohn’s About Her Journey
Ally Bain is a rock star in the Crohn’s and UC world. We all know her for her work on creating Ally’s Law, or the Restroom Access Act, which allows Crohnies access to employee-only restrooms during a medical emergency. She was even named one of Glamour magazine’s Top 10 College Women last year! Well, aside from working on getting that law passed in several states around the country, Ally is a recent college graduate who is in the process of applying to law school to study civil and disability rights.
Ally recently chatted with me about her Crohn’s journey. Check out her interview below!
What Not to Say to an IBD Patient or Caregiver
In the almost six years that I have been with Dan, many stupid things have been said to me about the disease. Usually, I just brush it off because I am not the one living with the disease every day.
This post comes after I read a piece in Health Magazine entitled “11 Things Not to Say to Someone with Ulcerative Colitis.” Crohnies hear the brunt of the dumb things that are said about the disease, but us caregivers definitely hear some also.
Below is a list of some of the things that have been said to me that you really shouldn’t say to an IBD patient or caregiver (or really anyone with a disease). Disclaimer: you may not agree with every one I put on the list. This is just made up of ones that annoy me (and I may become annoyed more than others). What is okay or not okay to ask or say is totally subjective and varies person to person.
Caring for Crohn's & UC 