Can I buy a bowel? Wheel of Fortune jokes aside, living with IBD can be painful. It can be frustrating. Scary. Embarrassing. Agonizing…Soul crushing. I can think of a lot of gloomy adjectives to describe it. And IBD often varies so much person-to-person – age of diagnosis, symptoms, response to medications, extent of disease. No two people’s experience is the same. I’ve had quite the…ahem…colorful experience with IBD. There was a period of a couple…
What could have been… As I said in my last post, one of the most important lessons that I am still learning in regard to living with IBD is self-compassion. By no means am I an expert. I have most likely just barely scratched the surface when it comes to the potential of self-compassion, but it has been immensely helpful. I often think how things might have turned out differently had I adopted a more…
Self-acceptance. Self-care. Self… Those words mean so many different things to different people. And in today’s fast-paced, individualistic and overly-critical society, self-compassion is often seen as indulgent. We are told to “suck it up” or “grin and bear it”. Some view self-compassion as a weakness. Or it is something we “treat ourselves with” when things are going bad. Self-compassion is none of those things. For individuals living with chronic illness (IBD or other), self-compassion is…
Inflammatory bowel what? So what the heck is IBD anyway? I’ve been talking about it a lot, but I have yet to actually define it. Whoops. Most of you reading are likely already well versed in IBD: you are living it, or you know someone who is living with it. But for those of you who are unfamiliar, new to IBD, or need a refresher…here are a few quick IBD facts. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)…
This is the first in what is going to be a series of posts focused on things that have helped me in my IBD journey. Today we talk about ostomies. You lost me at Ostomy… For a long time, the word ostomy really freaked me out. Thankfully, not everyone living with IBD will have to experience life with an ostomy (colostomy, ileostomy or other). Some may have an ostomy due to reasons other than IBD…
The person behind the keyboard… I guess you should know a few things about the person speaking to you from the other end of the keyboard. My name is Chris. I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis in 2016. Since then, there have been many, many ups and downs. Horrific experiences I wouldn’t wish on anyone. Yet also experiences of love, understanding and unconditional support which I am so grateful for. I have failed and fallen…
Blog Post #1 Alright people in internet land. Disclaimer: I know nothing about blogs. Zip-zero actually. I do know a fair amount about IBD though. Ulcerative colitis. I’ve lived it for the past 7 years. It has been quite the ride. Lots of struggles. A few successes. I’ve learned a lot. And I continue to learn and heal… My goal here is create a place where people living with IBD can come together and chat.…
