Crohn’s, Colitis, and Being a Parent

Crohn’s, Colitis, and Being a Parent

Crohn’s, Colitis, and Being a Parent We had the chance to sit down and chat with two very special people about an important topic – IBD and Parenting. In this post, we compare, via discussion, parenting roles with IBD. They share their emotions, fears, and what it means to be a parent. Frank Garufi, Jr of the Crohn’s Colitis Effect doesn’t have IBD, but his young son does, and he’s just as involved as if he was the patient. Sharon Saeed of IBD Journeys has IBD and has been through her share of hospital stays, all while being the best mom she can to her amazing kids. GBM: Tell us about your family. How has IBD touched your family? Ever since my kids could remember, they know Mommy sometimes goes into the hospital. Especially in the past two years, it has really turned our lives around. Prior to June 2011, I was probably one of “those” moms - if there was an activity, my kids would be signed...
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Running to the Bathroom

Running to the Bathroom

It’s race day.  The air is cool, the sun is low, adrenaline is high.  The crowds are gathering near the start and off to the side, there is a very, very long line for the portapotty.  EVERYONE is obsessing over having to go.  Waiting in that line, a line that I hope is moving quickly, I wonder how many other people are having the same anxieties as me because I’m not just obsessing, I really need to go.  I’m not just hoping that I can empty my bladder and bowel before the race, but I can feel an urgency that very rapidly will become an immediate need. We all know what this is like.  The “oh no, I need a bathroom and I need it now!” revelation is never fun, particularly when it’s accompanied by a bout of abdominal pain.  So last May, as I congregated with 20,000 friends in Brooklyn, ready to run the Brooklyn Half Marathon, I found myself...
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Relationships, Marriage, and IBD

Relationships, Marriage, and IBD

Just like we did with our Parenting Perspective, we sat down to chat with two IBD activists about how their marriages work in the face of IBD. This special conversational post compares two perspectives – one spouse who has Crohn’s, with that of a spouse who is a caregiver. You may know Ryan Stevens of The Crohn’s Disease Survival Guide. Ryan is a long time patient of Crohn’s, and is working on his second attempt to swim across Lake Erie for funding and awareness. On the other hand, we have Rebecca Kaplan, blogger at Caring for Crohn’s, who is not a patient, but has seen and cared for IBD first hand. GBM: Tell us about yourself and your spouse. How does IBD affect your family? Were you together when the diagnosis happened, or were you/your partner already diagnosed when you started dating? Rebecca: My husband Dan has Crohn’s Disease. We began dating two months before he was diagnosed in 2007 and have been married...
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Spreading Awareness is Liberating

Spreading Awareness is Liberating

In this guest post, Noah discusses his struggle with sharing the details of his disease, and the surprising reactions he received.  From consulting Dr. Google to feeling embarrassed, his story is something we can all relate to - and a lesson we can all learn from. I woke in a frenzy, hurriedly flinging off my sheets and tugging down my panties as I ran out of my room and around the corner, and promptly threw my naked butt down on the toilet seat. As quickly as I had moved, I still managed to dribble crap from my bed to the bathroom. I was home alone, but humiliated and confused with myself. My family doctor told me I was vitamin D deficient and probably had hemorrhoids, but every time I tried to Google my symptoms, I only pulled up colon cancer. I spent the next hour scrubbing the strangely maroon-colored soil out of the carpet, wiping the blood spatters from the toilet seat, and being extremely...
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From the Bathroom to Kona

From the Bathroom to Kona

From the Bathroom to Kona Grant Henry is Kona Inspired We recently caught up to Grant Henry, a colitis patient and Team Challenge alum who is fighting for awareness with his campaign for an entry into the Kona Ironman World Championships, through the Kona Inspired contest. If he wins, he plans to wear IBD apparel, discuss it in the media, and do everything he can to increase awareness of this and Crohn’s Disease. View his entry video and vote here. GBM: Tell us about your disease. What do you have, when were you diagnosed, any medication or surgical details you want to share, and how are you feeling now? Grant: I suffer from ulcerative colitis and was diagnosed in the summer of 2006 after completing my undergrad. I have actually been lucky from a surgical standpoint, but I have been on a variety of medications over the course of the past seven years. Through trial and error, the two medications that have helped me...
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