Today, May 19th, is World IBD Day! Today is a great day to bring awareness to Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and those illnesses that fall under this umbrella term - Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. The Crohn's and Colitis Foundation advertises this day each year and when I went to their website to see how… Continue reading World IBD Day: A Lesson in Self-Worth
Author: Christie Chaump
5 Things IBD Patients Want You To Know
I have always found the hardest part about living with a chronic illness is conveying it to others. There are so many layers to it, and they cannot always be seen by the naked eye. Many of the effects are emotional, internal, and invisible. This blog post is a list of my top five things… Continue reading 5 Things IBD Patients Want You To Know
It Doesn’t End Here
After receiving the news a few months ago that I was officially in endoscopic remission, I felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. It felt like I could finally take a deep breath. No more worrying that I had lingering inflammation in my colon. While this news was worth celebrating, I still felt like… Continue reading It Doesn’t End Here
Why Me?
When I was first diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, I asked myself this question many times. As a Catholic, I couldn't quite wrap my mind around the fact that God would let me suffer so much by giving me this disease. Sometimes I scan over every part of my life and wonder what I did to… Continue reading Why Me?
Endoscopic Remission
Today, I had a colonoscopy - my third one since being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in 2019. I never really look forward to prepping for the colonoscopy; in fact, I dread it every time. The idea of not being able to eat any solid food for an entire day is awful, because I love my… Continue reading Endoscopic Remission
Injection Day Essentials
Happy Friday! Friday to me means injection day. I know it is not the best day to have to do an injection, but it is something I have gotten used to over the past two years. My journey with Humira has been long - I have gotten over the insurance bumps, the delayed medication bumps,… Continue reading Injection Day Essentials
Invest in Yourself
After being diagnosed with a chronic illness, I lost a lot of my self-confidence and it wasn't easy to gain it back. I thought I would never have the chance to live the life I wanted and had planned for myself. I remember making that conscious decision to invest in myself. It was a decision… Continue reading Invest in Yourself
Navigating Life’s Great Divide
Little book nerd me recently finished a book titled Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted by Suleika Jaouad. I have to say it was one of the best books I have read in recent years. I found it relatable in every aspect - so relatable that I highlighted forty passages on my… Continue reading Navigating Life’s Great Divide
2021: A Year in Review
As I look back and reminisce on what 2021 brought me, I realize that I had a pretty good year, but not without some hardships. At the beginning of 2021, I wrote a blog post with some of my goals for the year. As I read through them, there are a few that I absolutely… Continue reading 2021: A Year in Review
Anniversary of My Diagnosis
Today, January 4th, marks three years since I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. I still remember it like yesterday. I woke up from my colonoscopy with a cup of water in hand and I overheard the doctor tell my parents that it was definitely colitis. "There are ulcers covering her entire colon." At the time,… Continue reading Anniversary of My Diagnosis
Turning Wellness into a Lifestyle 