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?
Tag: chronic disease
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
Living With Gratitude
When I was first diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, practicing gratitude was hard. How could I be grateful that I got a chronic, autoimmune disease with no cure? Those of you that know me personally know that I am a Catholic, faith-based woman. I grew up in the Catholic church and actively practice my faith. My… Continue reading Living With Gratitude
The Gut-Brain Connection
Yesterday, I read this awesome article done by the Harvard Health blog about the gut-brain connection. I was so excited to find an article about this topic because I have been wondering ever since I was diagnosed if there was a connection. Having IBD has made me much more conscious about what is going on… Continue reading The Gut-Brain Connection
Letting Go of Fear
Don't let fear dominate your life! Too often, I use fear as an excuse not to do things. Like I mentioned in my previous blog post, I tend to let fear set invisible limits on what I can or cannot do. I exceed those limits every single time, teaching myself that I am much more… Continue reading Letting Go of Fear
Falling Victim to Comparison
Comparing yourself to others is a losing battle. Being a young adult in this modern world, I find myself in this trap often. But being a young adult with a chronic illness makes falling victim to comparison ten times easier. The use of social media specifically has fueled the art of comparison and causes many… Continue reading Falling Victim to Comparison
Humira: An Honest Review
What is Humira? Humira (adalimumab) is a prescription, biologic medication in the form of an injection. Humira actually treats many different inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), Crohn's disease (CD), ulcerative colitis (UC), and some eye infections. It comes in the form of both a pen injector and… Continue reading Humira: An Honest Review
Why Don’t People Understand?
Getting someone to understand my chronic disease has been the biggest obstacle for me to overcome. I have asked myself this question many times in the past few years, but at the end of the day never came up with an answer. Truth is, no one is going to understand unless they have the disease… Continue reading Why Don’t People Understand?
Tips for Healthy Digestion
I never knew how important digestion would be to my overall well-being as I grew older. It really is one of those things that no one ever thinks about. We just eat the food and expect our bodies to do the rest. For people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), digestion consumes our lives. It's all… Continue reading Tips for Healthy Digestion
Let’s Spill the Tea!
Anyone who knows me well knows that I love tea! Seriously, I drink about 3 cups of tea per day. I never get tired of it. Tea has several health benefits and has been my saving grace throughout the progression of my disease. When I studied abroad in Chile and my ulcerative colitis flared-up, one… Continue reading Let’s Spill the Tea!