About IBD
Diagnosed with attenuated familial adenomatous polyposis (AFAP), retired Navy veteran Dan "Dry Dock" Shockley shares his remarkable journey of service, diagnosis, and advocacy. Following his diagnosis, Shockley became a passionate advocate for early detection and reducing the stigma associated with living with an ostomy. He emphasizes the importance of proactive medical care and maintaining a positive attitude in the face of adversity. Through his advocacy work and personal journey, Shockley serves as an inspiration, demonstrating resilience, determination, and a commitment to making a...
info_outline Making Crohn's Disease Funny With Matt NaginAbout IBD
We can hold two truths: Crohn’s disease is funny. It is also not funny. I speak with Matt Nagin, who has many talents, but we focus on his work as a comedian and actor living with Crohn’s disease. Our discussion focuses on how people need laughter and comedy in their lives. Yet, living with an illness like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), it can be challenging to find those comedic moments. Especially when most people don’t know what IBD is, and even among those who do, they kind of don’t want to hear about it sometimes. Get tips from Matt on how to form a sense of humor about...
info_outline Amber's Year in Books 2023About IBD
What did you read over the past year? If you made a reading goal: did you hit it? The books I read in 2023 included biographies, fantasy, fiction, and romance. Plus, I had several authors who live with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis on the show this year, so I read their books as well. Hear more about some of the books I enjoyed in 2023, how you can hear more from authors with IBD, and ways that you can hit those reading goals this year. IBD Author Episodes: Books mentioned in this episode: ...
info_outline IBD Connect With Lisa FournierAbout IBD
A diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, IBD) affects the entire family. When it’s a child that’s diagnosed, it changes so many things and brings a host of challenges. Families experience many unmet needs related to IBD. My guest is Lisa Fournier of IBD Connect. Lisa is the mother of two children who live with IBD. Her experiences in helping them manage IBD at different stages in life compelled her to be a support for others. She worked with her local hospital to start a support group and eventually founded IBD Connect. Learn about the programs IBD...
info_outline Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and IBD With Stephanie Brenner, LCSW, MSWAbout IBD
My guest is Stephanie Brenner of Chronic Illness Psychotherapy. Stephanie is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has experience in working with clients with chronic illnesses. She has also taken on a variety of roles in GI space, including previously serving on both the advisory team for the Pediatric Crohn’s Guidebook and the recruitment committee for the Rome Foundation’s GastroPsych organization. Stephanie lives with Crohn’s disease and a permanent ileostomy and is also a cancer survivor. I asked her to help us better understand PTSD and PTS as they relate to having a chronic...
info_outline IBD in the Hispanic Community With Oriana Damas, MDAbout IBD
As an assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, and the Director of Translational Studies for the Crohn’s and Colitis Center, Dr. Damas sheds light on the misconception that IBD only affects certain ethnicities. Her extensive research explores the connection between of environment and genetics in the development of IBD, with a special focus on its impact on immigrants from Latin America. Dr. Damas shares insights into the challenges of studying the role of diet in IBD, revealing key findings from her research and...
info_outline Positivity Beats IBD With Josef MillerAbout IBD
What is it like to be a teen living with Crohn’s disease? If you’re like Josef Miller, you channel the challenges of the diagnosis and management of IBD into action. Josef has written a book about his experiences, entitled "The Purple Rose," and created an initiative called "Positivity Beats IBD," which creates inspirational cards for people living with IBD and other conditions. Learn about Josef's journey with Crohn's, his multicultural background, and how and why he decided to write a book. Find Josef Miller at: Instagram — Positivity Beats IBD: Instagram — Josef Miller: Book: ...
info_outline Designer $hit: A Microbiome Love Story With Saffron CassadayAbout IBD
What options are you wiling to try to manage your ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease? How about putting someone else’s stool into your own colon? Fecal microbiota transplants (FMTs) — using stool from a donor to repopulate bacteria in the colon — are being studied for use in treating inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Filmmaker Saffron Cassady decided to try do-it-yourself FMT to treat her ulcerative colitis, using stool from the healthiest person she could find: her husband. The journey is captured in her film, Designer $hit, which explores both the science and potential behind FMT....
info_outline Coping With IBD While in Military Service With Dr Anish PatelAbout IBD
What do all the new oral drugs available for treating IBD have to do with military service? Being diagnosed with IBD might mean leaving the military for some service members. Part of the reason is that it’s not possible to be deployed while receiving a drug that’s an injection or an infusion. But when a medication works well and happens to be in pill form: that’s a game-changer. Dr Anish Patel, the Medical Director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at Brooke Army Medical Center gives an update on how IBD is treated in the military, what he sees on the horizon for IBD,...
info_outline Learning to Accept IBDAbout IBD
Being diagnosed with a chronic condition is a major adjustment. Digestive conditions like IBD (Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis) wind up affecting every part of our lives. Learning to accept the ways in which the disease affects life can be helpful. But it’s important to make the distinction between acceptance and complacency. Maalvika Bhuvansunder, a young adult patient living with Crohn’s disease, uses her experiences to help bring the concept of acceptance into focus for other people who are living with a chronic condition. Concepts discussed on this episode: ...
info_outlineDo you worry that inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) will get in the way of finding a romantic partner? Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis can make dating challenging but they can also simplify it. It becomes clear pretty quickly if a potential partner is going to struggle to cope with chronic illness. This episode focuses on communication, as Amber and her husband, Mike, discuss how he reacted to his first introduction to ulcerative colitis and why it's important to check in with your partner before discussing IBD outside of the relationship. After more than 20 years, they finally put an incident of miscommunication to bed, and Mike gives his tips on being a supportive partner.
Concepts discussed in this episode:
- Advice for Partners of People With IBD
- How to Create Your IBD Elevator Speech
- The Differences Between an Ileostomy and a J-Pouch
- How to Prepare Yourself for Ileostomy Surgery
- Overview of J-Pouch Surgery
- What You Can Say to Your Friend With IBD
- Pregnancy and Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Living With Prednisone
Find Michael Tresca on Facebook, Twitter, and Patreon.
Find Amber J Tresca at AboutIBD.com, Verywell, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.
Find IBDMoms on IBDMoms.org, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Credits: Mix and sound design is by Mac Cooney. Theme music, "IBD Dance Party,” is from ©Cooney Studio.