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Own Your Crohn's

Empowering the Chronically Ill & Disabled to Lead Fuller Lives

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  • acceptance,  advocacy,  awareness,  coping with flares,  Crohn's,  diversity,  living with IBD,  Mental Health,  Minority Health,  stigma,  Ulcerative Colitis,  Women's Health

    ~OYC Trailblazers~ Anisha Zumba-ing Her Way into 2021!

    January 28, 2021

    This blog post has been done in collaboration with Girls With Guts Community Connection. By Anisha Gangotra My name is Anisha, I’m 37 years old and I live in Buckinghamshire in the United Kingdom. I’ve lived with ulcerative colitis since 2008, from the age of 24. I experienced my first colitis symptoms following a two-week holiday abroad. My stomach hadn’t felt quite right but I’d also had my period when I was on holiday so I assumed that it was a mixture of jet lag, my body adjusting to a different environment and my menstrual cycle. I’ve always had a sensitive stomach so I didn’t think much of it. When…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    I am NOT a Burden: A South Asian Perspective

    July 1, 2020

    Step in Our Shoes: A Discussion on Being an Ally to the Black Community

    June 20, 2020

    Ostomy Awareness Day: Empowering Ostomates to Live Fuller Lives

    November 22, 2019
  • advocacy,  awareness,  Coronavirus,  COVID-19,  Crohn's,  immunocompromised,  Minority Health,  Ulcerative Colitis,  Vaccinations

    South Asian IBD & COVID-19

    January 26, 2021

    Ten days ago, India released its two vaccines, CoviShield & Covaxin, to begin distribution to frontline workers and eventually the general population. As such, Dr. Sumit Bhatia, leading IBD specialist at Medanta – The Medicity Hospital in Gurgaon, India, and Dr. Neilanjan Nandi, esteemed IBD specialist at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA, joined me on the FITWITMD Facebook page for a live discussion to explain the two vaccines in India along with the two mRNA vaccines in much of the Western world. The purpose of this discussion was to understand how COVID is affecting the IBD population and to address vaccine hesitancy in the global South Asian IBD…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    Disability Awareness in the Midst of Coronavirus

    March 12, 2020

    5 Hot Topics Presented at Crohn’s & Colitis Congress 2019

    February 27, 2019

    Bachatera with a Bag: Theodora Shattering Ostomy Stigma Through Dance

    April 27, 2021
  • Crohn's,  Healthcare Disparities,  living with IBD,  Mental Health,  Minority Health,  Ulcerative Colitis

    Patients’ Journey Through Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD): A Qualitative Study

    January 24, 2021

    Tina Aswani Omprakash, Norelle Reilly, Jan Bhagwakar, Jeanette Carrell, Kristina Woodburn, Abby Breyer, Frances Close, Gabriel Wong, PATIENTS’ JOURNEY THROUGH INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE (IBD): A QUALITATIVE STUDY, Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, Volume 27, Issue Supplement_1, January 2021, Pages S53–S54, https://doi.org/10.1093/ibd/izaa347.127 **Abstract originally published in the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s journal Inflammatory Bowel Diseases on January 21st, 2021 and presented at Crohn’s & Colitis Congress. Research study sponsored by Genentech & led by patient advocate Tina Aswani Omprakash of Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai** I’m proud to announce the first patient advocate led study in the IBD space! Please view the above downloadable poster and link to the abstract for the results…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    The Value of Support Groups

    August 26, 2018

    COVID-19 & IBD: GI Perspectives on Fall 2020 & Beyond

    September 16, 2020

    What the IBD Community Needs to Know About Getting a COVID-19 Booster

    December 11, 2021
  • Clinical Trials,  Crohn's,  Emerging Therapies,  living with IBD,  patient rights,  Ulcerative Colitis

    IBD & Tea: What Patients Want to Know When It Comes to a Clinical Trial

    January 12, 2021

    Often, patients who live with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) do not respond to conventional drugs and are offered to participate in clinical trials for new treatments. When this happens, patients tend to have doubts and may feel scared because they do not have enough information about the process. This was the case for Tina Aswani Omprakash, IBD patient, patient thought leader, and award-winning author of the blog ´Own Your Crohn’s´, when she was offered to participate in a clinical trial. Aswani Omprakash talked about her experience from having participated in two clinical trials during the online debate ´IBD & Tea,´ streamed live on our Twitter account on the 25th of November. She was accompanied by IBD medical expert…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    My Feature for Clinical Trial Awareness with Parexel

    June 1, 2019

    In the Name of Science & Research

    June 25, 2019

    Clinical Trials: The Next Frontier for Diverse Populations of IBD Patients

    July 31, 2019
  • Coronavirus,  COVID-19,  Crohn's,  immunocompromised,  J-Pouch,  Minority Health,  Ostomy,  Pregnancy in IBD,  Ulcerative Colitis,  Vaccinations

    Demystifying the COVID Vaccine for IBD Patients

    January 10, 2021

    By Tina Aswani Omprakash Originally published in Everyday Health on January 8th, 2021 We open the new year with hope after a dreary year filled with ups and downs from the COVID-19 pandemic. As a woman with Crohn’s disease, a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), I have been practicing every precaution recommended by my doctor, from masking up to practicing social distancing and avoiding crowded, indoor spaces. While I’m used to being home a lot as a result of surgeries related to my disease and regular flare-ups, the pandemic was doubly hard for me because I have been in remission, and in good health to go out and about.…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    Gaurav’s Covid-19 Journey as a Crohn’s Patient in India

    June 11, 2021

    What the IBD Community Needs to Know About Getting a COVID-19 Booster

    December 11, 2021

    An Interview with News 12 NJ: How Does Coronavirus Affect YOU?

    April 6, 2020
  • Complementary & Alternative Medicine,  Coronavirus,  COVID-19,  Crohn's,  Diet,  IBD Parenthood Project,  Nutrition,  Ostomy,  Pregnancy in IBD,  Ulcerative Colitis,  Vaccinations

    AIBD 2020: Hot Topics for IBD Patients

    December 22, 2020

    This year’s Advances in IBD conference was my first time attending and it sure as heck did not disappoint! AIBD may have been virtual due to the ongoing pandemic but it was nevertheless very well-organized and informative. The sessions shared many important studies and topics for us to learn and know all about. As a patient advocate who was sharing information across platforms, there were several topics buzzing in the IBD patient community around the world. Below are my picks for the top highlights from AIBD for IBD patients: COVID-19 & IBD According to the SECURE-IBD registry, IBD patients are not necessarily at greater risk of contracting COVID-19. Rates of…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash
  • Colorectal Surgery,  coping with flares,  Crohn's,  J-Pouch,  Kock Pouch,  living with IBD,  Ostomy,  Ulcerative Colitis,  Women's Health

    ~OYC Trailblazers~ Mara Living Her Best Life with a Kock Pouch in Germany

    December 7, 2020

    My name is Mara and I am from a small state in Germany called Bremen. I was diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease in 2016 when I was 21. Shortly after my diagnosis, I celebrated my 22nd birthday. I am pursuing my Ph.D. in Marine Microbiology working to learn more about unknown microorganisms found on the seafloor. One week after handing in my Bachelor’s thesis, I became severely ill with sudden and bloody diarrhea. I could not leave the toilet at all. A few days after having these initial symptoms, I was admitted to the hospital. The verdict was clear: I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. I thought this would be…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    April 12, 2020

    FitWitMD’s Live Discussion on Perianal Fistulizing Crohn’s Disease

    August 7, 2020

    “I Had an Ostomy—and It Changed My Life”

    December 11, 2019
  • chronic pain,  Colorectal Surgery,  coping with flares,  Crohn's,  fatigue,  Pelvic pain,  Ulcerative Colitis

    Pain and Fatigue in IBD: Provider and Patient Perspectives

    December 5, 2020

    Raise your hand if you’ve dealt with chronic pain and fatigue living with IBD. Pain and fatigue are two common complaints amongst Crohn’s & ulcerative colitis patients whether disease is active or in remission. And oftentimes, it’s the least addressed or acknowledged. Many of us patients live with different types of chronic pain from abdominal pain and cramping related to disease flare-ups to post-surgical pain and pelvic pain. Some of us also tend to have pain from extraintestinal manifestations including severe joint pain and pain from dermatological manifestations (erythema nodosum, pyoderma gangrenosum, etc.). And fatigue appears to be a staple living with IBD where even if we have relief from…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    When Diagnoses Accumulate – My Endometriosis Journey

    August 28, 2023
  • Body Positivity,  cervical cancer,  Dating & Relationships,  diversity,  Mental Health,  Minority Health,  Ostomy,  Self-image,  stigma,  Women's Health

    ~OYC Trailblazers~ Jennylyn’s Ostomy Love Story in the Philippines

    October 30, 2020

    My name is Jennylyn Ajes and I’m 32 years old from Laguna, Phillippines. In 2018, I was diagnosed with stage 2b cervical cancer, which means I had a tumor that had grown beyond the cervix and uterus.[1] During this time, I had undergone chemotherapy, radiation therapy and brachytherapy. I had to do these therapies for 5 months total and none of it was easy. The brachytherapy required internal radiation therapy to get to the source of the cancer and try to wipe it out. I felt fine for the first 3 months after treatment but I really struggled with my confidence losing most of my hair and eyebrows due to…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    Lilly Singh’s ‘Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai?’: My Anthem for Body Positivity

    April 1, 2019

    My Feature in Suffering the Silence’s Photo Series Campaign

    October 6, 2019
  • colorectal cancer,  Colorectal Surgery,  Coronavirus,  COVID-19,  Crohn's,  immunocompromised,  Ostomy,  Ostomy Awareness Day,  Ulcerative Colitis

    Managing Ostomy Care in the Era of Covid-19

    October 21, 2020

    Many of us with chronic illnesses have struggled throughout this pandemic with accessing timely care. One issue I’ve faced is because of my gastroparesis and other functional gastrointestinal conditions (IBS, SIBO etc.) acting up, my weight has been fluctuating a lot these last several months. As a result, my stoma size has been changing every week or two. With that, I’ve suffered a lot of ostomy leaks but even more skin irritation. While I’ve worked with my ostomy nurse virtually the last couple months to get my skin issues under control, I keep thinking of my ostomate family online and how you all may be handling your ostomy care in…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    No More Secrets: An enlightening film that reveals the stigma of having an ostomy in India

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    Honoring My Late Father

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    October 5, 2018
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Recent Posts

  • Feb 18, 2025 How to Own Your Crohn’s & Ostomy While Traveling to India
  • Jan 05, 2025 Key Takeaways from Advances in IBD (AIBD) 2024
  • Dec 05, 2024 Navigating Mental Health in Crohn’s Disease 
  • Dec 04, 2024 Highlights from ACG 2024: SAIA’s IBDesis’ Patient Experience
  • Nov 18, 2024 SAIA is proud to announce Tina Aswani-Omprakash, MPH as our full-time CEO!

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