acceptance – Page 5 – Own Your Crohn's

acceptance, advocacy, awareness, Colorectal Surgery, Crohn's, living with IBD, Ostomy, stigma, Ulcerative Colitis

OstomyConnection SPOTLIGHT: Dr. Harikesh Buch works to shatter stigma and improve post-surgery care for ostomates in India.

January 24, 2019

Dr. Harikesh G. Buch recognized the difficulties faced by homeless people in his home city of Mumbai early in his medical career. A skilled colorectal surgeon, he devoted himself to operating on those unable to pay for his services. Then something happened that changed the course of his life: At the age of 29, he was diagnosed with rectal cancer and underwent colostomy surgery, an operation that would serve as the focus of his volunteer work for many years to come. Dr. Buch recalls that he was “devastated” after the cancer diagnosis and, though it didn’t take him long to become accustomed to living with a stoma, he had initial…

Read More

Tina Aswani Omprakash

Related Posts

Lilly Singh’s ‘Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai?’: My Anthem for Body Positivity
April 1, 2019

IBD Awareness Week Line-Up: Diversity, Mental Health & More!
December 1, 2018

12 News to Your Health IBD Segment
June 23, 2018
acceptance, advocacy, awareness, Colorectal Surgery, coping with flares, Crohn's, Fistulizing Disease, living with IBD, Mindfulness, Ostomy, patient rights, Pelvic pain, stigma, Ulcerative Colitis

Real Talk About Fistulae

January 19, 2019

As I sit here today with a very heavy heart typing out this blog post, I’m not sure if the excruciatingly painful nodule I felt earlier this week is just another health scare or yet another horrifying abscess from a fistula. I hold back tears as I wonder what my next steps are and what I can do to keep spiraling anxiety in check. Now many of you might be wondering what I’m even referring to–abscess? Fistula? What the heck are those and why am I such a mess over them? Well, get ready for some real talk about the most harrowing experience I’ve faced as a Crohn’s patient. According…

Read More

Tina Aswani Omprakash

Related Posts

OstomyConnection SPOTLIGHT: Dr. Harikesh Buch works to shatter stigma and improve post-surgery care for ostomates in India.
January 24, 2019

Edgar Flores opens up about surviving near-death and the challenges of living with an ostomy in Mexico
November 4, 2018

What Will People Think? ~A Short Documentary by Chealynn Feaster
December 27, 2019
acceptance, advocacy, awareness, Crohn's, Gratitude, living with IBD, Mindfulness, Ostomy, Ulcerative Colitis

Owning My Crohn’s Mindfully This New Year

January 5, 2019

A journalist recently asked me, “Where do you see yourself in 5 years, Tina?” It was a mind-boggling question; I could barely wrap my head around the chronicity of my illnesses forget about thinking so far ahead into the future. The truth is I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, sickness or health, and I’m not so sure I want to even think about it. Sure, the future appears bright with many new medications and research in the pipeline to treat inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). But one thing I’ve come to learn in all the ebbs and flows of living with IBD is that I need to live for today…

Read More

Tina Aswani Omprakash

Related Posts

Talking Gut Podcast Episode 20: Tina Aswani Omprakash on Resilience & GRITT
May 30, 2020

Step in Our Shoes: A Discussion on Being an Ally to the Black Community
June 20, 2020

World IBD Day Panel Discussion: Experiences of Minority IBD Patients & Caregivers
May 23, 2020
acceptance, advocacy, awareness, Crohn's, living with IBD, Ostomy, stigma, Ulcerative Colitis

Crohn’s & Colitis Awareness Week: Minorities, Mental Health & IBD

December 9, 2018

This IBD Awareness Week, the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation shared a video of me discussing one aspect of being South Asian: maintaining privacy. Privacy is a major concern when it comes to South Asian Americans sharing their personal IBD journeys. There is a phrase in Hindi & Urdu called “Log Kya Kahenge?” It is a cultural phenomenon that expresses deep concern for how society will view patients and their families once their stories are public. But the reality is that suffering in silence can lead to deep-rooted shame while deterring self-care and self-advocacy, two very important aspects to our medical care. In this video, I talk about my experiences as a…

Read More

Tina Aswani Omprakash

Related Posts

Basmah’s Journey: The Cultural Impacts of Being an Egyptian Crohnie
April 18, 2021

Real Talk about Ostomies
October 5, 2018

Love Knows No Disability
July 2, 2019
acceptance, advocacy, awareness, colorectal cancer, Colorectal Surgery, coping with flares, Crohn's, living with IBD, Ostomy, stigma, Ulcerative Colitis

IBD Awareness Week Line-Up: Diversity, Mental Health & More!

December 1, 2018

Today kicks off Crohn’s & Colitis Awareness Week! The lead-up to this week has included my (very exciting!) feature on the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s website for general IBD awareness and for racial and ethnic minorities. I also had the honor of sharing my IBD story with reporters from various media outlets who attended the Foundation’s briefing this past week. In discussing my story, I talked about the cultural impact of being a minority woman with Crohn’s Disease and a permanent ostomy. Being a different race, gender, sexuality and/or ethnicity adds a whole other layer of complexity to the IBD experience. I really wanted to bring to light how complicated our…

Read More

Tina Aswani Omprakash

Related Posts

I’m Chronically Ill & Depressed; So What?
June 3, 2019

The Waiting Game
June 30, 2018

~OYC Trailblazers~ Mollie’s Story: Living la Vida Latina with Ulcerative Colitis & an Ostomy
September 27, 2019
acceptance, advocacy, awareness, coping with flares, Crohn's, living with IBD, Ostomy, patient rights, Ulcerative Colitis

Allowing Acceptance In

November 21, 2018

Thanksgiving season is upon us, dearests! As we prepare to celebrate life, love and laughter with our families and friends, it may be tough to avoid the elephant in the room: our chronic illnesses and disabilities. As hard as this may be, we can get through the holidays together by advocating for better quality of life and allowing acceptance of our conditions in! Our bodies may not be in perfect condition but let’s be thankful today and always for the moments of health, peace and joy that shine their way into our lives. ‘Tis the season to allow acceptance to pervade our lives to cultivate more love and better self-care!…

Read More

Tina Aswani Omprakash

Related Posts

Why My IBD Scars Make Me Proud
May 23, 2019

“I Had an Ostomy—and It Changed My Life”
December 11, 2019

Throwback to La Caverna 2006!
August 30, 2018
acceptance, advocacy, awareness, coping with flares, Crohn's, living with IBD, Ostomy, stigma, Ulcerative Colitis

My Feature During Crohn’s & Colitis Awareness Week

November 8, 2018

Pleased to announce that this year I have the honor of representing my fellow IBD warriors for Awareness Week (12/1-12/7) nationally on the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation’s website! REPRESENT!! Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) comes in all shapes, sizes, colors, ages, genders and sexual orientations. IBD affects 1.6 million people and counting in the U.S. alone and over 5 million worldwide. This chronic, autoimmune and often invisible condition is growing by leaps and bounds unfortunately every single year. It wreaks havoc on our guts, bodies and mental health. It behooves us to recognize and de-stigmatize IBD and chronic illness in general so that folks like us can live fuller, happier lives. I…

Read More

Tina Aswani Omprakash

Related Posts

An IBS Journey: Tina
April 21, 2019

OYC Trailblazers: An Ode to My Father & Fellow IBD Warrior
January 30, 2019

~ OYC Trailblazers ~ Amy & Terrell: Crohn-ically Ever After
September 23, 2020
acceptance, advocacy, Appendicitis, awareness, Ostomy, patient rights, stigma

Edgar Flores opens up about surviving near-death and the challenges of living with an ostomy in Mexico

November 4, 2018

Ayatka Wuikot Tlatuan is the Native American name given to Edgar Flores, a 48-year-old Mexico City native who was born into two tribes. His mother Aztec and father Apache Indian. Just over two years ago, Edgar developed appendicitis and underwent an emergency operation to remove his appendix. What happened next truly shocked him. “I thought the operation had gone smoothly, but within a few days I began to experience severe stomach pain and felt very weak,” he said. As the situation went from bad to worse, Edgar was rushed to the hospital where an ER surgeon discovered that his abdomen was filling with blood. He was hemorrhaging from the inside. Read…

Read More

Tina Aswani Omprakash

Related Posts

Throwback to La Caverna 2006!
August 30, 2018

Being Brown and Coming Out of the IBD Closet: The Chronic Illness Experience
August 7, 2018

Disability Awareness in the Midst of Coronavirus
March 12, 2020
acceptance, advocacy, awareness, Colorectal Surgery, coping with flares, Crohn's, living with IBD, Ostomy, Pelvic pain, stigma, Ulcerative Colitis

My Pelvic Pain Story

October 26, 2018

…Via The Women’s Pelvic Pain Podcast… My first podcast goes live! Check out my pelvic pain story available now in iTunes. Listen to Episode 14: My Pelvic Pain Story here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-14-my-pelvic-pain-story-with-tina-of-own-your-crohns/id1379107302?i=1000422358419&mt=2 Something many folks might not realize about having IBD and IBD-related surgery is that it often comes with chronic pelvic pain and pelvic floor dysfunction, which makes walking, sitting and emptying the bladder very difficult during pelvic flare-ups. And periods feel far more painful as does intercourse. It is hard enough to talk about living with a bowel condition and/or an ostomy. Add pelvic pain to the mix and the stigma magnifies even further. My intent is to shatter…

Read More

Tina Aswani Omprakash

Related Posts

~OYC TRAILBLAZERS~ Katie’s Story: Baby-Making Prospects & Egg-Freezing with a J-Pouch
September 4, 2019

Ostomy Awareness Day: Empowering Ostomates to Live Fuller Lives
November 22, 2019

Allowing Acceptance In
November 21, 2018
acceptance, advocacy, awareness, colorectal cancer, Colorectal Surgery, coping with flare, Crohn's, living with IBD, Ostomy, stigma, Ulcerative Colitis

All of these exceptional women have won awards this year for their public advocacy efforts

October 16, 2018

Winner, winner! Inspirational role models we look up to. Ostomy awareness involves advocacy, and to be effective in advocating for change we need influencers. Advocacy can be standing up and speaking out for a cause, voicing concerns about misconceptions, or connecting with individuals and organizations who need support. All of these exceptional women have won awards this year for their public advocacy efforts. Amber Wallace won a WEGO Health Award. View image on Twitter WEGO Health@wegohealth Congratulations to 2018 #WEGOHealthAwards Best Kept Secret winner Amber Wallace! @ostomydiaries Check out all the finalist & winner videos from this year’s celebration here: https://wegoh.co/2OWMWdb 4:50 PM – Oct 8, 2018 4 See WEGO Health’s other…

Read More

Tina Aswani Omprakash

Related Posts

The Beauty of Ostomates Worldwide
October 17, 2019

Basmah’s Journey: The Cultural Impacts of Being an Egyptian Crohnie
April 18, 2021

When Diagnoses Accumulate – My Endometriosis Journey
August 28, 2023