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  • Coronavirus,  COVID-19,  Crohn's,  immunocompromised,  living with IBD,  Mental Health,  Ostomy,  Ulcerative Colitis

    How to Vacation (or Staycation) Safely During the Pandemic

    August 14, 2020

    **CAUTION: ONLY TRAVEL WITH THE ADVICE OF YOUR PHYSICIAN AND IF PANDEMIC NUMBERS ARE LOW IN YOUR AREA & THE LOCATION IN WHICH YOU ARE TRAVELING. PUBLIC HEALTH & WELFARE IS EVERYONE’S RIGHT & RESPONSIBILITY** Being chronically ill and immunocompromised is hard enough, add a pandemic into the mix, and it feels impossible to get out and do the things you love. Particularly for those of us who have spent so much time in hospital beds or at home recovering from disease flare-ups and/or surgeries, that when we feel well, we want to seize the day. Seizing that moment though has been next to impossible during the COVID-19 era. This…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    AIBD 2020: Hot Topics for IBD Patients

    December 22, 2020

    Demystifying the COVID Vaccine for IBD Patients

    January 10, 2021

    Managing Ostomy Care in the Era of Covid-19

    October 21, 2020
  • advocacy,  Coronavirus,  COVID-19,  Crohn's,  immunocompromised,  J-Pouch,  living with IBD,  Ulcerative Colitis

    COVID-19 Survivors: Stories of Hope in the IBD World

    May 7, 2020

    The last 8 weeks since the World Health Organization declared Coronavirus a pandemic have been nothing short of an emotional roller coaster ride for many of us. From uncertainty around chronic illness and medications making us a higher risk to jarring numbers of lethal infection rates, we are all grappling with much despair. Given all the sadness in the media right now, I thought it relevant to share stories of hope, ones where IBD patients, their caregivers and their doctors have not just survived but are making a full recovery. Check out the stories below of 4 IBD patients, a caregiver and a gastroenterologist, all survivors of COVID-19 and heroes…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    OYC Trailblazers: An Ode to My Father & Fellow IBD Warrior

    January 30, 2019

    Colon Cancer & Its Devastating Impact on My Family

    March 19, 2020

    In the Name of Science & Research

    June 25, 2019
  • advocacy,  Coronavirus,  COVID-19,  Crohn's,  immunocompromised,  living with IBD,  Mental Health,  Ulcerative Colitis

    Immunocompromised in the Age of Coronavirus

    May 1, 2020

    By Tina Aswani Omprakash A Crohn’s patient shares her very real fears, anxieties, and sadness around being immunocompromised while grappling with the coronavirus pandemic in New York City. *Originally published on April 27th, 2020 by Everyday Health: https://www.everydayhealth.com/columns/my-health-story/immunocompromised-in-the-age-of-coronavirus/ It was one of those winters full of never-ending health complications. Before Thanksgiving I ruptured a ligament in my ankle, which compounded my difficulties in managing life with Crohn’s disease. And if that wasn’t hard enough, many of my other conditions — gastroparesis, arthritis, pelvic pain — flared up due to immobility from the ankle injury. More recently, I had a couple of ER visits because of a herniated disc in my neck. In…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    Managing IBD in the Era of COVID-19

    April 19, 2020

    Real Talk about Ostomies

    October 5, 2018

    OYC Trailblazers: What Healing Means to Natasha

    March 26, 2019
  • acceptance,  advocacy,  Colorectal Surgery,  coping with flares,  Coronavirus,  COVID-19,  Crohn's,  fistula,  Fistulizing Disease,  immunocompromised,  living with IBD,  Minority Health,  Ostomy,  stigma,  Ulcerative Colitis

    ~OYC TRAILBLAZERS~ Spotlight on Malaysian Crohnie & Ostomate Saravanan

    April 22, 2020

    It all started in early 2008 when I was still in high school and started to experience bowel disease symptoms. However, as many of us know, there can be a large gap between the time we experience symptoms and the time we are officially diagnosed. I was finally diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in July 2012. The four and half years in between onset of symptoms and diagnosis were the most arduous part of my journey. My battle began upon developing a fistula. For those who may not be familiar, a fistula is an abnormal tract created between the intestinal wall and another organ or out on to the skin due…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    TINA ASWANI OMPRAKASH | 2018 NYC ADULT HONORED HERO

    April 20, 2018

    The Waiting Game

    June 30, 2018

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

    April 1, 2019
  • advocacy,  awareness,  Coronavirus,  COVID-19,  Crohn's,  immunocompromised,  living with IBD,  Ostomy,  Ulcerative Colitis

    Managing IBD in the Era of COVID-19

    April 19, 2020

    Last Friday, Gastroenterologist Dr. Supriya Rao and I had a conversation on Instagram Live about how to manage inflammatory bowel disease given the difficult circumstances around COVID-19. To watch and learn more, please check out the video below: For additional information, please feel free to reach out to @gutsygirlmd on Instagram or me here on my blog. For your reference, I have also put together a summary of tips on how to optimize our use of telehealth during the pandemic to manage our IBD optimally from a distance: https://ownyourcrohns.com/telehealth-ibdcare-covid19/. This post also references guidance from the IOIBD and AGA that we IBD patients should be aware of when discussing our…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    The Value of Awareness & Advocacy During the Holidays

    December 21, 2018

    Real Talk About Fistulae

    January 19, 2019

    My 9/11 Story: Paying Kindness Forward

    September 11, 2019
  • advocacy,  Coronavirus,  COVID-19,  Crohn's,  immunocompromised,  J-Pouch,  living with IBD,  Ostomy,  Ulcerative Colitis

    Tips for Telehealth and Managing Your IBD Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic

    April 18, 2020

    One of the things I do a lot as a patient with many chronic illnesses is visit all sorts of healthcare providers for the maintenance of my care. However, during this time, when many non-essential visits to the doctor’s office or to medical facilities are not recommended, what do we do? In the last 6 weeks, many providers have ramped up a service we are now calling telehealth. That is, many doctors are offering virtual visits to us from the convenience of our home. While it isn’t the ideal way to examine a patient, it certainly gets the job sufficiently done for many of us who are struggling to manage…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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

    February 27, 2019

    I am NOT a Burden: A South Asian Perspective

    July 1, 2020

    Colon Cancer & Its Devastating Impact on My Family

    March 19, 2020
  • Ableism,  advocacy,  awareness,  Colorectal Surgery,  Coronavirus,  COVID-19,  Crohn's,  Disability Justice,  immunocompromised,  invisible illness,  living with IBD,  Ostomy,  Ulcerative Colitis

    Inspire’s #KeepUsAllSafe COVID-19 Campaign

    April 12, 2020

    Last week, Inspire released a short video we made virtually on why living with Crohn’s Disease and being immunocompromised during COVID-19 is downright terrifying for patients like myself who are chronically and invisibly ill. Please take a moment to watch this video and share to help raise awareness. And don’t forget – every life is valuable! So please #KeepUsAll safe by practicing social distancing and staying home as much as possible! Be well & best wishes always!

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    University Accommodations in the COVID-19 Era

    September 7, 2020

    I am NOT a Burden: A South Asian Perspective

    July 1, 2020

    Disability Awareness in the Midst of Coronavirus

    March 12, 2020
  • advocacy,  awareness,  Coronavirus,  COVID-19,  Crohn's,  Disability Justice,  invisible illness,  living with IBD,  Ulcerative Colitis

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

    April 6, 2020

    Earlier today, News 12 NJ journalist Prashanthi Musapet interviewed IBD patient advocate Tina Aswani Omprakash of OwnYourCrohns.com on Instagram LIVE on her experience as an immunocompromised patient living with Crohn’s Disease in the midst of the #COVID19 pandemic. To watch the interview, view the video below. In the video, you will hear Tina’s thoughts and experiences about being #HighRiskCOVID19 and how critical social distancing and taking responsibility for public welfare is during this outbreak to save lives like hers. I hope you found this interview informative and I especially hope that speaking up about being immunocompromised during #Coronavirus helps to create awareness and education in the able-bodied world about chronic…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    Real Talk About Fistulae

    January 19, 2019

    Indian Ostomate Podcast Show: Episode 1 with Tina Aswani Omprakash

    July 23, 2020

    Allowing Acceptance In

    November 21, 2018
  • acceptance,  advocacy,  awareness,  Coronavirus,  COVID-19,  Crohn's,  J-Pouch,  living with IBD,  Mental Health,  Ostomy,  Ulcerative Colitis

    Coping with IBD & Stress & Anxiety Around COVID-19

    April 1, 2020

    Last night I had the honor of doing a Facebook Live with Dr. Tiffany Taft (Psychogastroenterology, Northwestern University) and Amber Tresca (About IBD, IBD Moms) in conjunction with the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. We discussed all the emotions around COVID-19 from fear and anxiety to grief and loss and how we can cope best with stay-at-home and social distancing order in light of the challenges being presented to us in recent times. Hope you all found this discussion informative in learning some coping skills around the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and living with IBD. For additional resources and updates on COVID-19 and IBD, please visit the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation Coronavirus…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    OYC Trailblazers: What Healing Means to Natasha

    March 26, 2019

    OYC Trailblazers: An Ode to My Father & Fellow IBD Warrior

    January 30, 2019

    What Will People Think? ~A Short Documentary by Chealynn Feaster

    December 27, 2019
Newer Posts 

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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