Eating with Crohn’s disease can be a challenge as it is, and especially so during cultural events when there are food and festivities galore. I’ve struggled immensely with my diet as a South Asian American woman living with Crohn’s disease. Coming out of the hospital flare after flare, surgery after surgery, it was difficult to get care that would consider the cultural foods I was accustomed to eating… Read more on the Healthgrades website: healthgrades.com/right-care/crohns-disease/how-to-enjoy-your-favorite-cultural-foods-living-with-crohns-disease Originally Published on Healthgrades.com, Written by Tina Aswani-Omprakash, Medically Reviewed by Lisa Valente, MS, RD
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- advocacy, awareness, Crohn's, J-Pouch, living with IBD, Ostomy, Traveling with IBD, Ulcerative Colitis
7 Tips for Traveling With IBD, From Someone Who Gets It
Don’t let inflammatory bowel disease and fears of COVID-19 get in the way of your travel plans. Here’s what you need to know before you start packing. By Tina Aswani-Omprakash Summers are a time to look forward to rest, relaxation, and vacations. But for those of us living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), going away on a trip can often mean additional anxiety. And with the addition of COVID-19, anxiety levels are heightened. While many of us want to travel, we struggle to wrap our heads around how to travel when living with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, especially as new variants of the novel coronavirus circulate around the world. In fact, stressing out over travel…
- Crohn's, Digital Healthcare Innovations, Disability Justice, invisible illness, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, J-Pouch, living with IBD, Ostomy, patient rights, Ulcerative Colitis
My Feature in The New York Times!
In conjunction with the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s new We Can’t Wait App, nonprofit partner South Asian IBD Alliance’s Co-Founder & President Tina Aswani-Omprakash was interviewed and featured in the Metropolitan section of the Sunday’s edition of The New York Times on 19 June 2022!!! Read the article in-print below or online here: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/17/nyregion/public-bathrooms-nyc-tiktok.html Check out the We Can’t Wait App to find the restroom nearest to you in the U.S. Available now for download in Apple Store and Google Play: https://www.crohnscolitisfoundation.org/wecantwait
- Clinical Trials, Colorectal Surgery, Crohn's, Diet, J-Pouch, living with IBD, Mental Health, Nutrition, Ulcerative Colitis
Key Takeaways from IBD Insider 2022: Patient Updates from the Crohn’s & Colitis Congress®
Originally Published by the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation on their IBDVisible Blog on February 14th, 2022 By: Tina Aswani Omprakash The third annual IBD Insider was, as always, a great culmination of the events from the 2022 Crohn’s & Colitis Congress®. As patients, we often have many questions about what goes on at these medical conferences and how to understand the research in bite-sized, digestible pieces (yes, pun intended). IBD Insider does just that by bringing to us the newest research updates in IBD for us to stay abreast of the latest and greatest, but also to enable us to make the best shared decisions with our physicians in our care. The…
- autoimmune disease, Black Lives Matter, Caregiving, Coronavirus, Crohn's, Dating & Relationships, J-Pouch, living with IBD, Minority Health, Ulcerative Colitis, Women's Health
Taryn’s Journey: Navigating Relationships and IBD During the Pandemic
“I think I might be at the start of a partial obstruction. What do I do?” The words I shared with my husband in late March 2020 weren’t rhetorical. It was more like I dropped a mini bomb into an already stressful situation. Even though I’ve had a series of partial bowel obstructions over the years, this time felt different. We were at the beginning of the pandemic. At a time when merely stepping outside seemed dangerous, a trip to the ER felt terrifying. In that moment, I was asking for much more than just advice. I wanted – no, needed – reassurance that regardless of what was happening with…
- Coronavirus, COVID-19, Crohn's, immunocompromised, J-Pouch, Minority Health, Ostomy, Pregnancy in IBD, Ulcerative Colitis, Vaccinations
Demystifying the COVID Vaccine for IBD Patients
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.…
- 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
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…
- advocacy, Colorectal Surgery, Crohn's, fistula, Fistulizing Disease, J-Pouch, Mental Health, Minority Health, Ostomy, Self-image, stigma, Ulcerative Colitis, Women's Health
FitWitMD’s Live Discussion on Perianal Fistulizing Crohn’s Disease
A couple weeks ago, esteemed IBD specialist, Dr. Neilanjan Nandi (@fitwitmd) of Penn Medicine, hosted a live discussion with me on my experiences around Perianal Fistulizing Crohn’s Disease. We opened up the discussion to an international audience and allowed for a Q&A on this very deeply stigmatized topic that’s often not discussed or understood very well. To view the video, please watch here: I have been very open about my struggles with multiple fistulae in female parts. I have lived with 5 rectovaginal fistulae and 1 pelvic transphinteric fistula that was headed to break through at the site of my tailbone, nearly paralyzing me. To read more about my experiences,…
- advocacy, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Crohn's, immunocompromised, J-Pouch, living with IBD, Ulcerative Colitis
COVID-19 Survivors: Stories of Hope in the IBD World
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…
- 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
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…
