Originally published in The Gut Gazette by Megan Marsiglio on April 15, 2019: https://thegutgazette.com/an-ibs-journey-tina/ If you have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), you are NOT alone. To do our part in helping spread further awareness about IBS during April’s IBS Awareness Month, we are sharing different stories of various individuals who have IBS. Name: Tina Aswani-Omprakash, Patient AdvocateLocation: New York, NYWebsite: ownyourcrohns.comFB/Twitter/Instagram: @ownyourcrohns What symptoms do you experience with IBS? I have something called post-surgical IBS that I developed after many surgeries to bring my Crohn’s Disease under control. Symptoms include: bloating, nausea, abdominal cramping, chronic constipation (but if I take laxatives, then intense diarrhea). What has been the hardest challenge with IBS? Dealing with…
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- acceptance, advocacy, awareness, Colorectal Surgery, coping with flares, Crohn's, Fistulizing Disease, living with IBD, Mental Health, Ostomy, Pelvic pain, Self-image, stigma, Ulcerative Colitis, Women's Health
My Health Became My Top Priority
**Originally published in Health Central on April 10th, 2019** CHAPTER 1 Crashing Down When I first began having inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) symptoms in 2005, I had just graduated college, started my first job, and I gotten out of a difficult relationship. And then, to top it off, I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis (UC). I was at the top of my game, and everything just came crashing down in the blink of an eye. I had also just started my master’s in financial management, but, after the diagnosis, I couldn’t complete it. With a new career on Wall Street, I took a break from my graduate education to focus on…
- advocacy, awareness, Colorectal Surgery, Crohn's, Fistulizing Disease, living with IBD, Minority Health, Ostomy, stigma, Ulcerative Colitis, Women's Health
About IBD Podcast #40 – Tina Aswani Omprakash’s Story: What Are People Going to Think?
Listen to About IBD’s Podcast #40: What Are People Going to Think? Shared via Amber Tresca’s podcast and blog, About IBD People who live with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis experience stigma because of their inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The taboo topic of bowel disease can permeate all aspects of a person’s life, especially when there are cultural influences also at play. Tina Aswani Omprakash, who lives with Crohn’s disease and a permanent ileostomy, shares her story of personal empowerment and how she is working to help other people with IBD live their lives with confidence. Tina describes how IBD has profoundly affected her family as well as why…
- acceptance, advocacy, awareness, Body Positivity, Crohn's, Fistulizing Disease, living with IBD, Mental Health, Ostomy, Self-image, stigma, Ulcerative Colitis
Lilly Singh’s ‘Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai?’: My Anthem for Body Positivity
I still remember when the racy Bollywood song, “Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai?” (Hindi: What’s Behind the Saree Blouse?), teased South Asian household television sets and AM/FM radios (yes, those used to be a thing). I was barely 10 years old and even though I couldn’t get enough of the song’s hypnotic beat, I felt tingling shame every time I heard its lyrics. So when Lilly Singh (a/k/a iiSuperwomanii), Punjabi-Canadian LGBTQ YouTube star and soon-to-be late-night TV show host, released her rap remake of “Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai?” last week, I nearly fell off my chair. She didn’t just remake a Bollywood classic; she recreated a spectacle made for…
- advocacy, awareness, colorectal cancer, Colorectal Surgery, Crohn's, Fistulizing Disease, living with IBD, Mental Health, Ostomy, stigma, Ulcerative Colitis
The Top 10 IBD Blogs to Follow in 2019
Discussing bowel movements is undoubtedly a taboo subject for many people, which has helped a stigma form around Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). For people living with IBD, most commonly in the form of Crohn’s Disease or Ulcerative Colitis, ‘embarrassment’, ‘shame’, and ‘isolation’ are regularly used words to describe the emotional strain that accompanies the physical symptoms of their condition. These bloggers, each excelling in particular areas, write openly and honestly about the realities of life with IBD. In doing so, they are helping create a community that offers support, raise awareness that helps tackle the stigma, and provide practical tips for various walks of life. Top IBD Blogs for Real…
- advocacy, Crohn's, Fistulizing Disease, living with IBD, Mental Health, Ostomy, stigma, Ulcerative Colitis
My Perianal Disease Feature at Crohn’s & Colitis Congress 2019
As many of you may have seen on my social media accounts this last month, Crohn’s & Colitis Congress is a premier conference that discusses all the latest breakthroughs in inflammatory bowel disease. I had the honor of taking part in one of the breakout sessions called Management of Complicated IBD: Perianal Disease. During this panel discussion, I shared my experiences with perianal fistulizing Crohn’s Disease and the psychosocial toll it wreaked on my entire being as a woman, as a professional and as a wife. As terrifying as sharing my horrific experience with perianal disease was, it was absolutely validating and felt like a huge weight off my shoulders.…
- colorectal cancer, Colorectal Surgery, Crohn's, Fistulizing Disease, Gratitude, living with IBD, Mindfulness, Ostomy, Pelvic pain, stigma, Traveling with IBD, Ulcerative Colitis, Valentine's Day
7 IBD-Inspired Gift Ideas for Valentine’s Day
By Tina Aswani Omprakash February 13, 2019 One woman living with Crohn’s shares thoughtful Valentine’s gift ideas for the IBD warrior in your life. Valentine’s Day can be an anxiety-inducing holiday for many people. Especially for those of us living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). If we’re single, our minds might run wild about when we might meet that special someone. And if we’re in a relationship, we might worry about experiencing symptoms during a romantic moment. But it’s important to remember that Valentine’s Day isn’t just a day for us to fret over romance. It’s a day for us to celebrate all kinds of love: love for significant others, family, and…
- acceptance, advocacy, awareness, colorectal cancer, Colorectal Surgery, Crohn's, Father's Day, living with IBD, Ostomy, stigma, Ulcerative Colitis
OYC Trailblazers: An Ode to My Father & Fellow IBD Warrior
This year I’m starting a new series called Own Your Crohn’s (OYC) TrailBlazers in which I share stories of other chronic illness warriors and their experiences. And who better to begin this series than my father, a long-time veteran of Crohn’s Disease? Dr. Moti Aswani was born in New Delhi, India, and came to New York to study at the age of 21. And, oh, did he study! He held five degrees: a Bachelors, Masters and Doctorate in Electrical Engineering and Masters degrees in Philosophy and Business Administration. He was a Senior Systems Engineer for the prestigious Bell Labs in New Jersey for many years thereafter. On paper, he was…
- 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.
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…
- 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
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…