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  • autoimmune disease,  awareness,  Coronavirus,  COVID-19,  Crohn's,  immunocompromised,  living with IBD,  Minority Health,  Ostomy,  Ulcerative Colitis,  Vaccinations

    Receiving the COVID-19 Vaccine as a Patient with Several Autoimmune Conditions

    March 22, 2021

    I recently received both doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine! Many folks have been asking about my stance on it and what my experiences with it have been. First of all, I want to be clear – in line with the guidance shared by the International Organization for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, I am without any doubt a supporter of vaccination against COVID especially as a student of public health who has learned about the immense significance of vaccines in curbing pandemics. I believe this pandemic has taken far too many lives (~500K just in the U.S.) and I think that the potential for overarching complications of contracting…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    Taryn’s Journey: Navigating Relationships and IBD During the Pandemic

    April 1, 2021

    Demi’s Journey: Coming Out with Ulcerative Colitis as a Filipino Woman

    May 3, 2021

    What I’ve Learned About Starting an Advanced Therapy for Crohn’s Disease

    March 2, 2024
  • 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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    AIBD 2020: Hot Topics for IBD Patients

    December 22, 2020

    Managing Ostomy Care in the Era of Covid-19

    October 21, 2020

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

    September 16, 2020
  • 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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    The Beauty of Ostomates Worldwide

    October 17, 2019

    7 IBD-Inspired Gift Ideas for Valentine’s Day

    February 14, 2019

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

    October 16, 2018
  • Coronavirus,  COVID-19,  Crohn's,  immunocompromised,  living with IBD,  Ulcerative Colitis

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

    September 16, 2020

    Given all the chatter about COVID-19 this upcoming fall season, I thought it best to inform ourselves as patients as to what to expect. Because rates of COVID infection are so variable across the U.S., I spoke to several leading gastroenterologists around the country to get their take on what they’re recommending to their IBD patients about vaccinations, medications, surgery in addition to attending social gatherings and returning to school and/or work. The 5 IBD specialists I spoke to are located in various parts of the country and include Dr. Jordan Axelrad (Adult GI at NYU Langone Medical Center), Dr. Sabina Ali (Pediatric GI at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital), Dr.…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    AIBD 2020: Hot Topics for IBD Patients

    December 22, 2020

    Immunocompromised in the Age of Coronavirus

    May 1, 2020

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

    April 18, 2020
  • Ableism,  advocacy,  Coronavirus,  COVID-19,  Crohn's,  disability accommodations,  Disability Justice,  Gastroparesis,  invisible illness,  living with IBD,  Mental Health,  Ulcerative Colitis

    University Accommodations in the COVID-19 Era

    September 7, 2020

    The last few weeks have felt daunting and overwhelming as I’ve been battling intense floods of illness and considering whether or not to resume graduate school part-time again this fall. You see, even contemplating a graduate program was a huge undertaking for me a couple years ago when I was accepted into a Certificate of Public Health program. As I slowly mustered up the courage to transfer into the Master’s in Public Health program, I felt scared yet hopeful all at once. And in between it all, I’ve had to take a trimester off to tend to my health.  But all that aside, now we are in the midst of a…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    Disability Awareness in the Midst of Coronavirus

    March 12, 2020

    What IBD Awareness Means to a South Asian American Woman with Crohn’s

    June 17, 2020

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

    December 27, 2019
  • 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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    Accepting My Crohn’s Disease to Finally Become Me

    January 15, 2024

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

    January 28, 2021

    The Value of Support Groups

    August 26, 2018
  • 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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    Sepsis Is a Severe, Life-threatening Complication for IBD Patients

    September 22, 2018

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

    July 31, 2019

    J-Pouch Failure – Tina’s Story

    June 15, 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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    An Interview with News 12 NJ: How Does Coronavirus Affect YOU?

    April 6, 2020

    MC Capital T Reppin’ from the BK Walk!

    June 25, 2018

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

    September 24, 2018
  • 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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    OYC Trailblazers: Celebrating Melissa’s J-Pouch-versary

    February 25, 2019

    Happy World IBD Day from Digestive Disease Week (DDW)!

    May 22, 2019

    Owning My Crohn’s Mindfully This New Year

    January 5, 2019
  • 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!

    Read More
    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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

    December 27, 2019

    I am NOT a Burden: A South Asian Perspective

    July 1, 2020

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    September 7, 2020
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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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