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…
- autoimmune disease, awareness, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Crohn's, immunocompromised, living with IBD, Minority Health, Ostomy, Ulcerative Colitis, Vaccinations
- 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, awareness, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Crohn's, immunocompromised, living with IBD, Ostomy, Ulcerative Colitis
Managing IBD in the Era of COVID-19
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…
- 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?
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…