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Own Your Crohn's

Empowering the Chronically Ill & Disabled to Lead Fuller Lives

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  • advocacy,  awareness,  Black Lives Matter,  coping with flares,  Crohn's,  Disability Justice,  Healthcare Disparities,  Minority Health,  Ostomy,  Ulcerative Colitis

    Black Lives Matter in the IBD Community, Too

    July 10, 2020

    In recent weeks, months and years, we have witnessed far too many hate crimes toward our Black brothers and sisters. It is not unknown to us that many Black bodies have been tested upon without fair pain medications, expected to endure tremendous suffering in the name of science. Within the healthcare system, not only do Black folx face significant health disparities and delays to diagnosis, they also deal with uphill battles when it comes to accessing good insurance, care and treatment options. With this blog post, I aim to shed light on the stories of 8 lovely Black inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients while sharing the resources of 3 die-hard…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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

    May 22, 2019

    How to Own Your Crohn’s & Ostomy While Traveling to India

    February 18, 2025

    Owning My Crohn’s Mindfully This New Year

    January 5, 2019
  • Ableism,  acceptance,  advocacy,  Crohn's,  Dating & Relationships,  Disability Justice,  Minority Health,  stigma,  Ulcerative Colitis

    I am NOT a Burden: A South Asian Perspective

    July 1, 2020

    The recent advice column in the NY Times called “Is it OK to Dump Him Because of His Medical Condition?” has been percolating in our minds for the last few weeks. Tomorrow, July 2nd, 2020, marks 10 years since I’ve been married to the love of my life, Anand. Yes, you read that right: one whole decade of wedded bliss and 14 years of us being together. (See Love Knows No Disability.) I still vividly remember telling him 3 weeks into us dating that I had been diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) a few short months earlier and that the disease had taken the lives of my father and…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    University Accommodations in the COVID-19 Era

    September 7, 2020

    Disability Awareness in the Midst of Coronavirus

    March 12, 2020

    Inspire’s #KeepUsAllSafe COVID-19 Campaign

    April 12, 2020
  • Clinical Trials,  Crohn's,  Emerging Therapies,  living with IBD,  Ulcerative Colitis

    What I Learned From Joining a Clinical Trial for Crohn’s

    June 13, 2020

    By Tina Aswani Omprakash, Medically reviewed by Jenny Blair, MD Originally published on the Oshi Health website on April 6th, 2020: http://www.oshihealth.com/joining-clinical-trial/ My journey with Crohn’s disease has been an arduous one, laden with difficult decisions, including whether to take strong medications and when to have life-altering surgeries. At one point, Crohn’s derailed my career, my prospects of finishing graduate school and my ability to pursue meaningful relationships. But I was scared to try any new medication, let alone partake in a clinical trial. I was young and didn’t want to be burdened by a strict drug regimen or potential side effects.  After I had more than 20 corrective surgeries…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    How a clinical trial helped this Crohn’s advocate finally reach remission

    November 24, 2019

    In the Name of Science & Research

    June 25, 2019

    My Feature for Clinical Trial Awareness with Parexel

    June 1, 2019
  • acceptance,  advocacy,  awareness,  Caregiving,  Crohn's,  Dating & Relationships,  Minority Health,  stigma,  Ulcerative Colitis,  World IBD Day

    World IBD Day Panel Discussion: Experiences of Minority IBD Patients & Caregivers

    May 23, 2020

    By Anand Omprakash For World IBD Day, I was invited to be a part of a virtual panel discussion with the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, Dr. Meena Bewtra (IBD patient & gastroenterologist) and Stephanie Stinson (IBD patient) highlighting the unique struggles that minority patients and caregivers face.  I did this because I wanted to shed light upon the stigmas surrounding chronic illness in my community, especially so when it comes to a bowel disease and to marriage. In many communities around the world, a chronic illness is often viewed as a liability because marriage is considered as a familial “contract” to provide and reproduce and not just a means to provide…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    TINA ASWANI OMPRAKASH | 2018 NYC ADULT HONORED HERO

    April 20, 2018

    My Ostomy, My Lifesaver

    October 3, 2019

    The Value of Support Groups

    August 26, 2018
  • 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~ Michelle’s Story on the Intersection of Crohn’s & an LGBTQIA+ Identity

    June 22, 2020

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

    October 16, 2018

    My Feature in Suffering the Silence’s Photo Series Campaign

    October 6, 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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    OYC Trailblazers: An Ode to My Father & Fellow IBD Warrior

    January 30, 2019

    Talking Gut Podcast Episode 20: Tina Aswani Omprakash on Resilience & GRITT

    May 30, 2020

    Indian Ostomate Podcast Show: Episode 1 with Tina Aswani Omprakash

    July 23, 2020
  • 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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    Why My IBD Scars Make Me Proud

    May 23, 2019

    The Other Side of Crohn’s: Caregiving

    December 9, 2019

    I am NOT a Burden: A South Asian Perspective

    July 1, 2020
  • 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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    Brown Girl with Guts: Tina’s Journey with Crohn’s Disease

    April 30, 2019

    ~OYC Trailblazers~ Michelle’s Story on the Intersection of Crohn’s & an LGBTQIA+ Identity

    June 22, 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,  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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    Don’t Forget Your Flu Shot This Fall

    October 21, 2018

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

    April 1, 2019

    FitWitMD’s Live Discussion on Perianal Fistulizing Crohn’s Disease

    August 7, 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!

    Read More
    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    March 12, 2020

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    October 17, 2019

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    July 2, 2019
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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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