***I did NOT make this decision without first talking openly and honestly with my doctor AND reviewing a plan for my next choice of treatment. When I first started Humira, a biologic medication that I injected every two weeks to manage Crohns disease, in 2014, it was magical. It took a few months to work at first, but once it did, I went from a strict liquid diet and being scheduled for surgery all the way to working again and eating a burger (my surgeon's super scientific t

Knowing that I'd be hitting double digits since my diagnosis with Crohn's disease has caused me to spend a lot of time reflecting over the past few months. After spending so many years focused on getting to a future that was bright and disease-free, it's a little weird to look back at the journey. Along the way, I've experienced fear, sadness, anger, and pain, along with determination, personal growth, and a constantly fluctuating battle between finding peace with my diagno

"Being positive" and "accepting one's situation" are often described as necessities for fighting the good fight when in ailing health. But is that always realistic? Being positive and accepting something that was never asked for? For me, acceptance is such a weighted word. I still don't really like to use it. But in order to put one foot in front of the other on my worst days, I found that I really did need to engage in a dedicated approach to managing the "mental load"

It's been a little while now that I've lived in a state of mostly disease-free bliss. We all know that "remission" still comes with disease-related draw-backs and symptoms (most annoyingly a lovely stint of SIBO this past winter). But for the most part, remission is a pretty lucky place to be. It's amazing that I've made it this long, and I still marvel at the fact that I wake up each morning and my meds haven't failed me for another day. Over the past decade, I've only exp

In order to get well enough to take on the role of motherhood in the way that I wanted, I would need to take Cimzia (throughout my first pregnancy) and then Humira (started after a rough flare and shortly before my second pregnancy). I was nervous at first, but, armed with evidence-based research, I was able to make my own informed decision to exclusively breastfeed both of my children while effectively treating my Crohn's disease. I'm not one to engage in a mommy-battle of

Working while managing a disability that doesn't take a break between the typical 9 - 5pm work-day is sometimes nerve-wracking. How will my boss, coworkers, and clients handle situations that require me to put my symptoms first? Will symptoms hold me back from achieving the professional goals that I set for myself? Can I do it all; take care of my kids, the house, my marriage, and my health? These thoughts go through my head as I start applying for jobs, and it makes me s

From a young age, I knew that I wanted to be a mother. But, when I began experiencing symptoms of Crohn’s disease at age 21, I became worried about how my future may look. Knowing instinctively that I wanted to be well to have a child, I set out on a mission to heal the angry disease that was taking over my intestines. After struggling on lower-tiered medications, a hospitalization for an obstruction led me to realize that the deep healing that I desired would only come us

Chronic illness can be tough and lonely. It seems that most people can appreciate that fact and they know what it generally means to be lonely. But “lonely” takes on a new definition that goes deeper and darker with the personalized, persistent, and relentless class of illnesses considered to be chronic, or lifelong. When I was diagnosed, I quickly learned this new definition for lonely. While doctors were considering a diagnosis of Crohn’s disease, and determining a cours

As the fireworks faded on the first day of 2017, I felt excited and motivated. “This would be the year,” I remember telling my husband, “that I’ll have my strongest body yet.” As an active woman, a busy mom, and a person with Crohn’s disease, it was important to me that I do everything in my power to stay on top of my health. But, could I really do it? Due to my diagnosis, I’d always assumed that I just wouldn’t be able to be as strong and fit as my active friends. What i

Visit The Mighty to view a version of this article. It was a beautiful, hazy day in August when I was formally diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. From over the phone, the doctor’s words seemed in such stark contrast to my surroundings that I had trouble digesting them. It was warm, and I was exhausted; all I could mutter was, “OK.” Appreciating the reality of being diagnosed with a lifelong, incurable chronic illness wasn’t on my mind. Instead, assigning a name to the beast taki