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Ashley and Rebecca from The Crohn's & Colitis Dietitians talk about all things IBD-related.  From getting diagnosed to navigating our health-care system. We also discuss a study that showed IBD patients had a higher amount of microplastics in their stool vs. non IBD patients. 

We are back and of course we are discussing everything about IBD in an honest and direct way! And that includes a conversation about poop! Even though IBD can be a serious challenge it can help to be lighthearted about these topics. When we don't feel comfortable talking to our GI doctors about issues, like our poop, it can feel really isolating and our doctors aren't getting important information about us that they need. So we encourage everyone to be aware of their body's processes which can make conversations with our doctor much more effective when they know the whole picture of what is going on with us.

Sometimes people feel disconnected from their body when stressed or experiencing symptoms because the awareness of these issues can feel overwhelming . Rebecca talks about ways she tunes into her body, which include journaling and just writing in an unstructured way. You can write about anything such as: what you ate and how it made you feel or about the thoughts you're having that day about your condition or anything else. Also,  just talking things through, either out loud or to yourself can also help you to be honest and understand yourself better.

Ashley talks about how her IBD, though so difficult, has been a filter that has allowed her to focus on what is really important in life. Rebecca says that IBD has taught her how to  take care of her body well and has also shown her what really matters in her life. 

We talk about how we questioned ourselves when we were first diagnosed and were told, "it's all in your head" or "it's not that serious".  Sometimes that can lead to disconnection, losing trust in ourselves, ignoring our issues and that delays people from getting help. We would love to see more support in healthcare for IBD patients! And we hope everyone can find a doctor that really listens to them so we can be confident discussing these challenging issues.