About IBD

The Sherman Prize is an award created by Bruce and Cynthia Sherman to recognize those who are making great contributions to the field of research and care in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The Sherman family has been touched by IBD and their goal is to create a ripple effect that spreads awareness, fosters innovation, and provides inspiration in the hope that in the future, other families won't have to contend with IBD in the way that theirs has. Dr Dermot McGovern, Professor of Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California in Los Angeles and the 2020 Committee Chair for The Sherman Prize talks more about the value of the Prize to the IBD community, who can make a nomination, and how to nominate a great candidate. He also talks about his research on the genetics of IBD and why it might help in leading to new treatments.

Make your nominations for the 2020 Sherman Prize 2020 by July 17th! You can learn more and do so at ShermanPrize.org.

Find The Sherman Prize at ShermanPrize.org, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Find Dermot P. B. McGovern, MD, PhD, FRCP at Cedars-Sinai and Twitter.

Find Amber J Tresca at AboutIBD.com, Verywell, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Credits: Mix and sound design is by Mac Cooney. Theme music, "IBD Dance Party," is from ©Cooney Studio.

Being diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis) can upend your entire life. Then being diagnosed with a rare liver disease? It could truly leave you feeling hopeless. But that's not what happened to Jenna Ziegler of The Comical Colon. Not long after her ulcerative colitis diagnosis, her doctor was concerned about her liver test levels. With more testing and a lot of patient empowerment, Jenna now has a presumed diagnosis of primary sclerosing cholangitis, or PSC. She tells how she has fought to get the tests she needed to understand her level of risk, and the treatment that can help prevent PSC from progressing and causing more damage to her liver.

Concepts discussed in this episode:

• Clostridium difficile Infection
• Liver Function Tests
• IBD and Liver Disease
• IBD and PSC
• Biopsy
• Fibroscan
• Cirrhosis
• Enteropathic Arthritis
• Jenna's Liver Biopsy Series

Learn about Gali Health and download the app (affiliate link).

Find Jenna Ziegler at TheComicalColon.com, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Find Amber J Tresca at AboutIBD.com, Verywell, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Credits: Mix and sound design is by Mac Cooney. Theme music, "IBD Dance Party," is from ©Cooney Studio.

Do you have a sense of humor about your IBD? Jenna Ziegler of The Comical Colon found that keeping her sense of humor has helped her through the challenges she faced after being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in college. After fighting her way back to health after severe flare-ups and carving out the life she wanted for herself, Jenna received another stunning diagnosis: a rare liver condition called primary sclerosing cholangitis, or PSC. Over the years she has done the hard work to learn how to be an empowered patient and she shares her 5 tips on how you can learn to advocate for yourself.

Concepts discussed in this episode:

• Pancolitis
• Helicobacter pylori
• IBD and Liver Disease
• IBD and Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC)

Learn about Gali Health and download the app (affiliate link).

Find Jenna Ziegler at TheComicalColon.com, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Find Amber J Tresca at AboutIBD.com, Verywell, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Credits: Sound engineering courtesy Mac Cooney. "IBD Dance Party" ©Cooney Studio.

What has been your experience with ostomy surgery? If you know someone who lives with an ileostomy or a colostomy, you'll likely get your impression about having a stoma from them. But what if that person struggles to accept their stoma? When Amber Wallace Ogle of The Ostomy Diaries was faced with ileostomy surgery to treat her Crohn's disease, she was reminded of the negative experiences of her family members who lived with an ostomy. However, it didn't take long after her surgery before she was embracing life again and working to show others that life with an ostomy can be fulfilling and beautiful. Amber tells her Crohn's disease story, gives 5 tips for advocating online, and shares a message she received from a family that has been touched by her advocacy.

Concepts discussed in this episode:

• Clostridium difficile
• Colectomy
• Proctectomy

Find Amber Wallace Ogle at OstomyDiaries,com, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Find Amber J Tresca at AboutIBD.com, Verywell, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Credits: Sound engineering courtesy Mac Cooney. "IBD Dance Party" ©Cooney Studio.

How does being diagnosed with a chronic illness affect your path in life? For Mariah Leach, a rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis came out of the blue and put her at a crossroads. She decided to take the road towards patient advocacy. What started as a way to process her feelings and keep family and friends updated about her condition through her writing has evolved into a calling. Today, she has become a tireless advocate for people living with rheumatoid arthritis and as a resource for parents with chronic illness. It's Mariah's goal to ensure no one feels alone in their parenting journey. To that end, she has developed Mamas Facing Forward to support parents and foster the connections she was missing in her first years as a mom.

Looking for ideas to keep kids occupied this summer? Learn about the Mamas Facing Forward Stay Home Summer Camp!

Find Mariah Leach at From This Point. Forward., Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Find Mamas Facing Forward on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Find Amber J Tresca at AboutIBD.com, Verywell, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Credits: Sound engineering courtesy Mac Cooney. "IBD Dance Party" ©Cooney Studio.

How would you answer these questions about your inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)?

• What is the best part of having IBD?
• What is the hardest part of your day?
• What is your least favorite treatment?
• If you could choose one dance for your doctor, what would it be and why?
• What is one thing you wish people knew about your condition?

Amber answers these questions, posed by Shawntel Bethea of Crohn's & Stuff, for fun and also to get the conversation started about how Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis affect our lives.

Find Shawntel Bethea of Crohn's & Stuff on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Answer the 5 questions, tag her on social media, and use #IBDTag.

Find Amber J Tresca at AboutIBD.com, Verywell, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Credits: Sound engineering courtesy Mac Cooney. "IBD Dance Party" ©Cooney Studio.

Telehealth has become part of our new normal as we practice physical distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Several of the barriers that prevented us from being able to see our doctors for an appointment via a telephone call or a video call have now been managed. However, it's still a new way to receive healthcare, and both patients and clinicians are adjusting. Learn from Neilanjan Nandi, MD, gastroenterologist and Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center and the University of Pennsylvania about what patients can do to be ready for their telehealth appointments and what it's like from the doctor's side of the video conference call.

Concepts discussed on this episode:

• What Is Dyspnea?
• An Overview of Anal or Rectal Abscess
• Anemia and Its Relationship With IBD
• How to Use Telehealth Services During the COVID-19 Outbreak and Beyond

For more information on telehealth appointments, see Tips for Telehealth and Managing Your IBD Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic from Tina Aswani Omprakash of Own Your Crohn's.

Find Neilanjan Nandi, MD on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Find Amber J Tresca at AboutIBD.com, Verywell, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Credits: Sound engineering courtesy Mac Cooney. "IBD Dance Party" ©Cooney Studio.

People living with IBD who have suppressed immune systems because of medication are understandably concerned about their risks surrounding the novel coronavirus and COVID-19. Jamie Horrigan, a medical student and founder of "Sweetened By Nature," lives with Crohn's disease and gastroparesis and was diagnosed with COVID-19. She describes her experiences with symptoms, diagnosis, isolation, and recovery. She also gives some insight on why a common complication of coronaviruses, called a cytokine storm, may be an important factor of COVID-19 for people with IBD.

Concepts discussed on this episode:

• Coronavirus (COVID-19) testing: What you should know (UC Davis Health)
• Mount Sinai COVID-19 Plasma Donation
• National COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Project
• IOIBD Update on COVID19 for Patients with Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis
• The Coronavirus Patients Betrayed by Their Own Immune Systems (Cytokine Storm)
• Coronavirus and IBD Reporting Database
• IBD-AID Diet (Anti-Inflammatory Diet for IBD)
• The Specific Carbohydrate Diet for IBD

Find Jamie Horrigan on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and on her web site Sweetened by Nature.

Find Amber J Tresca at AboutIBD.com, Verywell, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Credits: Sound engineering courtesy Mac Cooney. "About IBD With Amber Tresca" ©Cooney Studio.

We're living through an usual time and people living with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis have many questions about how the pandemic may affect them. IBD experts agree that it's important to continue receiving medications during this time to avoid a flare-up. That might mean traveling to an infusion center, hospital, or doctor's office for treatment. Julie Kennedy of The Semicolon Girl recounts her experience in receiving her infusion of her Crohn's disease medication in the era of COVID-19, including how the procedure was different, and gives her tips on how to make the process go as smoothly as possible.

• People with IBD are not at a greater risk of being infected with the novel coronavirus
• Having IBD does not mean a person is immunosuppressed
• People who have had a colectomy and who live with an ostomy or a j-pouch are also not considered immunosuppressed
• Experts are advising that people with IBD should stay on their medications

Find Julie Kennedy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and on her web site, The Sick Adventures of a Semi Colon Girl. Read her blog post about her infusion, Adventures in Pandemics.

Find Amber J Tresca at AboutIBD.com, Verywell, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Credits: Sound engineering courtesy Mac Cooney. "IBD Dance Party" ©Cooney Studio.

This is the second episode of my series talking to people who live with a permanent ostomy and exploring why they share their stories publicly and what it means to the ostomy community. I connected with Austin Powers on Twitter where he goes by Ostomy Guy. He has a podcast of the same name where he interviews people who live with an ostomy or who have other serious medical conditions. His path to becoming public about his ostomy started unexpectedly when he sat down to write about his disease journey. What started as a vague idea about writing a blog turned into a book, The Ostomy Guy Story: Memoirs of a Bagman, which is available on Amazon. Listen all the way to end to hear one of the many letters Austin receives from his readers, who are inspired by his story.

Find the Ostomy Guy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and on his site, theostomyguy.com. You can also buy his book, The Ostomy Guy Story: Memoirs of a Bagman, on Amazon.

Find Amber J Tresca at AboutIBD.com, Verywell, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Credits:

Sound engineering courtesy Mac Cooney. "IBD Dance Party" ©Cooney Studio.