My Best IBD Advice

Here are some of my best pieces of advice for dealing with IBD, specifically Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's Disease:

▪Get accustomed to talking about poo.
▪Be prepared for dealing with embarrassing situations and learn to find the humour in it. Basically if you pretend your situation is actually a sitcom you are watching, it is all pretty funny.
▪Try not to beat yourself up too much - guilt is a nasty little friend to always carry around.

▪Depends or Tena and really pretty booty shorts are your friends. Bring extra underwear everywhere you go.
▪Camping toilets - put one in your car.
▪Costco Kirkland or Charmin Ultra Soft toilet paper, baby wipes, or Kleenex plus lotion are also your friends.
▪Penaten is good to have in the house. You don't need it... until you do.
▪Invest in a BIDET!!! (I SO wish we had thought of this one earlier). Trust me.
▪If you have an ostomy, look for pretty lace belts or bandeaus, Spanx type camisoles, and poo-pourri sprays.
▪Hand sanitizer - keep on hand. (Ha!)
▪Find food that YOU can handle and stick with it. No one is the same. No food is a 100% trigger or aggravator for every patient.
▪Never buy or rent a place that does not have either a fan or a window in the bathroom. Keep a Bluetooth speaker in there for emergency music if people are over. Seriously.
▪Adrenaline can give you a short break from the digestive pain.

Okay those are some main ones. Any questions - always feel free to ask!!!