Monthly Archives: March 2014

My Journey with LDN

Azulfidine, Dipentum, Flagyl, Imuran, Asacol, Prednisone, Remicade, and Humira. These are just some of the medicines I have been on for Crohn’s Disease. Azulfidine was the very first. Dipentum followed and after I took myself off it for some years, it was the first one I went back on so I did this one twice. Sadly, none of these meds helped me sufficiently. Some of them I got really bad side effects. Most I couldn’t even last a year. Continue reading →

Crohn’s: The teacher I never asked for

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When I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in October of 2008, I really didn’t understand how that news would change my life. My symptoms were mild at first, but by 2010 I was spending most of my days in bed or in the bathroom. Not able to find relief through conventional drugs, alternative therapy, dietary modification, herbs or supplements, I ultimately ended up without a colon and with a permanent ileostomy in August of 2013; something that would return some normalcy back to my life. As I look back and reflect on the ups and downs of this illness, I realize that the challenges I’ve faced have offered up some important lessons. Continue reading →

Crohnly You

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Here are a select few of the phrases I am henceforth going to attempt to eliminate from my vocabulary;

“I’m fine!”

“I’ll get there!”

“Better than I was a few years/weeks/months ago!”

I’d say I relay the above statements approximately 5 times a day when talking about my Crohn’s Disease. I used to think it was because answering questions in this way is ‘easier’ than being honest, or because they save time in having to explain myself again and again. Continue reading →

Girls With Guts

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A picture frame sits on my desk at work and in it are the faces of my best friends. From left to right you’ll find Liz Jordan, Alicia Aliello, myself (Jackie Zimmerman) and Casey Greenwood, 4 of the 5 board members for Girls With Guts. Girls With Guts is a small non-profit that I founded in 2012 that supports women and children with Inflammatory Bowel Disease and ostomies. Our mission is simple, we don’t want anyone to feel alone on this journey. Continue reading →

The Crohn’s Fairytale

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My journey through the trials and tribulations of Crohn’s is something I talk about quite often. I tell the story to small groups, to large audiences, and to individuals one-on-one. I tell the story almost like a fairytale; framing Crohn’s disease as the evil Dragon, myself as the helpless Princess, with the ostomy as my Knight in Shining Armour.

Or… plastic.

And the Princess and the Ostomy lived happily ever after.

I tell my story as if it was just that; a story; a beginning, a middle, and an end. Continue reading →

Surviving a Gluten Free Diet

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Being an IBDer most of my life, one of the biggest things people would say to me is, “I bet there is a lot of things you can’t eat”. Growing up I would tell them that I can eat anything I want. I wasn’t limited to anything and nothing seemed to affect my Crohn’s. Well, that is what I thought. Of course, I was ignorant. Continue reading →