The Hidden Cost of “Faking Being Well” With Allison Fine

About IBD Podcast Episode 212

Living with a chronic condition places an invisible strain on friendships, marriages, and family dynamics, especially when patients feel the need to mask symptoms. Allison Fine, MSW, LICSW, founder and executive director of the Center for Chronic Illness, discusses breaking the cycle of emotional performance, navigating caregiver burnout, and processing ongoing grief. They explore how support groups are vital in chronic illness and how communication protects long-term relationships.

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Why Flare-Ups Aren’t Failure: The Truth About Chronic Illness Grief

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About IBD Podcast Episode 211 Featuring Antonia Repollet, PsyD

Flare-ups in chronic illness can reopen feelings of grief. Clinical psychologist Dr Antonia Repollet shares her journey with Crohn’s disease and how it informs the way she helps patients navigate the emotional challenges of long-term health conditions. Learn ways to maintain your identity despite symptoms, how to come back from comments like “you don’t look sick,” and how a GI psychologist can be an ally in managing life with a relapsing-remitting condition.

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How to Eat Well When Chronic Fatigue Makes Cooking Impossible

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About IBD Podcast Episode 210 With Nicholas Kelly, RD

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is thought of as a lung disease, but it affects the entire body. Amber Tresca speaks with Nicholas Kelly, MS, RD—a registered dietitian, public speaker, and cystic fibrosis advocate. His diagnosis is a result of his mother’s advocacy and research. Nick describes how he balances wanting to fit in with his determination to stand out, how he navigates chronic illness disclosure in the workplace, and his “triple minority” experience within the CF community. Plus, Nick shares practical nutrition tips to help you rethink your relationship with food.

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Why Your Symptoms Get Dismissed (and How to Be Heard)

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About IBD Podcast Episode 209 With Morgan Check, NP

Pediatric GI Nurse Practitioner Morgan Check shares her journey living with Crohn’s disease, navigating a diagnosis change, emergency surgery, and motherhood. She uncovers the challenges facing women with IBD, from bone density and fertility to dismissal in clinical settings, and gives actionable tips for effective self-advocacy.

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The Truth About How IBD Affects Families

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About IBD Podcast Episode 208 With Adam and Brandon Sikes

Adam Sikes was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at 18 and later with stage 1 colon cancer. Along with his son Brandon, Adam shares how his family supported him through decades of illness, surgery, and recovery with a J-pouch. Adam and Brandon highlight how IBD affects families, the importance of screening, and the power of community support through groups such as Connecting to Cure.

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Powerful Lessons: How Women Experience Life With IBD

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Featuring Alicia Aiello of Girls With Guts – About IBD Podcast Episode 207

Alicia Aiello, president of Girls With Guts, shares her journey with IBD, which began in childhood. She discusses major surgeries, including a proctectomy that resulted in an unexpected loss of her fallopian tubes and an ovary, and the early onset of perimenopause. Alicia opens up about navigating rectovaginal fistulas, feeling dismissed, and the importance of knowing when to switch providers.

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Hidden Ways IBD Affects You Over a Lifetime With Puja Khanna, MD — About IBD Podcast Episode 206

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The truth about inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is that it goes beyond the gut. In this first-ever live recording of About IBD, Amber talks with Dr. Puja Khanna from Cedars-Sinai to explore the extra-intestinal impacts of IBD, from skin conditions and eye inflammation to debilitating fatigue. Learn how sex-specific factors affect women and why building a multi-disciplinary care team is the best strategy for long-term health.

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How to Navigate ER Visits and Avoid Fragmented Care With Dr Stephen Lupe — About IBD Podcast Episode 205

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Emergency room visits are a source of stress and can lead to fragmented care. Amber speaks with psychologist Dr Stephen Lupe to learn why inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients avoid the ER, the reality of medical trauma, and how a multi-disciplinary approach like the IBD Medical Home can revolutionize patient care.

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Brown Note: Helping People with IBD Find Hope and Support With Andrew Giffin — About IBD Podcast Episode 204

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Amber Tresca talks with Andrew Giffin, a product manager in Toronto who was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at 19 after years of symptoms in high school. Andrew shares his experience navigating three major surgeries, adjusting his career path away from law enforcement, and learning to manage stress as part of living with a chronic illness. He also discusses developing apps, including Brown Note, a free, anonymous peer-support app for people with digestive diseases. Brown Note was inspired by his own feelings of isolation while preparing for his third surgery and is available on Apple, Android, and the web.

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How to Know the Difference Between IBD and Appendicitis

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The pain from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and especially Crohn’s disease, can be severe and last for days or longer. After being diagnosed with a form of IBD, abdominal pain might be thought of as part of the disease.

However, IBD is not the only reason for abdominal pain. Appendicitis is another common reason for abdominal pain. Knowing the difference between IBD pain and appendicitis pain is helpful because an inflamed appendix is a medical emergency.

Here’s how you can tell the difference.

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