Tag Archives: cure

Episode 45 - Where Do We Go From Here_

About IBD Podcast Episode 45 – Where Do We Go From Here?

What’s new in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) treatments and what’s next on the horizon? Dr Peter Higgins, a gastroenterologist, IBD specialist, and researcher at the University of Michigan discusses what’s new in IBD from the Crohn’s and Colitis Congress meeting in 2019. We talk fecal transplants, healing strictures in the intestines, and the feasibility of custom ostomy products. It’s a conversation about cutting edge research on Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis mixed with the practicality of using these treatments in the real world.

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Episode 26 - Why Didn't I Do This Sooner_

About IBD Podcast 26 – Why Didn’t I Do This Sooner?

What happens when a diagnosis of Crohn’s disease stands between you and your chosen career? This is exactly the barrier that veteran journalist and news anchor Natalie Hayden faced in the early days after her IBD diagnosis. Her decision was to gather her support system around her and get camera ready. Find out how she made it as a morning news anchor, found the love of her life, started her family, and founded Lights, Camera, Crohn’s.

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Can We Really Cure Ulcerative Colitis?

I don’t know how it happened, and maybe the origins are lost to the sands of time, but someone somewhere decided that a colectomy was a cure for ulcerative colitis. This idea made it into books and pamphlets for patients, and now is taken as canon by inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) advocacy groups. Recently, however, there’s been some pushback on this idea from patient advocates.

What Does This Word Mean, “Cure?”

Personally, I have never felt that “cure” was the correct word to use for the removal of the colon. For people with ulcerative colitis, removing the colon may signal the end of some symptoms, including inflammation, fever, diarrhea, and pain. Without a colon, there are several options available for the solution to the question of “how does one poop?” The most popular one is a j-pouch, whereby a pouch shaped like a “j” is created from the terminal ileum, and sewn onto the rectum. Continue reading