IBDetermined

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to S4 episode 5! There was an article that was on social media and had been sent to me by a few friends. We wanted to go further than the headline to see what this article actually meant for those who suffer from IBD. The article was called, "Scientists discover network of cells and and genes involved in Crohn's disease complications." The link to it is: htt...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to S4 episode 4! There has been a lot of talk about using ChatGPT to evaluate lab results, medical pictures and even help diagnose patients. We put it to the test and asked 10 questions about IBD to determine how accurate and helpful ChatGPT and Google AI really are. We are family friendly and want our audience to be involved! Listen together, separately, but ultimately we...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to S4 episode 3! We have discussed the physical aspects of this disease along with the financial burdens of IBD. Today we go more into the unwanted and unfair mental burdens placed on both the patient and caregivers. Our hope is to show you aren't alone and offer the ways we help navigate the challenges we also face. We are family friendly and want our audience to be...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to S4 episode 2! We have had a busy week and wanted to share the good news that Mason is graduating. To be clear (since I am not sure how clear we are in the podcast), Mason was one year ahead in school prior to his Crohn's disease diagnosis. After diagnosis, he gained another year so he ended up graduating two years early. His path isn't for everyone but we hope...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to S4 episode1! After 75 episodes, we have officially entered season 4 of our podcast. It is a very proud moment for both of us and we are so hopeful this podcast is helpful to you. Today we discuss Lego and how they can help with hospital stays, being unwell, and how they are used for therapy. Lego helped Mason through some tough times and continues to do so! We are so ex...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to S3 episode 201! We go over how our appeals went and are happy to share that we won this round. However we know the fight isn't over and we are hoping to testify before congress or share this story. We aren't alone in this and there are so many who are forced to make changes based on what insurance wants, not what the doctor wants. We are family friendly and wa...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to S3 episode 20! We are facing a treatment change by insurance against Mason's doctor's wishes. It has been a fight with pharmacists, health solutions, and insurance to do what is right and let Mason remain on what is working for him, not what will save money. Our hope is change will happen because step therapy and "try and fail" tactics are heart brea...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to S3 episode 19! How many times have you caught yourself trying to figure out what caused your Crohn's disease or Ulcerative Colitis? There are the scientific ideas, then there is what you can google and find. A lot of people think it is something they did and we are here to tell you to stop blaming yourself. IBD is still a mystery in so many ways but we go over what...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to S3 episode 18! Today we revisit the Reggie Project. We would love to have any of you participate and really help us provide a place where you have a platform and a voice for whatever chronic illness or disease you wish to discuss. We go over the ways we can help you raise awareness and get your message out there. We truly want to create a community of awareness and supp...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to S3 episode 17! We attended IBD day at Rady Children's Hospital and one of the things discussed were stem cell injections and GLP2 peptides.  We were excited to learn more about stem cells and GLP2 peptides and better understand how they work. We decided to discuss what we learned and share these areas of research that could make a difference how IBD is treated in t...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to S3 episode 16! We ordered and taste tested 21 different supplemental drinks that are the type used for  liquid diets and supplements for Crohn's disease and Ulcerative Colitis. We tried Boost, Ensure, Kate Farms, Fairlife, and Glucerna. We tasted each one to honestly give our opinions on what we thought. In the second half of the podcast we will go over nutritional...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to S3 episode 15! The Crohn's Colitis Congress recently held their event and Intestinal Ultrasounds was a popular topic. While used in other countries, they are still relatively new in the U.S. but we are very excited to discuss the incredible benefits they offer! We are family friendly and want our audience to be involved! Listen together, separately, but ultimately...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to S3 episode 14! We wanted to revisit a topic that continues to happen to those of us living with or living with someone we love with IBD. Opinions! There are a lot of them, some good, some bad. We go over how we handle them, ways to help keep you sane, and laugh/cry together over what we are all dealing with. We are family friendly and want our audience to be involved! L...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to S3 episode 13! Today we talk about the types of steroids used to treat Crohn's disease and Ulcerative Colitis. We also go further into potential side effects and usage recommendations. We are family friendly and want our audience to be involved! Listen together, separately, but ultimately we hope we bring some attention to some well deserved topics on chronic illne...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to S3 episode 12! I have noticed that some IBD patients are unaware of the involvement of joint pain and arthritis with IBD. It is a part of the disease for some and something worth discussing further! Mason has dealt with joint pain and goes over how his story connects with our discussion today. We are family friendly and want our audience to be involved! Listen together,...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to S3 episode 11! We wanted to share a positive story for the holidays about Costco. Besides being an incredible business to work for, they also stood by us with Mason's diagnosis. We go further into how they helped us get Mason's biologics approved when we had run out of options and time. We are so thankful for Costco and how they treat their employees as well a...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to S3 episode 10! Bone health is something that goes hand in hand with IBD. It can be a silent problem until it isn't. We go over how it is detected through a DEXA scan, how to understand your scores, things you can do for better bone health, and how IBD patients are affected. We also discuss intestine cookies and Mason's new Invisalign! We are family friendly an...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to S3 episode 9! Sometimes it is hard to "see" the side effects of IBD. Sometimes you might feel like something is in your mind. We dive deeper into cognitive changes not often discussed and shed light on changes to bring up with your own doctors. Cognitive challenges are difficult and it is important to continue to research them so there is a better understandin...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to S3 episode 8! So many people face unseen challenges in the IBD world. Today we are bringing some to light and discussing hidden financial and mental costs of IBD that patients are all too aware of. We also hope this will be something that someone unfamiliar with IBD will learn from, leading to more understanding and compassion. We are family friendly and want our audien...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to S3 episode 7! Today we have conversation about how people seem to understand Crohn's disease in different ways and use different methods to treat it. We also go into detail on the 4 different ways inflammation is diagnosed with Crohn's disease. We are family friendly and want our audience to be involved! Listen together, separately, but ultimately we hope we b...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to S3 episode 6! Learn with us and find out how the digestive system works and doesn't work when it comes to IBD. We also discuss how malnutrition and malabsorption can happen with inflammation! Lots of great info is covered and we think you also might connect the dots when it comes to your own diagnosis. We are family friendly and want our audience to be involved! Li...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to S3 episode 5! Today we go over interchangeable biosimilars and how they are similar and different in comparison to biosimilars. We also go over biosimilars in pediatric patients and share a great source through the FDA to see if you are taking a biologic, biosimilar or interchangeable biosimilar with a simple search! We are family friendly and want our audience to be in...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to S3 episode 4! We wanted to focus on biosimilars today because we know they are becoming more popular with insurance. We will help you better understand what they are, how they differ from biologics, how they are used in place of IBD biologics and how patents work with biologics. We are family friendly and want our audience to be involved! Listen together, separately, bu...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to S3 episode 3! We are revisiting a topic we have gone over since it has been awhile. There is a lot to absorb when you are first diagnosed with IBD and it can be overwhelming. We are here to discuss our ideas for how we handled it, both as patient and caregiver, and offer support to those of you on this journey. It is a lot and you aren't alone! We are family friend...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to S3 episode 2! In light of Disney and the changes they have made to not accommodate IBD disabilities, we were excited to find somewhere for our listeners that does. The National Parks are proud to support permanent disabilities and we were so excited to find out they offer a lifetime access pass. They do require documentation which we fully support, but they make the pro...