1/ Today is World #IBD Day. Here is my #CrohnsDisease story: buff.ly/2TkWenc When considering my post for today I've been reflecting on why awareness days are important and with that I began to think about the history of IBD: how patients were treated in the past, what 
2/ treatment options were available... So much has changed and it is all because of people sharing their stories, the hard work and dedication of our GIs and other clinicians, and the money and support that came from advocacy which led to where we are today. It wasn't that
3/ long ago that patients were being blamed for their IBD. It was thought that they had a "mother fixation," marital problems, and so on. A disease of the psyche. Patients were taken away from their families and isolated and went through unimaginable things. Lobotomies were
4/ done on patients. Back then "treating" IBD was barbaric but we owe a lot to the patients who endured those things in order to get to where we are. Death from IBD was more likely, surgeries for IBD were in their infancy... As time progressed we got to the place
5/ where we had some options. Steroids, sulfasalazine, and better surgical options. Still there was a long way to go. Then there came my time: my story with IBD began in the 1980s with many
6/ hospital stays and my official diagnosis in the 90s. No biologics were approved at the time. While I wasn't being blamed for having IBD because of my mental health (at least not by doctors) or receiving lobotomies, it was still very difficult at that time. Still living with
7/ the repercussions of all those steroids. Then we get to a long stretch of time where we have Anti-TNFs and all that we learned from them. We had the NOD2 discovery and then more genes linked to IBD. A 'step up' approach to treating #IBD was standard and biologics seen as the
8. big scary meds you only take once you're doing really bad. Clinical remission (resolution of symptoms) was the goal... AND LOOK WHERE WE ARE TODAY! We have more than just anti-TNFs for biologics. We have learned about mucosal healing. We have ways to optimize drug
9. therapies. A treat to target approach to treating IBD is being accepted more and more... I could go on and on but point is a lot of this came out of awareness leading to change. So THANK YOU to all of you who share your stories and who advocate for patients to live better
10/ with IBD. Please share within your own circles who do not have IBD what it is and how they can help. Feel free to leave a comment to this thread on what you most appreciate about the progress in treating IBD. You can also feel free to share anything you find useful from my
11/ website inflamedanduntamed.org I hope you all have enjoyed some of these pictures of my life with IBD. I can say that when this all began for me in the 80s and 90s when I was a kid that you absolutely never heard of people talking about these things. As a kid you don't want
12/ to stand out; you want to blend in. There was also no social media and not everyone had a computer in their home. I kept my #Crohns disease a secret and it was one that caused me so much embarrassment and shame. I hated myself for so long. The first time I spoke to
13/ another person with IBD was at Camp Oasis. 3 years later I started by site #InflamedAndUntamed. Since then, as these pictures prove, I have met so many other patients and have had so many incredible opportunities. It is one of the biggest pieces of my healing process. It is
14/ also what brought Dan into my life. I tried to include pictures of everyone but it's impossible. If you've been a part of my IBD life no matter how big or small the part you play I want to say I am so thankful for you. I am more confident and strong with IBD than I could ever
15/15 have imagined. Sharing my story led me to freedom; a weight lifted from my shoulders. Going through it with you is so much better than alone. Keep sharing your stories because it makes a difference and we still have a long way to go. Sorry this was so long!
