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Kristen
Jul 20, 20177 min read
Kristen's Chronicles | My Hair Story
My severe Ulcerative Colitis and C. Diff infection took my entire large intestine and came very close to taking my life. But this disease al
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Kristen
Jul 17, 20176 min read
Kristen's Chronicles | My Ileostomy and J-Pouch Emergency Kits
I have always been guilty of over-packing, planning too far ahead, and bringing too many items "just in case." When we go on vacations...
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Kristen
Jul 14, 20176 min read
Kristen's Chronicles | Small Victories and Confronting Emotions
I walked down the lengthy hallway with my mom, following the random-colored tile squares on the floor. Around me were white walls...
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Kristen
Jul 11, 20176 min read
Kristen's Chronicles | Learning to Live with a J-Pouch
"You can eat whatever you want." Those were the words out of my surgeon's mouth after my reversal surgery to connect my j-pouch when I...
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Kristen
Jul 6, 20175 min read
Kristen's Chronicles | Counting Spoons
I hope the long holiday weekend brought great food and even better company. My holiday weekend was spent trying to find a happy balance...
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Kristen
Jul 1, 20174 min read
Kristen's Chronicles | The Face of a Chronic Illness
Do you know what a chronic illness looks like? The reality is, there is no specific face of a chronic illness. Chronic illnesses affect...
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Kristen
Jun 28, 20175 min read
Kristen's Chronicles | Back to Business
You know those commercials with the women that is being followed by a redhead that represents her colon? The advertisement is for a...
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Kristen
Jun 25, 20175 min read
Kristen's Chronicles | New Beginnings
There is a song by Tony Bennett called "I Left My Heart in San Francisco." The phrase has since extended beyond the song to be used to...
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Kristen
Jun 18, 20173 min read
Kristen's Chronicles | Here's to 23!
After my Hickman line was removed and my at-home nursing care stopped, I was free to enjoy my birthday a little this year. I do not...
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Kristen
Jun 18, 20175 min read
Kristen's Chronicles | Out of Time
"Look at you! What a difference a couple of weeks can make," my local surgeon exclaimed at my follow-up appointment with him on Monday....
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Kristen
Jun 3, 20173 min read
Kristen's Chronicles | Pulling Staples
I hope everyone had a safe and happy Memorial Day filled with family, friends, good food, and honoring the brave men and women who have...
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Kristen
May 28, 20173 min read
Kristen's Chronicles | Milestones
As May comes to a close, first of all: is anyone else in disbelief that we are almost halfway through 2017? What a year so far. This week...
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Kristen
May 24, 20174 min read
Kristen's Chronicles | World IBD Day 2017
Did you know: May is Inflammatory Bowel Disease month? A whole month dedicated to the awareness of the debilitating diseases that fall...
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Kristen Elizabeth
May 18, 20173 min read
Kristen's Chronicles | Surgery #3
The last time I posted, I had just been discharged from Johns Hopkins Hospital with a Hickman line and no solution to my recurring...
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Kristen
Apr 27, 20174 min read
Kristen's Chronicles | Back Home
After a long eight days at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, I returned home late on Tuesday, April 25th. After my extended stay this...
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Kristen
Apr 22, 20177 min read
Kristen's Chronicles | The Obstruction Trilogies
I finished this semester of graduate school with a 4.0 GPA and one very swollen small intestine. You know you are at the hospital too...
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Kristen
Apr 6, 20175 min read
Kristen's Chronicles | Back in Baltimore
It has been about a week and a half since my second surgery on March, 24th. I have been eating, lightly exercising, and in relatively no...
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Kristen
Apr 1, 20176 min read
Kristen's Chronicles | Surgery #2
It feels like just the other day I was counting down to my second surgery with over two months left. We left for Baltimore early Thursday...
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Kristen
Mar 7, 20175 min read
Kristen's Chronicles | Pre-Op in Baltimore
This Sunday, we made our way nearly 300 miles to Baltimore, Maryland for my pre-op appointments leading up to my surgery at Johns Hopkins...
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Kristen
Mar 5, 20174 min read
Kristen's Chronicles | My Story
My name is Kristen and in March 2016, I was diagnosed with severe Ulcerative Colitis, an Inflammatory Bowel Disease that causes...
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