Kristen's Chronicles

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

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...

I walked down the lengthy hallway with my mom, following the random-colored tile squares on the floor. Around me were white walls...

"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...

I hope the long holiday weekend brought great food and even better company. My holiday weekend was spent trying to find a happy balance...

Do you know what a chronic illness looks like? The reality is, there is no specific face of a chronic illness. Chronic illnesses affect...

You know those commercials with the women that is being followed by a redhead that represents her colon? The advertisement is for a...

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...

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...

"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....

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...

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...

Did you know: May is Inflammatory Bowel Disease month? A whole month dedicated to the awareness of the debilitating diseases that fall...

The last time I posted, I had just been discharged from Johns Hopkins Hospital with a Hickman line and no solution to my recurring...

After a long eight days at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, I returned home late on Tuesday, April 25th. After my extended stay this...

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...

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...

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...

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...

My name is Kristen and in March 2016, I was diagnosed with severe Ulcerative Colitis, an Inflammatory Bowel Disease that causes...