Hello again! It has been quite awhile since my last post. I started a new job in June and have been enjoying the challenge of learning my new position while balancing my health! I’m still not sure what that balance … Continue reading →

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Have you ever tried turning the volume down on the radio while you are singing along? If you haven’t, you should go try it. It’s hard to remember all the words right? or stay on beat right? Sure you can … Continue reading →

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When people ask me how I made it through college, I have a variety of answers. I tell them it was through God’s providence and my amazing support system and that I wouldn’t have made it without my friends.  I … Continue reading →

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This post is written by Karen Brocker, my mom, about what it is like to have a daughter with a chronic illness. When you live with a chronic disease you sometimes become accustomed to dealing with serious, even scary,  health issues.  This becomes … Continue reading →

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Another Blog post by Karen Brocker about what it is like to have a daughter with a Chronic Illness. Sarah spends most of her time at school. So when I am with her I am reminded, in a very real … Continue reading →

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How are you disabled? Someone asked me the other day, “not to be offensive, but how you are considered disabled, I mean I get why someone in a wheelchair is disabled, but I don’t see you as disabled…?” I understand … Continue reading →

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This post is written by Karen Brocker about what it is like to have a daughter with a chronic illness. I got off the phone with a heavy heart. My daughter is suffering and I don’t know the answers to … Continue reading →

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This blog post is written by Karen Brocker.  She writes about what it is like to have a daughter with a chronic illness. When I heard that John was retiring I was in explicably saddened.  What would  I do without John?  … Continue reading →

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Ever heard of a catch 22? Well according to Urbandictionary.com, a catch 22 is  “Also known as a vicious cycle – two or more conditions require the other conditions to be fulfilled, but these other conditions also require the original … Continue reading →

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Enjoy this post written by Karen Brocker as she writes what it is like to be the mother of a daughter with a not so normal life. If you are a parent of a chronically ill child you know the … Continue reading →

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Enjoy this post written by Karen Brocker as she writes what it is like to be the mother of a daughter with a not so normal life. Part of living with an illness is learning how to WAIT.   We WAIT … Continue reading →

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My mom will be posting once a week throughout February, so enjoy this post written by Karen Brocker as she writes what it is like to be the mother of a daughter with a not so normal life. Sarah has … Continue reading →

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Being a realist is not the same as being a pessimist.  In fact, it makes me kind of angry when people tell me I am being pessimistic about my illness.  There are certain things that I say and do that … Continue reading →

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My mom will be posting once a week throughout February, so enjoy this post written by Karen Brocker as she writes what it is like to be the mother of a daughter with a not so normal life. I’m really … Continue reading →

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Ever heard the saying, “I love the person I am, because I fought to become her?”   True, I have fought so hard. But what happens when you don’t love who you are? And I don’t mean loving yourself in … Continue reading →

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Sometimes I forget how hard it is for people to be in my life. I forget that me being sick is hard on other people as well as hard on me.  Maybe it is because it hurts me to know … Continue reading →

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My mom will be posting once a week throughout February, so enjoy this post written by Karen Brocker as she writes what it is like to be the mother of a daughter with a not so normal life. Crohns is … Continue reading →

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The Wonderful Internet: The Internet is a wonderful thing and it can provide loads of helpful information, but what happens when all of sudden you have a new symptom and the Internet can give you all of the potential causes, … Continue reading →

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My mom will be posting once a week throughout February, so enjoy this post written by Karen Brocker as she writes what it is like to be the mother of a daughter with a not so normal life. Most parents … Continue reading →

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Do you see what I see? Weight, What? I am a total Type A, perfectionist, always striving to be and look my best.  But what does that mean for my appearance since I’m so sick? Society tells me that thin … Continue reading →

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So right now I just do not feel good.  My mom asked me how I didn’t feel good and I actually can’t explain it.   I am not more nauseous than normal and I am not in excessive pain, but … Continue reading →

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One-Size-Fits-All Myth: There are very few things in life that are truly one-size-fits-all.  Actually the only clothing item that is coming to mind that actually works that way is a scarf. When I am in a store and they claim that … Continue reading →

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  Clinically Insane.  The definition of insane is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results each time.  By this definition, I am clinically insane.  Want to know why?  Because I keep trying to eat, sometimes it … Continue reading →

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There are certain moments in life that make all the hard work worth it.  It’s like reaching the top of the mountain (I imagine since I’ve never actually climbed one) or finishing a big race (once again, only speculation).  Yesterday … Continue reading →

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If there was one thing that I wished people understood about Crohns Disease, it’s that just because I do not look or act sick, DOES NOT mean I am not sick.  I could very easily look sick every day and complain every … Continue reading →

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First off, my apologies for being so behind on writing.  The Christmas season was a blur of vacations and family gatherings.  It has been wonderful, but incredibly busy. There was one slight hitch in my holiday festivities: I CAN’T EAT. … Continue reading →

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Enjoying the Florida sun without having to have my port accessed!   What did I learn this past year?  This question keeps running through my mind, yet I am having a hard time finding an answer.   I know I … Continue reading →

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Me & my Mom on our recent trip to Nashville over Thanksgiving *This Blog Post is written by my mom Karen Brocker about what it is like to have a child grow up chronically ill.  Thanks Mom! When Sarah was … Continue reading →

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Stress causes your body’s endocrine, nervous, physical systems to react. All of these responses stem from your, autonomic nervous system (ANS). Your ANS is a network of nerves reaching out from your spinal cord to every organ in your body. … Continue reading →

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“The information from your blog has helped me relate to people who are battling sickness, are affected by a loved one who is battling, or an individual who has overcome and beaten their disease or illness.” – Bryan Why should … Continue reading →

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Life is a balancing act.  Everyone has to balance their time, money, energy, relationships, and goals.  Everyone’s balance looks different depending on what is important to them.   But inherent in the definition of balance is the idea of having … Continue reading →

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I feel like writing something that is funny, but I am not really a funny person, and I know that, so instead, I am going to write about things other people have said that are funny! How am I going … Continue reading →

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When you go to the bathroom as many times as I do a day, you learn some tips and tricks to avoiding potentially embarrassing situations when taking crap.  So here are some of my most prizes tips to to avoiding … Continue reading →

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Interviewing can be nerve-racking for everyone.  Saying the right thing, avoiding saying the wrong thing, and making yourself seem awesome.  But as I search for jobs for after graduation, I am faced with an interesting dilemma.  Do I mention my … Continue reading →

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Warning: This Blog post will contain explicit material, but you are going to want to continue reading anyways because I will be talking about poop in a highly entertaining manner! I have a riddle and I encourage you to delve deep … Continue reading →

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This isn’t a normal blog post for me, but I believe that I have a rather unique perspective on the issue of dating. Therefore, this post is written to women and men everywhere, but especially the ones who claim that … Continue reading →

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Someone the other day, told me I need to really delve into how I feel and share that with my readers.  And it’s true.  Emotions and real life experiences make a person relatable to others! But for me, right now, sharing … Continue reading →

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-Some Crohns Patients use the bathroom upwards of 20 to 30 times a day during a flare- Long Car Rides: Too many Bathroom Breaks So this past weekend was my fall break and my mom and I traveled to Wisconsin … Continue reading →

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“Show me a hero and I’ll write you a tragedy.” -Fitzgerald Think back to the last time an unexpected crisis affected you and how you felt at that point in time.   Maybe a family member got sick and/or died, … Continue reading →

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Know the ins and outs of all your medications.  Starting a new medication can be both exciting and scary.  A new medication brings the hope of remission.  It can also bring the fear of another failed drug and sometimes even … Continue reading →

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There are very few things in life that truly last forever, you can change how you look, you can change partners, people die and families change, you can change your personality, and you can fall in and out of love. … Continue reading →

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Last week I found myself heading to the hospital mid-afternoon, and although I was not completely surprised, I had not packed for the hospital at all. In fact I had brought business casual clothing, makeup and hair accessories in order … Continue reading →

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Two weekends ago, I had the amazing opportunity to attend the Intense Intestines Foundation 3rd annual rock climb event!  I was both nervous and excited about the trip, but lets me honestly, I was mostly just excited!I had never flown … Continue reading →

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So since it’s spring break, and I can’t actually go any where near the water because of my port, I decided I was going to tan at home.   Simple enough for the most part, but for starters, I was … Continue reading →

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So since it’s spring break, and I can’t actually go any where near the water because of my port, I decided I was going to tan at home.   Simple enough for the most part, but for starters, I was … Continue reading →

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It’s been a long time since I’ve written.   It’s been a long time since I’ve really thought or let myself feel about being sick. When things get too much for me to handle, I do this thing called “survival … Continue reading →

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It’s been a long time since I’ve written.   It’s been a long time since I’ve really thought or let myself feel about being sick. When things get too much for me to handle, I do this thing called “survival … Continue reading →

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Can you get a massage with an accessed portacath?  This is the question I kept asking myself over the past couple months.   I get so stressed with school and being sick, that sometimes I just really need a massage, … Continue reading →

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Can you get a massage with an accessed portacath?  This is the question I kept asking myself over the past couple months.   I get so stressed with school and being sick, that sometimes I just really need a massage, … Continue reading →

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KnockOut Panties Night-Tee from knockoutpanties.com Okay so lets be real for a second, when you are living with a Chronic Illness, night sweats are just something that you learn to live with.   When I am flaring, I have night … Continue reading →

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For someone with a Chronic Illness, “how are you” is a complicated question.  In a split second, you have to analyze how much the person cares.   Because with a chronic illness, you aren’t just good, fine or okay.  Each … Continue reading →

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For someone with a Chronic Illness, “how are you” is a complicated question.  In a split second, you have to analyze how much the person cares.   Because with a chronic illness, you aren’t just good, fine or okay.  Each … Continue reading →

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I have this unbelievable fear of overreacting to a symptom.  For some reason, I am terrified that one of these days, I am going to make a big deal out of a symptom that turns out to be nothing.   … Continue reading →

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I have this unbelievable fear of overreacting to a symptom.  For some reason, I am terrified that one of these days, I am going to make a big deal out of a symptom that turns out to be nothing.   … Continue reading →

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When I get sick, my whole body gets sick, including my hair. During flares, my hair tends to become very thin and hard to manage.  Therefor, I have developed some simple tips to help combat thin, limp and brittle hair! … Continue reading →

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When I get sick, my whole body gets sick, including my hair. During flares, my hair tends to become very thin and hard to manage.  Therefor, I have developed some simple tips to help combat thin, limp and brittle hair! … Continue reading →

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So I don’t like to cry.  At all.  In fact when I cry I often feel weak and I know that isn’t the case, but I really really don’t like to cry. Plus sometimes when I cry, I can’t stop … Continue reading →

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So I don’t like to cry.  At all.  In fact when I cry I often feel weak and I know that isn’t the case, but I really really don’t like to cry. Plus sometimes when I cry, I can’t stop … Continue reading →

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Today’s video deals with the dangers of asking What-If….We all do it at times, but what we don’t realize is that asking “what if” is actually harmful to us!  So check out my video as I give an alternative to … Continue reading →

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Today’s video deals with the dangers of asking What-If….We all do it at times, but what we don’t realize is that asking “what if” is actually harmful to us!  So check out my video as I give an alternative to … Continue reading →

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Do you ever just feel like you can’t catch a break with your health?  That one thing after another goes wrong with your body and there is nothing you can do to stop it?  Well that is how I feel … Continue reading →

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Ever been on a liquid or supplemental diet for your IBD, or been on TPN, like me and not been able to eat anything?  Well it sucks!  So here are 5 tips that I have developed of the last 14 … Continue reading →

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So as some of you know, for the past 4 weeks or so I have been experiences headaches and vision problems.  I went to the ER two weeks ago to have an MRV, which is different from an MRI, done … Continue reading →

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Ever had someone tell you that you look tired?  How did that make you feel? Uh it probably kind of made you feel like crap.  Ya if you didn’t feel like crap before, you definitely did after.  Now imagine always … Continue reading →

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Being sick makes moving around so incredibly complicated.  Not only because I feel crappy, but because I have to lug all my medical equipment with me wherever I go.  For me, whenever I travel overnight, I have to have my … Continue reading →

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Going into a doctor’s appointment can be entirely overwhelming.  They use big words and talk a lot, and in general. when people use big words, I just smile and nod.  But when you are at the doctors, you can’t just … Continue reading →

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This past year was extremely difficult for me.  I had three surgeries, stayed about 2 months in the hospital and had 2 PICC lines and now a portacath.  Being sick is hard, but learning to “dance in the rain” and … Continue reading →

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