Listening to Your Body While Working with A Chronic Illness

Meet Rozzie, diagnosed with dysmotility and gastroparesis. Rozzie had her colon removed and due to major complications from that surgery, she received an ileostomy. All within a short five month period, she survived two bouts of sepsis and a major bowl obstructions, known as an intussusception.

Currently, Rozzie receives nutrition and hydration through IV. Due to these unforeseen health issues, Rozzie had to learn quickly how to listen to her body and become a self-advocate. Rozzie was working full-time when her health made her re-evaluate everything. Luckily, she had a friend help her realize that her life and health need to come first.

Cheers to Digestive Tract Paralysis Awareness Month!

Hi I’m Lauren, and I live with Chronic Intestinal Pseudo-Obstruction. What the heck does that mean? Essentially it means that my intestines like to act like they’re obstructed when they’re really not, leading to symptoms similar to a mechanical obstruction (including nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, abdominal swelling (distention) and constipation.) They don’t like to move food, fluid, or gas through the digestive tract due to a lack of peristalsis. This also leads to inadequate absorption of nutrients from food, which leads to malnourishment and the host of symptoms and complications that can bring about.