Columns

March 4, 2021August 24, 2022

Shouting From My Laptop: Using My Voice in the IBD and Rare Disease Communities

Columns, Intestinal Fortitude - a Column by Emmeline Olson

When I returned to teaching full time after my liver transplant, I quickly discovered that the job caused me more frustration than joy. Life is too short and precious to ... Read more

February 25, 2021February 23, 2021

Surviving Texas’ ‘SNOVID-21’ With Crohn’s and Other Medical Needs

Columns, Intestinal Fortitude - a Column by Emmeline Olson

After the toilet paper and hand sanitizer hoarding of 2020, I thought I was equipped for anything. By luck and God’s grace, I survived the winter storm disaster in Texas, ... Read more

February 18, 2021February 16, 2021

Venturing Back Into the COVID-19 World After a Year of Self-quarantine

Columns, Intestinal Fortitude - a Column by Emmeline Olson

After my second dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine last Friday, I expected days of flu-like symptoms. Luckily, I only had a low-grade fever the next day and fatigue for ... Read more

February 11, 2021February 9, 2021

How Learning to Love Myself Helped Me Fight Crohn’s

Columns, Intestinal Fortitude - a Column by Emmeline Olson

Valentine’s Day is in a few days. I told my husband, Patrick, that I wanted to spend the entire day in bed. I burst his bubble when I reminded him ... Read more

February 4, 2021February 3, 2021

Sizing Myself Up: A Short Story for IBD Patients

Columns, Intestinal Fortitude - a Column by Emmeline Olson

After almost 15 years, I continue to learn something new about my Crohn’s disease. The other day, I read a statistic from the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation stating that about ... Read more

January 28, 2021January 25, 2021

My COVID-19 Vaccine Experience, Part 2: One Down, One to Go

Columns, Intestinal Fortitude - a Column by Emmeline Olson

Last in a series. Read part one. In last week’s column, my hope of getting a COVID-19 vaccine was slowly chipped away while I navigated the difficult process. Almost two ... Read more

January 21, 2021January 19, 2021

My COVID-19 Vaccine Experience, Part 1: Expectations and Frustrations

Columns, Intestinal Fortitude - a Column by Emmeline Olson

First in a series. On Dec. 11, after I had spent more than 80% of 2020 at home, the door to normalcy cracked open. That day, the U.S. Food and ... Read more

January 14, 2021January 12, 2021

Nurturing Hope in 2021 With Fertilizer From 2020

Columns, Intestinal Fortitude - a Column by Emmeline Olson

Along with the rest of the world, I’m forging ahead into 2021, making 2020 a distant memory. I thought 2020 would be a year to remember. I had a new ... Read more

January 7, 2021January 5, 2021

Finding a Remedy When Remicade Stops Working

Columns, Intestinal Fortitude - a Column by Emmeline Olson

Since September, I’ve been getting Remicade (infliximab) infusions every four weeks. My gastroenterologist changed my schedule from every eight weeks after my colonoscopy in August showed I was no longer ... Read more

December 17, 2020December 14, 2020

Chicken Soup for the Soul and IBD Symptoms

Columns, Intestinal Fortitude - a Column by Emmeline Olson

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that a lot of Filipino cuisine I grew up eating soothed my Crohn’s symptoms. A comfort food that my mother makes for me whenever ... Read more