Feeling your age.

After all of the procedures and surgeries I’ve been through my answer to the question “How old are you?” is usually “130.” My mom always tells people that your age is how old you’d be if you didn’t know how old you were—to which I answer “130.”

Apparently, the older I get the younger I am going to feel: “How Old Do You Feel? It Depends On Your Age”

It's July and time to remind you again...

...that I’m hosting a film premiere of Rubber Side Down at the Clif Bar theater in Berkeley, California on Thursday, July 23. We’ve got great prizes and auction items from Specialized, a beer sponsorship from Spaten (wahoo!), and plenty of cool people attending.

Buy your tickets here—they’re selling fast. Cheers! Did I mention we got Spaten to sponsor? So excited...

Not outta love.

I can remember years ago when my friend Cath told me about Anastacia’s battle with Crohn’s disease. I couldn’t believe that someone so talented and energetic could carry on such a fantastic life with such a debilitating illness (and then some). Without sound too chintzy, it really gave me hope, and reading this piece in the Daily Mail renewed those feelings: I refuse to be scarred for life

And for what it’s worth—my favorite Anastacia song is “I’m Outta Love.” That song definitely pulled me through a few broken hearts.

The cure?

A professor and his team in Nottingham seem to have found a possible cure for Crohn’s disease. Enough said, read here for more details: UK scientists say they’ve found a cure for Crohn’s

The stories of health care.

Okay, I feel a little narcissistic for posting this, but I’m very stoked as this now means I am technically one degree of separation from Obama. My health care story made the Obama health care stories site: stories.barackobama.com

My obvious personal bias aside, this site is truly amazing and unlike anything I’ve seen come from any previous administration. Well done guys.

Better care through advocacy.

Check out this great story (thanks Geoff!) about navigating “the health care maze” with the help of a patient advocate: Advocates Help Patients

She didn’t lack for doctors. At one point more than a dozen were puzzling over her diagnosis. But they often didn't talk to each other, and Betsaida Gutierrez didn't understand what they were telling her.

I think this could be the first job I am more than 100% qualified to do. Read and listen to more stories like Betsaida’s here: npr.org

The plight of the (sick) working (wo)man.

I have the world’s most supportive employer. Seriously. And every time I end up in the hospital, or home sick for a day, or missing a meeting due to yet another medical appointment, I wonder how everyone else in the world’s employer handles someone like me.

“I don’t want my disease to be seen as a cop-out,” said Natasha Frechette, full-time data manager from Minnesota.

My thoughts exactly. Read more about Natasha’s dilemma, as well as the rights of anyone in the workforce with a chronic illness, here: Protecting Your Job While Dealing With a Chronic Illness

(Thanks Peter!)

Drive-through medicine.

“Say ahhhhh. Good. Now please pull up to the next window.”

Found this to be quite intriguing: Stanford drive-through testing shows promise

“The drive-through triage model offers patients an alternative to visiting an emergency room during a pandemic or other health emergency. The main goals are to prevent sick patients from spreading diseases in emergency rooms and to expedite treatment,” Dr. Eric Weiss, Stanford’s hospital director.

Interesting. More here: paloaltoonline.com

Here’s to your health.

My grandfather always said, “Everything in moderation.” To which I said, “Clarks don’t understand what that word means.” He laughed every time.

I do love having a beer or a glass of wine a day though so you can imagine my joy in reading that moderate amounts of alcohol might really be good for you.

“Alcohol is believed to reduce coronary disease because it has been found to increase the ‘good’ HDL cholesterol and have anticlotting effects. Other benefits have been suggested, too. A small study in China found that cognitively impaired elderly patients who drank in moderation did not deteriorate as quickly as abstainers. A report from the Framingham Offspring Study found that moderate drinkers had greater mineral density in their hipbones than nondrinkers. Researchers have reported that light drinkers are less likely than abstainers to develop diabetes, and that those with Type 2 diabetes who drink lightly are less likely to develop coronary heart disease.”

More here: newyorktimes.com/health

AP Chemistry Crohn's.

I had seen this earlier in the week and then had a friend rediscover it (thanks LauraLe!): Teen diagnoses her own disease in science class

“...looking under the microscope at slides of her own intestinal tissue—slides her pathologist had said were completely normal...spotted an area of inflamed tissue called a granuloma, a clear indication that she had Crohn's disease.”

CNN is a bit off as (a) granuloma can be a sign of many things—not solely Crohn’s disease. Still, it’s quite a unique way of proving your own worth as a scientist and a patient.

Nice work Jessica! I wish I had been so industrious in my AP classes.

Affected by the effects.

There’s an interesting topic up for discussion on WeAreCrohns.org this week—“How has Crohn’s affected a relationship in your life?”

The pain alone has almost ended a few of my most prized relationships—don’t even get me started on the drugs. That said, you know you’ve found the most important people in your life when you wake up from a few surgeries to their sleeping faces in hospital rooms halfway around the world.

Maybe Jackie Mason said it best—“It’s no longer a question of staying healthy. It’s a question of finding a sickness you like.”

Save the date for Rubber Side Down.

Remember Vin and Greg? Good because they’re coming to my town next month—well, one of them for sure—in addition to the crew that made everything else happen.

If you live in the San Francisco bay area you’re getting plenty of fair warning to save the date—Thursday, July 23, 2009—for the U.S. film premiere of Rubber Side Down at the Clif Bar Theater in Berkeley. There will be music from Clif’s own The Dung Beetles, great beer, food, prizes, etc.

Rubber Side Down is the story of two amateur Canadian cyclists who pedaled over 4900 miles from Victoria, BC, to St. John's, Newfoundland, in an effort to shed light on Crohn's Disease and ulcerative colitis -- tragic bowel diseases that are in dire need of a voice. Experience a film that depicts the vastness of Canada, the hilarious mishaps of two young lads, and a struggle that unites us.

Buy tickets on brownpapertickets.com and download a poster here.

Le tour de la 61k croisade.

As a former Sydney resident and Tour de France follower—yep, my brother and I were two of those dumb Americans running alongside the cyclists draped in a flag—I was psyched to see this: thecrusaders.com.au

An entire team of crazy Australians—including one with Crohn’s disease—are riding this year’s Tour de France route in record time to raise awareness for both Crohn’s and colitis. More about the ride here: thecrusaders.com.au/abouttheproject

And don’t forget to find out the signifigance of 61k. Bonne chance Aussies!

Would you like fries with that?

My friend Alana showed me this site and my jaw dropped: InQuickER.com

Yep. It’s exactly what it sounds like. The fast food equivalent of ER service. Here’s the quick pitch: InQuickER is a privately-held company that provides patients with an online check-in system allowing them to bypass their hospital’s emergency department waiting room during their visit. InQuickER’s service drastically cuts ER waiting room times from several hours or more down to 15 minutes or less, saving hospital emergency rooms and patients valuable time.

Sounds brilliant to me. More here: InQuickER.com/howitworks

Research for the dogs.

Scientists and researchers have long suspected bacteria as playing a key role in Crohn’s disease. Now our canine companions are helping us figure just what that role might be as the bacteria that may cause chronic intestinal inflammation in humans was recently found in the intestinal linings of some boxers.

“Working on both the canine and the human side speeds research to learn more about devastating disease,” says Joan Coates, associates professor at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine.

More here = Man’s best friend fights disease, too