u/FarInternal5939

Hi, all, I hope everyone is feeling well and having a good day and if you’re struggling, peace.

I’m wondering if anyone participates in (or has participated in) any support groups, either IBD specific or general chronic illness ones. If you have, and you’re willing, can you share your experience? Online or in person?

I‘m interested in a support group primarily for community and support, not medical advice or navigating healthcare/insurance issues. Just a group that gets together and shares what’s happening good and bad and that helps each other feel less alone because chronic illnesses are often isolating.

I did search (but to be fair Reddit search generally sucks) here but most of the posts are older and don’t share people’s experiences good or bad so I hope this can start a discussion

Thanks.

I recently got this tea to try and I've tried boiling water, 180 degree water, 5 grams for 15 oz water, 3 grams, short steep times, longer steep times, lots of variations. I just can’t find a way to make it as good as I’d like. it’s always fairly tannic and bitter. Any tips are appreciated, otherwise I’ll probably just get rid of it.

I have read numerous recent posts about how people here who use bidets find them helpful in dealing with some of the pain associated with frequent toilet use. so I’m researching the kind you can add to an existing toilet.

One simple question I’ve not seen addressed is with a bidet, the use of those plastic “hats” for stool collection is still possible, right? I regularly get fecal calprotectin levels checked and don’t want to make that difficult if I start to use a bidet.

if anyone can recommend a particular model (any budget) of add in bidet and why you like it, I’d also be grateful for that.

Hi, All. I hope you are well and having a good day. I searched for this but didn't find clear answers to this simple question, so I thought I'd ask it straightforwardly.

Everyone knows colonoscopy prep is hard on your butt. What's the best way to make it hurt less?

I just did a prep (two days ago) and had more discomfort than I was hoping for. Mostly burning and chaffing, etc. I have had multiple colonoscopies in the past few years and I try different creams or whatever each time and can't find anything that consistently works to prevent discomfort. I think it's both the wiping (with moistened TP) and also the acids from the diarrhea causing irritation. This time I tried a preparation H with aloe cream (applied early and after each trip to the toilet) and it didn't help much, so I'd love to know how you avoid so much pain when going through a prep. I've been doing this a long time but this is a problem I haven't been able to solve, so if you have a good method, please share.

Thanks in advance for the shared wisdom and for the community addressing this difficult condition. It makes me hopeful many days.