u/LilPianos

My family and I currently live in Austin TX but are considering a move out west. I'm a 32M with Crohn's Colitis that's well managed with medication seeking a place that will be hosting my IBD care for many years from now, as one of these locales is where we're looking to settle down long term.

I'm very happy with my current gastroenterologist and care here in Austin (Dr. Feagins at UT Medicine), so I'd like to continue seeing a gastro in a similar academic/teaching hospital setting.

From my research, in the Portland area OHSU seems to be the closest fit to what I'm after for IBD care. For the Seattle area, UW Medicine looks like the best bet for the setting I'm interested in.

US News & World Report's healthcare and hospital ratings put OHSU at #35 in the top 50 hospitals in the nation for gastroenterology and GI surgery care, while UW Medicine is not ranked. Newsweek's World's Best Specialized Hospitals 2027, gastroenterolgy list has UW Medicine ranked at 68 nationwide, and OHSU is not on that list, and Healthgrades' Specialty Excellence Awards (for gastroenterology) includes UW Medical Center and not OHSU.

OHSU seems to have more updated buildings and facilities, though UW Medicine is said to be breaking ground soon on some major projects as well.

All that being said, any PNW IBD enjoyers please feel free to chime in and share your experiences with either of these healthcare providers (or others in the area too!). I'm know we're all aware here of how personal and impactful our relationships with our respective healthcare apparatuses are. Thanks in advance!

Hey y'all, long time reader/lurker, first time poster.

I'm a 31-year-old male, and I've had some form of IBD since I was 17 and got diagnosed with UC at 18. My gastro now classifies my condition as Crohn's Colitis. I've had two sizable remission periods since diagnosis, from 2015 to 2020 and I've been in/around remission from 2022 until now.

After trying and failing on Entyvio in 2020 to 2021, I've been on some form of ustekinumab since then. First Stelara, and now Pyzchiva since last fall. I'm on a monthly dose, and that's been the case with both biologics I've taken.

I suspect my CC is mostly lower GI/rectum focused, my gastro did an intestinal ultrasound late last year and didn't find any signs of inflammation and all my systemic inflammation numbers are good, except for my fecal calprotectin numbers. Late last year they creeped up to 197 mcg/g but I was able to get it back down to 62 mcg/g with mesalamine suppositories.

I'm at this point in the CC journey though where all my IBD symptoms are largely managed, but my issue now is maintaining consistent regularity and normal stool consistency. Most days I'm pushing whole walnut-sized turds, and I'm wondering if this is a structural/functional issue internally, or maybe I just need to focus on my diet (fiber ratios), water intake, and supplement strategy. I spoke to a dietitian recently and they said I'm doing pretty good food-wise; I just need to focus more on soluble fiber as my diet is insoluble fiber heavy. My wife and I just had our first child last week, and a few days in the hospital not eating my regular diet and not getting enough water really backed me up. I went 4+ days without a BM, so getting home and chugging a glass of Miralax produced a real but sad BM, and I think the day after that and another Miralax dose I had a glorious large banana-sized dump.

So, here's a pretty in depth rundown of my current diet, water, supplement routine:

Breakfast

NOW Foods Clinical GI Probiotic

500mcg B12

2 egg omelette with jalapeños, onions, and bell peppers

2 slices of Silver Hills Smooth Wheat bread toasted and buttered

4000 IU Vitamin D3

AM Snack

1 Siggi's 2% Non-Fat Strained Cream Skyr Yogurt

1 serving of regular Cheerios, no milk

Lunch

Black bean and cheese quesadilla on flour/corn mix tortillas

1 serving of olive oil kettle chips

1 or 2 clementines, a serving of raspberries and maybe a serving of blueberries or strawberries

PM Snack

1 Banana

Weekday dinners

Olive oil and garlic sautéed baby kale

Some sort of bean-centric main dish; some favorites are white beans with farro and tomato sauce, homemade black bean burgers, bean veggie quinoa bowl, protein pasta dishes with veggies, etc. 

Weekends

Same breakfast and lunch routine as weekdays

Friday night dinner - Chick-Fil-A: Original chicken sandwich with extra pickles, medium fries

Saturday-Sunday dinners: Pizza, Tex Mex, Thai food, Mediterranean/middle eastern, etc.

I’ll also have a smoothie on one or two days during the weekend, consisting of frozen strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, pineapple, banana, chia seed, flax seed, acacia powder, and pineapple juice.

I try and drink at least 84oz of water daily

I’ve been considering adding a kiwi powder supplement (600mg actazin) to my routine as well

All that being said, I know I'm extremely lucky and fortunate to be where I am with the disease now. I will never forget the days of bowlfuls of blood, the handfuls of giant prescription pills, prednisone side effects, etc. I'm so thankful for ustekinumab's effect on my life and condition. I just want to be as close to normal as I can be. Does that mean I add more soluble fiber to my diet, get on a consistent Miralax regimen, or something else? Let me know what y'all think, and thanks in advance.

Hey gang, long time reader/first time poster.

My wife and I are considering a move from Austin TX to Camas WA. We want to get out of Texas for many reasons: conservative state politics and government, hot/humid climate, Texas' public school system, high property taxes, and we are also expecting our first child later this month.

I currently work at UT Austin in a staff role, and recently got a job offer with the University of Oregon. For the UO role, I would have an office in the White Stag building in Portland and would be required to work 2 days a week in office. I know the commute from Camas to downtown Portland is about 30ish minutes at best most workdays, so I'm wondering how many Camasonians do that commute regularly, what days of the workweek are best for it, and how tolerable you find it.

We've been to Portland multiple times and like a lot of what it has to offer, but my wife is a higher earner with a remote job, so living across the river seems like the right move for a growing young family. We like the idea of Camas because it's smaller (but still attractive enough for continued growth), has plenty of access to the outdoors, and from what I can tell has a decent public school system.

The UO job would let me take my full parental leave with UT, get back, put in my two weeks and start remotely in Texas in late August before moving halfway across the country sometime in September. One weird catch is, the hiring manager said I would have to fly to Eugene and do my actual first day onboarding in person at the UO campus. I need to get more clarification on this, but it seems to have to do with the federal I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification form, which there are two ways to verify these forms remotely/not in person. Seems like a strange thing to ask of me living halfway across the country but I will get more clarification on that this week.

All that being said, this would be a huge move for us, especially with 3-4 month old baby and a grumpy 11 year old cat. The idea of flying with the baby and cat keeps me up at night. But, it also feels like a great opportunity to take advantage of to get us out of Texas and on to (literally) greener pastures.

Let me know what you think. Any advice, comments, perspective, experiences, cautionary tales, encourgement or discouragement, would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!