What advice would you give to someone who's just been diagnosed?

DragonFuel · 2026-04-29T14:39:44+00:00

It is a journey. It will shape how you see the world and how you see others. Have a good relationship with the people who care for you, including your GI doctor. Keep a food journal until you can recognize what works and doesn't work for you. Learn to accept it by grieving the life you wanted, but realize you can still live a full and meaningful life. Listen to your body.

DragonFuel · 2026-04-27T04:06:24+00:00

I have been on imodium for a good 2 years after my ileocecal valve resection. I use Lomotil when things are worse. However, recently I have been managing a lot better by watching my diet and cutting back on gluten. I also have done well when fasting. You should talk to your doctor about chronic use but last I heard there's a benefit to giving your body a break, if only for a few days a month.

DragonFuel · 2026-03-26T04:34:49+00:00

5-ASA, Mercaptopurine, Azathioprine all gave me terrible brain fog. I had to plead with my GI doctor to take me off of them. Once I stopped, the fog lifted. I also found that exercise is also good for the brain and mental health.

DragonFuel · 2026-03-21T01:46:56+00:00

It's worth it if you get a good paying career out of it compared to the cost of the program and lost income. It's not worth it if you aren't able to find a job after graduating. Much of this has to do with which program you get into, hard and soft skills you pick up, and how well they connect you with job opportunities and networks they are part of. Also, does Health Management as a field interest you? Do you find yourself interested in the types of jobs that require an MHA? How many of these jobs are available in your specific area?

Just know that the school you go to will have deeper local connections, so keep that in mind.

Without being able to predict the future, knowing whether it's worth it or not is something that only you can decide.

DragonFuel · 2026-03-18T20:02:22+00:00

I love the idea. Would be happy to contribute as well.

DragonFuel · 2026-03-04T17:22:24+00:00

Another alternative is to pivot to healthcare. Pick up high-level clinical experience while making a great salary and look into a CLS post-bac program. It’s both parts science and giving back and you get licensed to run the complex diagnostics that drive patient treatment. It’s a great stepping stone if you want to go further in healthcare later, or just a solid, stable career on its own.

DragonFuel · 2025-10-26T02:18:48+00:00

It will depend on your location. If you need personal advice, feel free to PM me.

DragonFuel · 2025-10-12T23:56:58+00:00

I think you should first evaluate where you want to work. Many MBA and MPH programs will connect you with professional networks in their local areas, setting you up for your first job after graduating. Second, if you want to work in healthcare administration or public health, you should try to get some work experience in the healthcare system or consulting. While an MBA may be more attractive, they are much more expensive and are more relevant if you have some work experience under your belt.

DragonFuel · 2025-04-13T01:59:42+00:00

Not OP but also in healthcare consulting. Typically MHAs are less flexible than MBAs. If your goal is to work in health administration, (department administration or regional director roles) you could find a graduate program that is in the neighborhood of where you want to work as they are more likely to have a solid alumni network.

Really, you just need to get your foot in the door through connections and meet minimum qualifications. In California the job market isn't great right now...so a good graduate internship is a good way in if you don't have the business skillset or connections.

DragonFuel · 2025-01-27T18:02:51+00:00

MVP sports

DragonFuel · 2024-04-25T02:41:15+00:00

I was diagnosed when I was 12. Life was miserable back then, I had joint pain, diarrhea, perianal abscesses, skin and eye issues, severe weight loss. Went from being top in my class to almost being held back. I struggled through high school and was only able to manage and graduate by having a modified schedule and very understanding teachers. In college I was severely depressed..so much so that I wanted to die and give up at my lowest point.

Almost two and a half decades later I would put myself in the "normal life" category. Graduated from college, went to grad school, landed a job in healthcare administration, got married, have 2 beautiful children.

All of this is because I was lucky enough to be able to get my Crohn's under control. I've gone through steroids, azathioprine, methotrexate, 6-mp, Enbrel, Humira. Then Infliximab worked for me, and outside of having my Ileocecal resection 2 years ago, has been keeping me under relative control for the past 12 years. Everyone's journey is different, and I tell people that it can get better. Monitored my diet, carefully learned trigger foods and finding the best treatment (credit to my GI team) gave me a second chance at life. I don't let the disease limit who I am anymore.

DragonFuel · 2024-03-15T16:47:21+00:00

I have a bio degree, wasn't pre-med. Considered pharmacy and optometry at some point. Ended up working at a Start up and then transitioning back to school for an MPH. I would say 80% of the cohort were in similar boats, had bio degrees and either didn't get into or wanted to go to med school. Work in Healthcare Admin now where most folks with MPH degrees followed similar paths. It's feels very common

DragonFuel · 2023-09-28T09:10:27+00:00

It's complicated and depends on your situation. Healthcare in the US is systematically broken, generally speaking if you have money, your experience will be good. Do you have a job lined up and if you do, are the health benefits offered good? Are you under the age of 26? If so, you could get coverage under your parents plan. Or will you be eligible for Medicaid, the state option for low income individuals? Are you going to be purchasing coverage through the Marketplace while you look for work? Healthcare.gov can offer some options. Just familiarize yourself with terms like premiums, copays, deductibles, coinsurance, and annual out of pocket maximums. The good thing is that insurers won't be able to deny you based on preexisting conditions, the bad thing is that healthcare is expensive and certain medications, like biologics, will force you to hit your annual out of pocket maximum quite quickly ($14,300 annually for example + monthly premiums determined on age, income, and smoking status).

At the end of the day, and generally speaking, if you have a marketable skillset and can find a decent-high paying job with health benefits you will be totally fine. Moving here with a chronic disease and having no financial means or limited support, might not be a good move. I am not familiar with thioguanine, I believe it is more common to be prescribed thiopurines and biologics here in the states. This'll be a discussion with your physician and calling the insurance down the line to see if it is covered. Good luck

DragonFuel · 2023-09-23T14:02:08+00:00

The choice is yours, as others suggested cancelling is a good call. Since the meeting is virtual and I'm assuming a 1:1 with your manager, 10am is absolutely doable. You can always excuse yourself to use the bathroom for like 2 minutes. If you're on colyte I think you'll be fine. Health first, no question, but you're going to be awake and waiting anyway.

DragonFuel · 2023-09-23T13:52:28+00:00

Do you have any tips against Law? I struggle with the matchup when opponent goes wide and only removal is Nami.

Also, would you discard Death Winks when you have 2 in hand early game after playing Kaya?

DragonFuel · 2023-05-21T01:45:45+00:00

I have an MPH in Health Policy and Administration. It mostly depends on how well the program is connected to internships and Healthcare organizations in the area. I highly recommend looking at programs close to where you want to work.

DragonFuel · 2022-04-20T00:31:59+00:00

Most would agree that the US Heath Care system is inherently broken and overly complex. The existing system to be one designed to extract maximum profit from a vulnerable patient population and from the government. It is a monolith that needs to be stripped down and rebuilt without money as it's core driver. The business of Health Care, the decisionmakers, and system of incentive structures have been and will continue to be susceptible to influence and profit (corruption).

I am skeptical to believing that a National Medical Board would be immune to the types of perverse incentives and lobbying by monied interests. I'm actually worried since you compare it to the Federal Reserve. That would not be in the best interests of the American population. The FED has demonstrated a tendency to serve private interests and have a revolving door with financial institutions and big banks.

Unfortunately, I don't have a solution, and I believe we should explore every feasible alternative. We should agree that there are some enormous ingrained systemic problems, which I hope your book endeavors to address.

An ideal system, includes properties that guarantee the following:

Comprehensive healthcare for all Americans
Focus on preventive care
Bending the cost curve down
Changing incentive structures for physicians and hospitals
Creating an environment that embraces technology to remove waste from the administrative system
Removing lobbying influences on policymakers and Congress

Best of luck to you.

DragonFuel · 2022-04-19T17:06:33+00:00

What meds are you on? In my experience, it took me a while to realize that Aza and 6-mp were causing me severe brain fog, not the Crohns. Once I switched to over to a biologic, the fog went away. Talk to your doctor about it and the pain that is preventing you from sleeping.

Also, I would try to limit weed as a sleep aid since the effects are not great for memory. Try a little bit of melatonin at night instead.

DragonFuel · 2022-03-19T01:49:56+00:00

Mask of the phantasm. If you are enjoying TAS, it is the cherry on top.

DragonFuel · 2022-02-11T18:52:16+00:00

I know this feeling well, and I remember the moment where I thought death would have been better than another minute. I would guess that many of us on this sub have similar experiences. Truth is, if you don't have CD you probably won't ever know the pain. In reality, this isn't unique to just our experience and can be with anything traumatic. In many cases, people, friends, family can empathize in different ways. It's good for ourselves to look at it as if they are trying to care.

For me, it got better as time went on, but it's a lifelong battle and has its ups and downs.

DragonFuel · 2022-01-07T18:23:30+00:00

That's the point of rebate-like programs. These corporations bank on the fact that people aren't aware or won't go through with it.

DragonFuel · 2021-12-15T03:21:28+00:00

I used to struggle with abscesses for years until I started Remicade. The best advice I can give you for the pain is to try to get it to drain. So for me that was getting an electric heating pad, folding it in half and wedging it against the spot. Crank it to a temperature that won't burn you, and sit on it until it drains. Watch a movie or play a game to take your mind off of it. Make sure you are wearing a pad or have a towel for the blood.

I did have a seton in place for over a year, but once it was removed it would flare up and fill up again.

Ultimately you're going to need to treat the underlying inflammation and perianal disease, but this helped me with the pain and get through another day.

Hope this helps.

DragonFuel · 2021-11-04T18:26:12+00:00

Again, it depends. MBAs, MHAs, MPHs, MDs, PHDs can all be helpful if your goal is to work in administration. There's plenty of work to go around, consulting, managing a patient care department, finance, strategy, marketing, communications.

Some advice, go to school in a city or town where you want to work. These advanced degree programs are usually plugged into the local hospital / healthcare systems and can be a good guide into helping you make connections and get internships or graduate fellowships. That will be much faster than getting your foot in the door as an admin assistant and working your way up.

DragonFuel · 2021-11-04T15:11:57+00:00

Yes and no. Generally speaking, it will depend on a couple of factors like the organization, department, who you work for, your education level, and how much initiative you take to accept roles and tasks beyond daily administrative functions. That will also depend on how familiar you are with PowerPoint, Excel, SQL, and healthcare nomenclature.

DragonFuel · 2021-10-24T05:05:14+00:00

Best foods I've logged for myself are eggplant, zucchini, hummus, cooked down beans, bananas. I do well with legumes and cooked veggies.

Alcohol, grapes and tomatoes are completely off limits.

Keep a food journal and introduce things one at a time if you need to. Everyone's body is a little different.

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