Meet Courtney W.!

This week we had such a great conversation with Courtney Walls! Like several of our guests, Courtney had a pretty dramatic introduction to the IBD community including needing urgent surgeries, C-diff infections, fistulizing disease, and she's now living with an ostomy (happily).  We talked to her about going through all of that while also living with anxiety and how she's processing it using mental health therapies like CBT and internal family systems and going through the Employee Assistance Program through her work. Courtney also started a very successful Instagram account about her Crohn's journey called courts_crohns_corner. We talked to her about what it was like putting her story out so publicly, how different it is to be talking about her disease and her treatment decisions in real time versus sharing past history, and about how she's using her account to give support to others while also getting some herself. Finally we discussed her love to Charles Barkley and Arizona.

Please keep in mind that the views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and should not be considered medical or legal advice. Please consult with your healthcare team on any changes to your disease, diet, or treatment. We want you to stay safe and healthy! ;)

Links: 

• What is Internal Family Systems Therapy
• What is C.Diff- Centers for Disease Control
• Understanding  C.Diff Infection- video from the American Gastro Association  
• Our episode with Courtney Robert, LCSW about EMDR 
• Our episode on what EMDR is like as a patient with friend of the show, Hannah C. 
• Learn about Team Challenge- Crohn's & Colitis Foundation USA
• Learn about living with an ostomy, finding support, and more- United Ostomy Association  

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