Familial Adenomatous Polyposis With Jenny From Oklahoma
Manage episode 480690332 series 3485028
In this milestone 50th episode of Rare Connection, host Joanna sits down with Jenny, the powerful voice behind the blog Life’s A Polyp. Diagnosed with Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP) as a child, Jenny underwent a total colectomy at age 9, followed by a series of life-threatening complications that led to multiple surgeries, an ileostomy, a reversal, and eventually the diagnosis of Short Bowel Syndrome (SBS) — one of the conditions covered in the proposed Medical Nutrition Equity Act (MNEA).
Jenny opens up about:
- Her early diagnosis with FAP and its impact on her childhood
- Coping with surgical trauma and living with medical PTSD
- Her ileostomy and pull-through procedures
- Life with Short Bowel Syndrome and daily nutritional challenges
- The importance of access to medical foods and legislative change through the MNEA
- Advocating through her blog and building community for others with rare GI conditions
- Finding diagnosis for a lesser-known condition: abdominal migraines
Jenny’s story is raw, insightful, and a powerful reminder of why visibility for invisible illnesses matters.
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🔗 Blog: Life’s A Polyp
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50 episodes