Injections are a common way to receive medication for IBD patients. It can be a nerve-wracking experience, so PAC experts have compiled a list of tips and tricks - for patients, by patients - that can help make your injections go as smoothly as possible!

Hi, it's Vanessa from the PAC! School is busy right now, but fellow-PAC-member, Fionna and I made time to sit down and record a podcast episode where we chat about personal experiences we've each had changing our IBD treatment plans and how this fits into school and life for us.

LOOP is making an impression on the IBD community! In 2017 LOOP was recognized twice as a top blog for Crohn’s disease – 19 of 100 by Feedspot and Top 10 by Medical News Today! This is a direct result of the variety and quality of stories and perspectives shared by so many members of the ImproveCareNow community!

In 2017, 50 posts were published by 36 ICN community members! And 18 people posted for the very first time during the year. Posts covered topics like: IBD research, new PAC member intros, ICN event updates, what I wish you knew, and many open & honest accounts of life with IBD.

We are thankful for each and every one of these stories. Here are the top 10, most viewed, LOOP posts of 2017!

My four-year-old son had recently been diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, and the worst part about the whole thing was the needles! IVs, blood draws, shots, Humira injections, etc. Around the same time as his diagnosis, I attended an ICN Virtual Community Conference and that’s where I heard about Buzzy.

Liz is a mom of three whose youngest son was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis (UC) at age five. To manage his UC he takes Humira injections, which are known to be painful. Liz remembers vividly how stressful and difficult it was to get past the pain and anxiety on injection day. The process of negotiating would take nearly an hour, and when the shot was finally given everyone was totally drained. Not willing to accept that this was just the way it had to be, Liz started researching and discovered Buzzy - a device that distracts from injection pain by confusing nerves with both temperature and vibration.

Three years ago my son started on Humira in an attempt to get his Ulcerative Colitis into remission. Although it quickly became apparent that Humira was controlling his UC, my husband and I were struggling to successfully administer the drug. Our process consisted of 30 to 40 minutes of negotiation along with bribes and other unsuccessful attempts at minimizing the injection pain. We tried our best to allow our son to have some control over the situation by waiting for him to tell us when he was ready.  In the end, we were just getting frustrated.  That is when we found Buzzy.