Ulcerative Colitis + how Walgreens ☎️ is helping me advocate for my health

This blog post has been compensated by Walgreens. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.

I am a big proponent of being as “real” as possible as an influencer. Who doesn’t say that though, right? We all want to be real, yet we still all “produce” ourselves to some extent. We decide what we will and won’t share and, if we’re trying to be real, which of our “crazies” are still within reasonable limits to post to the instaworld. It’s the reason I use a filter when I film my stories. (Adult acne anyone?) And it’s the reason that, up until now, I haven’t posted about a chronic condition I’ve been living with for the last 8 years. That little voice inside me whispers, “don’t let them know you are broken!”

But I am a little broken. At least my colon is. I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis right after I got married. I was suffering from stomach pains, nausea, vomiting, and dare I say it … diarrhea. TMI? I told ya, I’m trying to be reallly really real here!

Over those years I have had times where I was a passenger heck, I was the captain of the struggle bus. I had no idea what I was dealing with when I was first diagnosed. No. Fudgin’. Clue. I had to re-learn allllll about taking the Browns to the superbowl .. and quickly learned what Snoop meant by “drop it like it’s hot”. There was a tiny flight attendant with me at all times telling me to take note of the nearest exit restroom (keeping in mind it may be behind you).

As soon as I felt like I had a handle on things, stress came into my life and sent me into a flair up. And then back to square 1. Staying on top of my meds was a learning process all in itself. One I am still trying to master.

I was recently introduced to the Walgreens app ☎️ which has changed my life. You may think that’s an overstatement but when you consider that missing my meds can mean leaving the party early because of a fecal incident, you know I’m not throwing that term around loosely.

The Walgreens app ☎️ has a pill reminder that tells me to take my meds at a convenient time. It also makes refills a piece of cake. By just scanning my prescription label in the app, I can schedule my refills. It seems simple but I have 3 kids, a dog, a blog, a hubby, a house, laundry, dishes, and a bath tub that needs to be soaked in. Taking my prescriptions can often be at the very end of my list and be forgotten for days. But I don’t have time for flair ups! My washer and dryer don’t care whether I am in remission or not. They’re still going to stack up piles of clothes, or infuse my wet laundry with mildew smells that will never ever come out. And most importantly, my kiddos don’t deserve a mom who is dealing with flair ups. The don’t deserve a mom who can’t take them to the park because taking care of business during an outing is inevitable and the Honey Bucket just won’t cut it. They deserve a mom that can forget about trips to the lady’s room for long enough to push them on the swings and play tactical toddler wars on the playground. They deserve the best of me and I can give that to them by utilizing the Walgreens app ☎️ and staying on top of my scripts!

Did you know that 33% of prescriptions are never filled? Not gonna lie, this statistic gave me some relief that I am not the only forgetful procrastinator on the planet. But at the same time, it made me sad that we, as a people, are not putting our health first! Nearly 100 million Americans do not follow their prescription requirements correctly – either because of forgetfulness, inconvenience or lack of education.

This is a wake-up call America! Download the Walgreens app ☎️ today and take control of your health! Fill your prescriptions and take them consistently! Do it for your kiddos. Do it for your pups. But most importantly, do it for yourself!