Short Bowel Syndrome

Jenny was diagnosed as a child with the rare diseases Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP) and Short Bowel Syndrome. She lived with an ileostomy for 6 years before having it reversed into a straight pull thru. In her spare time, Jenny shares about life with rare disease on Life's a Polyp blog and Youtube channel. She raises funds for NORD FAP Research Fund through Life's a Polyp Shop and is writing a children's book about FAP. Jenny graduated with a Master's of Social Work and works with individuals with chronic illness.

Short bowel syndrome is a group of problems related to poor absorption of nutrients. Short bowel syndrome typically occurs in people who have

• had at least half of their small intestine removed and sometimes all or part of their large intestine removed
• significant damage of the small intestine
• poor motility, or movement, inside the intestines

Short bowel syndrome may be mild, moderate, or severe, depending on how well the small intestine is working.

People with short bowel syndrome cannot absorb enough water, vitamins, minerals, protein, fat, calories, and other nutrients from food. What nutrients the small intestine has trouble absorbing depends on which section of the small intestine has been damaged or removed. (Credits NIH)