Our Daughter Had a "Thyroid Party" Before Surgery

When life takes your thyroid at age 13, you gotta have a thyroid surgery party complete with thyroid gifts and a whack at your thyroid piñata! Was it filled with Synthroid, we wonder? Love the creativity of our customers always looking for a way to bring comfort to their family member undergoing surgery or faced with a hard-to-swallow diagnosis. What could be more cathartic than beating the poo-poo out of that badly behaved body part? Love this! Sending healing vibes with the perfect surgery get well gift!

Spare uterus was a huge hit with all the medical staff

"I had a doctor’s appointment today to discuss my upcoming surgery for a uterine fibroid removal. My doctor explained the best option would be a hysterectomy, and I said, “That’s completely ok, I have a spare one” and whipped out my Uterus Plushie.

My doctor howled with laughter and was so excited to meet Wanda the Womb! Just wanted to share. Thanks for adding some light moments to a difficult time in my life. 

I have two fibroids with the larger of the two being the size of a mango… yes, I will be having surgery. Unbelievably I have little to no symptoms, I only went for an ultrasound to figure out what is this palpable mass I felt in my lower belly. 

Update: Fibby is out! Here’s us leaving the hospital yesterday." 

Couldn't wait to tell his doctors he found his trachea

"I just wanted to say how awesome this your company is. While my son was inpatient at Children's Wisconsin we made a trip to the gift shop like we usually do. This admission was particularly rough but we found the Trachea Plushie and our entire stay was made. See, our son was born without his trachea and is now considered the oldest known survivor in the United States. His birth defect is called Tracheal Agenesis and he has Floyd's type 2. It is a rare birth defect that results in stillbirth or the babies never live very long."

"I cannot express how happy and how excited I was to give him a trachea plush, so he could finally say he had one. The smile on his face was as priceless as his life. He matched my energy and then some. He couldn't wait to tell his doctors he found his trachea and everyone involved in his care just laughed along with him. This stuffed trachea is now one of his top 3 favorite things to pack for the hospital. It's always in his bed with at home as well." - J.

Great gift for anyone getting their gallbladder out

"This little plush guy can hang out with me, and be the gallbladder I no longer have. And it's kind of like an emotional support pillow. I'm really loving it.I think this is a great gift for anyone who's getting their gallbladder out." @luciebfink

Plushies are amazing gift to anyone living with chronic illness

I finally bought the plushies l've been wanting to get! 

I ordered a colon plushie to represent my haphazard colon (due to Ulcerative Colitis) and a brain plushie for my dad as he has been dealing with dementia-type symptoms for the last three years.

These plushies are such an amazing gift to anyone living with chronic illness/disease or dealing with a life-altering disease/illness.

All the little sayings on each of the tags made me giggle!

I will definitely be ordering more in future as I am a collector of chronic illness and autoimmune disease (and of course my colon plushie will need a friend!).

My dad keeps his brain on his bed side table and I know it brings a smile to his face when he sees it which makes it very much worth it.

Definitely check these out if you know someone with chronic illness or you are a spoonie too like me. 

We're twins! My stomach plushie has a GJ tube

We’re twins! It's cool to have a stomach plush as a trophy of what I’ve been through and it’s a great teaching tool!

I have struggled with chronic illnesses all my life, but they recently got worse and I had to deal with some new diagnoses leading to me needing a feeding tube.

We started with a tube in my nose that goes into my intestines called an NJ tube. I had it for roughly 7 months and it caused a lot of issues with my nose and throat.

My doctor eventually decided I needed surgery for a permanent tube called a GJ that would go through my abdominal wall into my stomach and then have another part that goes into my intestines.

I was scheduled to have this surgery a few weeks before I had an emergency and they decided to place it right then. I woke up in the PICU with some hard complications.

My uncle decided to surprise me with an I Heart Guts stomach pillow! Me and my child life specialist decided to put a GJ tube in it as well so it can be a resemblance of what I've been through!

Liver transplant saved her life

Meet Naihomi who was diagnosed with severe liver disease at four years old. 

Her family moved from the Dominican Republic to New Jersey for specialized care after battling autoimmune hepatitis for eight years. The condition progressed to cirrhosis, or scarring of the liver, which is the last stage of chronic liver disease.  

Last July, she became the first patient to receive a liver through NYU Langone’s Pediatric Liver Disease and Transplant Program.

My little trachea pal for tumor diagnosis

Inner ear stuffy is a comforting learning tool

You guys are the sweetest! Thank you for having such amazing and fun products. The inner ear stuffy is not only a comfort for Oliver and his cholesteatoma but also a learning tool about his ear and boo boo. I’ll have to give you another better shout out soon! Wish I found this amazing brand and products soon because I know a lot of people who could have benefited from a little gut stuffy the last. Appreciate you and the brand and our fun guts lol! 

My mom is a kidney advocate

Day in the life of a child who’s mom is a Kidney Advocate: Avery is the sweetest. He’s always asking me about kidney disease, why I’m interested in helping others, and making me kidney drawings, sand art shaped like kidneys, and play doh models of kidneys. It’s super cute. I rarely capture these moments but on this day I did. 

My colon plushie stayed with me at the hospital the whole time

I have my plushie since my first colonoscopy (December 2019) and it has been my buddy throughout the years. I sleep with it next to my pillow.

This year I got diagnosed with a dolichocolon (abnormally long colon) so the medical team decided it was better to do a partial colectomy.

My colon plushie stayed with me at the hospital the whole time, it helped me a lot to sleep, and when I was feeling down or lonely I would hug it and feel better.

And each time the doctors and nurses came to my room they loved seeing the plushie so it was a good reason to chit-chat about happy things.

 

The only uterus I own now

1 whole year of being a diabadass

1 whole year of being a Diabadass! We're not celebrating T1D but rather this kid being a warrior! Cake inspired by I Heart Guts. 

One year of learning how to treat the low sugars to the highs. Having to always carry around supplies to save his life on a DAILY basis. All the juice boxes. All the needles. All the sleepless nights. All the stress of calculating the carbs and dosing insulin before every single meal.

But most importantly learning how to fitT1D into his life instead of running his life. There is no preparation for this and no option to give up but with all of that he has had the greatest attitude and optimism. Sure there are days he's over it but I'm so impressed with how strong and positive he has been! Happy Diaversary! 

Thank you for making a plush that represents me

I am living with Dystonia Type 11, a genetic condition that causes my muscles to twist and lock, accompanied by constant shaking. At the age of 21, I’m confronting challenges in walking and performing daily activities due to the condition’s progressive nature.
My journey began with a subtle hand tremor at the age of 3, a condition that took
seven years to diagnose. Enduring numerous tests, including MRIs and EEGs, I
faced the frustration of trial medications and the emotional toll of being dismissed by two major children’s hospitals. A breakthrough finally came at Cincinnati Children’s through genetic testing. Despite enduring daily pain, I have to remain resilient.

While I had the first part of the DBS surgery on June 2nd, complications arose, causing delays in scheduling the second surgery. I experienced pulmonary embolisms in both lungs, leading to several days in the ICU and a subsequent diagnosis of antiphospholipid antibody syndrome—a disorder where the immune system mistakenly attacks normal proteins in the blood.

After extensive testing, my second surgery was scheduled for November 17th at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. I've been recovering from my surgery since and my wonderful friend Natalie got me this super cool brain plush from I Heart Guts!

Thank you for making a plush to help represent me.

We take pics of him with his heart pillow for his heartiversarys

Leo is 3 years old and has Down syndrome. One in two babies with Down syndrome are born with some kind of heart defect. He was born with a heart defect called, a Complete AVSD. It is where the middle septum of the heart isn’t formed completely.

There were large holes between his atrium and ventricles. Also, two of his valves were connected as one and had to be separated during surgery to function properly. He has had 2 heart surgeries. One at one month old to close his PDA, and his open heart surgery at 5 months old to repair his Complete AVSD.

The surgeries went amazing. He’s happy, thriving, strong, and such a bright light!

Pancreatectomy plushie put a smile on his face

A week ago I lost my appendix, today it came in the mail

I felt like I was getting punched multiple times at the same side so I decided to take myself to urgent care. CT showed appendicitis. Drove myself again to ER and got the surgery done the next day.

It’s my first surgery and I'm just thankful I'm healing wonderfully. My wife found IHG and she got me back my appendix in a cute and plushy form lol.

I have been using my IHG plushie as my pressure pillow and so far I have been getting good sleep. I love that the plushie makes me feel like I still have my appendix and it makes me feel complete. 

I have a congenital heart defect, so happy to have my heart plushie

I am so happy to have found my heart plushie and I love it so much. I have a congenital heart defect called Ebstein's Anomaly. 

When I was born my heart was too enlarged and the right side was not functioning properly. The surgeons at Seattle Children’s Hospital had to remove the right side.

I am now 25 and have only ever lived with half my heart (the left side). Having a heart condition has changed my life. I am the only one in my family to have half a heart.

Back in 2017 I was told that I would need a heart transplant. I went through the whole process but sadly got denied the transplant. In 2018 I had a catheter at New York Langone with my first ever cardiologist from Seattle. I then was told that sleeping with oxygen would be good for me. I have slept with oxygen since then.

I embrace my scars and the journey of my condition.

Patient brings liver plushie to hospital while waiting for a real one

I'm trying to find a living donor for a liver transplant. I have an advanced rare liver disease called Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis that affects my bile ducts.

I've had it for over 20 years since I was 9 years old. The ERCP procedure widens the are where the ducts have narrowed. A coworker gave me my liver plush and I always take it with me to the hospital.

I have a potential donor for a living liver transplant being evaluated. If they're a match, I'll know next week!

Ova achiever kicking cancer's a$$

Knee surgery essentials "Perfect gift for surgery recovery. It’s still on my couch. The injury, and surgeries, helped bring me back to the present. I’m still on my way to being 'fully recovered' but I can say that I don’t take a single day for granted now."

Urologist teaming up with Prostavious the prostate plushie for Movember

So it's officially #Movember where we highlight prostate cancer. I'm teaming up with my home boy Prostavious to drop some knowledge darts all month. I can assure you it will be on brand for this page. Interpret that as you will. 😃

Thank you I Heart Guts for providing this cute plushie and partnering with me. Stay tuned. Because we'll have give aways and stuff.

*Excited prostate sounds*

Sorry. That sounded much better in my head.

Colon blessed by a priest

Thanks for supporting our inner nerdiness!

I can’t tell you how delightful it was to share ‘Gary the Gallbladder’ with my dad

Excited to hang my awesome puberty poster in my new office

Pediatric endocrinologist Dr. Stone says, "Excited to hang my awesome puberty poster from I Heart Guts in my new office!" 

Oesophagus pin for son born with tracheo-oesophageal fistula

Taking care package with kidney slippers to the nephrologist

He had Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP) and it's still affecting his kidneys. On a steroid now to hopefully get inflammation down, but may need something stronger. My high school bestie sent a care package that included KIDNEY SLIPPERS!!! You know we're taking to the nephrologist next week! 

I Heart Guts has a whole lineup of these adorable (and weird) organ plushies! They also have shirts, and obviously, slippers.

Kneeded this shirt to help with knee surgery recovery This shirt goes with me for every ortho visit and every PT appointment. The doctors, nurses and staff all love it. I swear it is my good luck knee shirt. The color goes great with my scar!

Wanna meet in the fallopian tubes? Wanna meet in the fallopian tubes and connect? I can give you extra womb cervix.

Took my uterus shirt to the Supreme Court Love wearing this uterus shirt, hate why I'm wearing it. Glad all the proceeds go to Center for Reproductive Rights so we can help fight the good fight.

Plushies empowering sex therapy

AASECT-Certified Sex Therapist, Doctor of Psychology, and self-proclaimed geeky goth @dr.jordansoper strips down the secrets of sex online, owns and operates The Center For Sexual Health and Wellness, and provides therapy to help people dissect issues around anxiety, PTSD, and sex, of course. 

Everyone Fits Inside Her Island of Misfit Toys

Dr. Jordan Soper does seminal work! As a proud cosplayer and I Heart Guts Plushies fan, she’s a breath of fresh air for anyone who doesn’t fit into the rectular crowd or sees the butt of society’s hardships on a daily basis. 

She specializes in helping the LGBTQ+ community, current and former sex workers, military service members and veterans, first responders and law enforcement, young geeks and professionals, and more.  

From Dr. Soper’s Perspective, What Is Sex Therapy?

Jordan’s take on sex therapy is super flexy! She opens up her practice to anything from performance, desire, and satisfaction to sex addiction, sexual trauma, painful syndromes, repro issues, and gender and sexual identity concerns. Our world needs some serious sex ed, and she’s here to offer clit!

Plushies made appendectomy & tonsillectomy surgery more tolerable

The absolute talk of the surgery center

"My daughter lost her appendix almost 2 years ago and felt she needed a replacement since she also received a tonsil 3 weeks ago for losing her tonsils. These plush are so cute."

Accepted into nursing school! My 🫀 is so happy to announce that I have been accepted into nursing school for the fall of 2023!! 🥳🩺🤓 #futurenurse

Pelvic exam volunteer makes pelvic exams less scary

Sex ed is a community cervix

Animal and flower-loving @aliciagauvin raises money and works with SHIP, a nonprofit that provides adults with pleasure-oriented sexual education, therapy, and training. She lets students practice their pelvic examination skills on her. Yup, you heard that right!

SHIP is one of only two organizations providing GTA training to medical and nursing students in New England. Since March 2020, SHIP has taught 250+ Nurse Practitioner students how to perform patient-centered and trauma-informed pelvic exams.

What’s Pelvic Exam Got To Do With It?

“I work with local medical and nursing schools as a Gynecological Teaching Associate (GTA). In other words, I use my body to teach medical and nursing students how to perform patient-centered and trauma-informed pelvic exams,” says Alicia.

Pelvic exams are an important part of gynecological health. They are commonly performed during pregnancy and routine physical exams to help pinpoint cervical changes and possible signs of STIs, ovarian cysts, uterine fibroids, and early-stage cancers.

Improving Pelvic Exams With A Selfless Cervix Contribution  

Alicia allows medical and nursing students to practice on her so they can slide into the field with a patient-centered and trauma-informed approach. Yes, uncomfortable mishaps happen all the time, but Alicia makes womb for mistakes so they can be avoided on patients.

“For most of my students, I am the first conscious and consenting human on whom they have ever done a pelvic exam,” says Alicia.

We hope you and the rest of the Gynecological Teaching Associates enjoy the cervix lapel pins we sent your way, and thank you for volunteering your bodies in the name of science!

Bought this for my teen son before he was having knee surgery

Miraculous to be there for my sister Words cannot describe how beautiful and miraculous the past two days have been, so thankful to have had the privilege to be there as a hype girl for my bff/sister/supermom👸 women are amazing. so lucky to be blessed with another bestie🥹🌈🫶💗

Pancreas Barbie brings joy to T1D

Multi-passionate creative @taylorelizabethlane produces a ton of cool stuff— just not enough insulin or dopamine. As an I Heart Guts customer, we hope her Pancreas Plushie makes type 1 diabetes and ADHD easier to digest!

Her Motto? Laugh Through the Pancreas 

Taylor is funny, forward, full of ideas, AND a samaritan. Through her content and creations, including fundraisers, stickers, blogs, digital art, and super fun Insta videos, she helps people find support, deal with pain, and feel strong in the face of adversity. 

Symptoms of Type 1 Diabetes Can Be Hard To Stomach!

When your pancreas decides to decrease its insulin workload or stop producing it altogether, AKA type 1 diabetes it can cause excessive hunger, thirst, urination, and tiredness coupled with unexplained weight loss, mood swings, and blurry vision. This chronic condition usually appears in childhood, too, so managing it can be a lifelong pain in the pancreas.

We’re not going to sugar-coat it. Health issues can be hard to stomach. Thank hormones sweet Gutsy customers like Taylor Elizabeth Lane exist!

Stuffed lymph nodes make any gloomy day better Stuffed lymph nodes make any gloomy day better

Womb warrior heals and empowers women

Naledi, aka Lady Yoni is all about embracing your yoni goddess energy. With the help of her trusted uterus plushie, she guides women on a journey towards healthier living and healing, sprinkling laughter along the way. 

She’s a fierce advocate for women's health, dishing on the embodiment of pleasure and offering the ultimate tips and tricks for a healthy, sizzling lifestyle. 

Her own quest for womb health began when I battled depression, IBS, and an ovarian cyst. Endless diets, meditation, and yoga led her to explore the depths of womb healing. Through her womb healing journey, she released womb trauma and removed energetic blockages for a happier, healthier life — and is now sharing that knowledge with her community.  

Lady Yoni supports women on their journey of self-discovery as they embrace their #yonigoddessgang power, heal from emotional and sexual trauma, and unleash the full potential of their pleasure-filled lives.

With ten years of expertise in herbology, Hatha & Kundalini yoga, meditation, and all things alternative healing, Lady Yoni takes you on a wild ride of empowerment, self-discovery, and yoni magic.

A fearless guardian of fabulousness, she taps into the secrets of the divine feminine, transforms wounds into wisdom, and unleashes a tsunami of self-love and empowerment, all with her fav uterus plush sidekick in tow!

Ehlers Danlos will never win over me Today, just getting out of gallbladder surgery. A yr ago today, just getting home from my colon and ostomy removal in dc. 2 yrs ago today just getting out of my first hip surgery. But guess what, i am still and will continue to stand up and fight for the life i not only want but deserve. Ehlers Danlos will never win.

My rare disease is called pheochromocytoma, a type of adrenal gland tumour

My rare disease is called pheochromocytoma, a type of adrenal gland tumour that secretes dangerous amounts of hormones like adrenaline.🦓 Somehow I became the one in a million. That’s a 0.0001% chance of being diagnosed with a pheo. An even smaller percentage of that are people my age. and an EVEN SMALLER percentage of that are people with no known genetic mutation, like me. My main original symptom was extremely high blood pressure. The chances of that being caused by a pheo was less than 0.2%. To make that EVEN MORE rare, I’m also one of the very few people who don’t feel better after surgery.

The perfect gift for my kidney donor

Nice quality good size and the perfect gift for my kidney donor!

My son was born with multiple congenital heart defects My son was born with multiple congenital heart defects, I bought this for him to hug in the hospital after his surgeries, and Cath procedures. Everyone loves it, especially the doctors, nurses, and staff 😂❤️

When you get told it’s gonna be “impossible” for you to get pregnant This is really personal, but we figured I’ve shared everything else so far and this information may well help someone so it’s worth the TMI. I took a test in October 2019 called an AMH test, and it measures your potential egg reserve. A typical woman my age has a count of around 37. Mine was 4.7. There’s no way of knowing if it’s always been this low, or whether I’m dropping dramatically & on a downward trajectory. Either way, it’s shit. Tris also took a test where he had to “produce a sample” (ooo la la) and his results were hardly positive either. Long story short, the shape of his “swimmers” are let’s say... unconventional. We are young, and being honest I wasn’t thinking about future babas, but regardless of this when you get told it’s guna be “impossible” for you to get pregnant naturally it’s kinda heartbreaking.  **UPDATE: after endometriosis, infertility struggles, IVF and miscarriage, Miranda and Tris HAD A BABY GIRL!** Congrats!

A little nervous to get ear tubes in When you’re a little nervous to get ear tubes in so your (super cool 💁‍♀️) aunt sends you an inner ear lovey for good measure.

The only pancreas I have now This is my pancreas! It’s actually my only pancreas because I had to have my entire pancreas surgically removed. I have something called chronic pancreatitis (CP,) which is persistent inflammation of the pancreas. It’s a disease characterized by irreversible damage to the pancreas, distinct from the reversible changes to the pancreas found during acute pancreatitis.

Cramming for dental exams with plushie tooth Toof and i are 25% dentists! time sure does fly by when you’re having fun, or cramming for exams at the library...

Tell me your mom is a spine nurse practitioner

Tell me your mom is a spine nurse practitioner without telling me your mom is spine nurse practitioner.

 

Crohn's flare turned into loss of my entire colon Run of the mill Crohn’s flare turned into the worst flare of my life complete with: an ER trip, multiple abscesses, several rounds of antibiotics, the lowest weight I’ve been since junior high, getting that thigh gap I wanted so badly in 2013 (🙄), and ultimately… the loss of my entire colon! Swipe to see Nice Colon, my new plushie colon friend which is way nicer to me than the one in my body was. - Cameron H.