August, oh my. Patterns emerge when you’ve had your chronic illness for a while. There are some things you enjoy seeing the patterns towards; like when you can anticipate some symptoms or you get a click moment of clarity. But there are some patterns that do nothing but chip away at your emotions. August is that for me. Trigger, for sure. August 2011 was pretty damn crap. I had ever…
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That Seven Year Itch
Yesterday, I made my way to work; another Thursday commuting through town. Nothing special, nothing new, nothing different; just the same old routine. The same thing I’ve been doing for months over the summer. I scroll through my phone, enjoying the Throwback Thursday as I do most Thursdays, to find myself fixated on the date. My Timehop shows me everything from September 6th. Everything on that date from the last…
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Pancaking and Ballooning – An Education
Disclaimer: This information is based on my own personal experience since my ostomy surgery in August 2016 and is not intended to replace medical advice from a trained professional. If you are requiring advice regarding your own stoma, routines which might benefit you most, or products that suit your needs best, please contact your stoma care nurse for further assistance. What is Pancaking and what causes it? Pancaking is when the…
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What does it mean to be a “patient”?
Just HOW do you do it *all* when you’re chronically ill? It is a question I wonder about from time to time. Sometimes I have my shit together and other times I don’t. And sometimes, this is just the way it goes; for some, for others, for the many. I don’t seem to have an off season with my IBD, there is sadly always something going on. Whilst it is…
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Happy 2nd Stomaversary!
What I’ve Learnt and Achieve in the Last Twelve Months with my Ostomy Year One with a stoma came and went with great highs and terrible lows. I started Year Two by saying this: But what did the next twelve months have in store for me? I would be admitted to hospital a few days later, in horrific pain which turned out to be my bowel twisting. That’s what I’d…
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Iron Deficiency & IBD
Disclaimer: This information is based on my own research into this particular aspect of IBD as well as some personal experience and should not be used as medical advice or a diagnostic tool. The suggestions given within are taken from sources laid out in the references header. If you seek advice regarding the things you experience within your own disease, please contact your IBD team for medical advice What is Iron Deficiency and what can…
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IBD Basics: Endoscopy
Disclaimer: This information is based on my own research into this particular aspect of IBD as well as some personal experience and should not be used as medical advice or a diagnostic tool. The suggestions given within are taken from sources laid out in the references header. If you seek advice regarding the things you experience within your own disease, please contact your IBD team for medical advice. If you are looking for the…
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A Practical Guide to Fatigue
Disclaimer: This information is based on my own research into this particular aspect of IBD as well as some personal experience and should not be used as medical advice or a diagnostic tool. The suggestions given within are taken from sources laid out in the references header. If you seek advice regarding the things you experience within your own disease, please contact your IBD team for medical advice A typical conversation between myself and some…
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IBD Basics: MRI, CT & Ultrasound
Disclaimer: This information is based on my own research into this particular aspect of IBD as well as some personal experience and should not be used as medical advice or a diagnostic tool. The suggestions given within are taken from sources laid out in the references header. If you seek advice regarding the things you experience within your own disease, please contact your IBD team for medical advice. If you are looking for the…