Hello! Welcome back! I’ve returned! It might have been only a short and temporary pause in my writing about my life with this wonderful chronic illness that is IBD but it feels like forever. It has not been, it’s just been a storm of shite. Both good and bad. Last time I was writing, I had just had my final loading dose of Vedolizumab. Happy to report that the post…
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Vedolizumab: A Rocky New Start
Have you ever wanted to just get through something, so you can start to feel better? That’s how I’ve felt about this pending infusion. I’m not one to rush through something, to just reach the end and say it’s over and done with, I appreciate my struggle and woes as much as I appreciate and celebrate my highs and all those good feelings that come with them. But these past…
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“What is a Stoma?” Part IV: Ostomy Appliances
Disclaimer: This information is based on my own research into this particular aspect of stoma care 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 SCN for medical advice. If you are looking for the other…
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The ‘Return’ to Work
I’ve never really returned to work before. There, its out there, I’ve said it! Pre-surgery IBD days, and here I talk about the period of time from my diagnosis until I was left unemployed four and a half years after that; I had bouts of ‘sickness’ and I never really had a prolonged period of time off work to get ‘better’. And upon my diagnosis, I was told to get…
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“What is a Stoma?” Part III: Living & Coping with a Stoma
Disclaimer: This information is based on my own research into this particular aspect of stoma care 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 SCN for medical advice. If you are looking for the other…
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Life Lately | All This Familiar ‘Newness’
This feels oddly familiar. I’m not sure I like it. I’ve found that this phrase gets said alot in regards to my Crohn’s Disease. Things come and go in waves, in cycles some years and they almost always feel like deju vu. But for the most part, the fact that they are familiar gives me a certain ability to cope with them, time and time again. It sucks that the same things occur…
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Why I’m Keeping my Stoma Bag | World Ostomy Day 2017
Today is World Ostomy Day and I’ve been thinking about this topic for a while now. I’ve spoken about why and how I came to have my ostomy quite abit – you can read more under the category ‘ostomy‘ – but recently, I’ve been considered what would happen if I went permanent. You see, my ostomy is technically and surgically temporary. Which means I have my rectum and anus still…
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“What is a Stoma?” Part II: Why & How
Disclaimer: This information is based on my own research into this particular aspect of stoma care 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 SCN for medical advice. If you are looking for the other…
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“What is a Stoma?” Part I: Types of Stomas
Disclaimer: This information is based on my own research into this particular aspect of stoma care 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 SCN for medical advice. If you are looking for the other…