Due to my Gastro referral still being in the pipelines, I decided it was probably a good idea to still attend my outstanding appointments at Good Hope. So despite living 90 miles away, I made the journey back home on Tuesday for my clinic appointment with my consultant and the pending MRI scan the following day. One miserable train journey later, I was at Good Hope; primed to talk IBD…
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Erythema Nodosum – My Extra Intestinal Manifestation
Disclaimer: This information is based on my own research into this particular extra intestinal manifestation of IBD as well as some personal experience and should not be used as medical advice or a diagnostic tool. The suggested investigations and prevalence are part of the IBD protocols set out by NICE; but do vary between CCGs and then thus individual NHS Trusts and specific hospitals. If you seek advice regarding the things you experience within your…
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Life Lately | Struggling in The Heat
Guys, Summer is not my friend Now don’t get me wrong, I enjoy summer but I like to be inside enjoying it. I hate being too hot and just prefer to be cool instead of roasting myself in the sun like a chestnut. I’ve felt this way for all of my teenager years, into adulthood and it’s been a struggle to have a good summer. Working also added some drama…
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The Reminder that I’m Not Normal
I sit in the bathroom, looking straight ahead to my ostomy bags and accessories. I smell the clinical, medical appliance nature of them, but they don’t look medical. I know the feel of my bag, the crinkle of the fabric again my waistband. The grey colour that disappears under my clothes, concealing my medical condition. An ileostomy. My stoma. Pricilla, the drama queen, coming shockingly into my life 10 months…
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London: for Business not Pleasure
London. The centre of bowel related things I love going to London, the capital of my country. I never get bored of going, there is always something new to discover; no two trips are the same. It’s expanse, it’s network of tubes and trains, it’s hustle and bustle; it calls to me. I am a Brummie girl after all. A couple of weeks ago I had a public engagement in…
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Life Lately | Being ‘Too’ Comfortable?
Is getting too comfortable a bad thing? Recently, I moved to start a new job. There was no two ways about it; if I wanted that particular job, I had to relocate. My employer has been amazed that I have been able to a) move away from home after so long there and b) settle in so well, so quickly. So where does settling in get into the realms of…
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Your Period with an Ostomy
It’s something that happens all of us ladies, but is it something you consider discussing when you get diagnosed with a chronic illness? It certainly wasn’t high on my priority list with my specialist and IBD nurse at the beginning of my #adventureswithachronicillness A little medical history on me: I was diagnosed with PCOS – polycystic ovary syndrome – when I was 16. My IBD diagnosis happened seven years later…
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Life Lately | Getting My Career ‘On’
Learning something new filled me with so much excitement! There is no fear in me, not these days. Of course, I still get nervous and anxious but I do not fear the unknown. Given my recent past, I see no real reason to be scared. This past month I’ve been in training with my new job. I am working in a medical field and I bloody love it. It is ostomy related but…
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Knowing Your Limits
They say in order to grow you should be testing your limits, pushing yourself forward, outside of your comfort zone. But what is there to be said for knowing your limits? For me, limits have been a tricky business these last couple of years. I couldn’t ignore my diagnosis of my chronic illness, but I didn’t want it to hold me back either. So, I would test just how far…