How to make decisions to help tame the IBD monster NB: This had been intended to be written before we knew anything about coronavirus (COVID-19) so there has been the addition of COVID information throughout this article; to be relevant and highlighted for easy visibility. Hospitals are undergoing significant changes as they adapt and respond to coronavirus. This means there have been changes to outpatient clinics and adjustments to local…
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Hernias & Stomas
I remember sitting in my hospital bed, after my first solo stoma bag change back in 2016 and my nurse said “you must always try and avoid a hernia. You are more susceptible to them now”. I was four or five days post op and I just nodded along. It was never a big worry to me – I wasn’t very sporty or active – didn’t they happen to just…
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Remaining Strong in the Face of Chronic Illness
“Just because you carry it well, does not mean it’s not heavy” I find myself thinking about this quote more and more frequently these days. Not sure if it’s lockdown impacting on my brain or the fact that life has been forever changed by the pandemic , but there is something to be said about kindness here. Chronic illnesses do not go away just because the country goes into a…
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Being [Unexpectedly] Medication Free for a Year
I remember vividly two days that began my journey with Vedolizumab; “she returned my call, the long and short of it being that “no, this isn’t working“; agreeing with my doubts since Monday. It’s not a decision to be taken lightly and it certainly wasn’t a happy and cheerful conversation but it was honest and realistic. Having me fail biological treatment like Infliximab was a shock.” INFLIXIMAB #14 – THE…
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Having Major Surgery During a Pandemic
I know almost all of us did not expect nor predict that 2020 would be how it has been thus far. It has been without a doubt the most challenging year for a very long time. However, when you have a chronic illness, you go through periods where you are indeed isolated and out of the public sphere due to ill health. I, myself, have had my fair share of…
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Life Insurance & IBD
Disclaimer: Guest post Award-winning life insurance broker, Reassured, explain what information you’ll need to provide when applying for life insurance with Crohn’s disease and how the condition may have an impact on your cover. As with any life insurance application, you’ll need to provide information regarding your age, health, level of cover, length of cover and your smoking status. As well as this standard information, insurers will also need to ask…
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Being and Staying Positive
“May the flowers remind us why the rain was necessary” “One day at a time” “Be gentle with yourself, you’re doing the best you can” We hear ‘positive‘ quotes all day long in the chronic illness community. From helping us get through a tough day, to reminding someone else they are stronger than their mind is telling them; positivity has a great lot of traction with those who are going…
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Diagnosis Day
In the Autumn of 2011, I spent hardly anytime online. In fact, I spent several weeks on several occasions, battling my defunct body in the hospital. I remember a lot of emotions from those weeks I spent in isolation, unsure of what was happening, what would happen and how I was going to cope with it all. The smell of cannula plasters. The familiar sound of monitors going off. The…
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Same Ocean, Different Boats
Sometimes, it can feel as if you are all alone with your problems. It is easy to compare yourself to others when social media is and can be a highlight reel. When images are smoothed out, positives over negatives are drawn. It can be really hard, to be honest and raw, when it can be lost behind everything else that is deemed more important and more relevant. Something some removed…