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Never Give Up Hope
Every October and November, I feel nostalgic. I feel the swirl of memories flood my mind, of being taken back to days in the hospital for treatment, of being hooked up to an IV stand. The first time was October 2013, when I moved from Humira to Infliximab. Going from an at-home self-injection to 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 […]
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New Beginnings & IBD Remission
New Decade, New Year, New Beginning. It seems to flow nicely, that sentence, doesn’t it? Of course, most beginnings don’t present themselves or occur so succinctly as a new calendar month, let alone year. Which makes a new beginning at new year, feels too neat for my sceptical mind. And even more so when this […]
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Vedolizumab – Two Years On
Third Time Lucky Between October 2015 and September 2017, I started Vedolizumab three times. The first time – October 2015 until February 2016, I was the second patient – first female – at my hospital to receive Vedolizumab as it was only NICE approved that summer and available on the NHS from September. It was […]
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Life Lately | The Triple
The Triple Hi there, hello, welcome. They say things come in threes right? Well, that’s definitely true for me and my health. And this year has begun to already feel like the mother of all triples. These last ten days or so have been feeling like a triple, all of it’s own. Propranolol At the end […]
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Side Effects of Medication: When to Call it Quits
Disclaimer: This information is based on my own personal experience with Crohn’s medications and should not be used as medical advice. My medication regimes and processes are part of the IBD protocols set out by NICE, the CCG overseeing the NHS Trust and my specific hospital/s. If you seek advice regarding the medications best suited […]
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Taking Steroids for an IBD flare up whilst living with an Ostomy
Disclaimer: this is an expanded version of a previous post – IBD Basics: Corticosteriods which will now cover how to take steroids, how they work within the digestive tract and how this affected when having a stoma. Disclaimer: This information is based on my own personal experience with Crohn’s medications and should not be used as […]
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Life Lately | Vedolizumab Side Effects
When I feel ill last summer, I was given the opportunity to start Vedolizumab again. For the third time. At the time, I was given a ‘that speech’ about the risks and benefits of this medication and what it could do to me. You get this every time you start something new, it is a […]
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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 […]