It was a desperately horrible August, 2011. I’d never suffered with health problems, but this current run of feeling unwell just wasn’t going away. If anything, every day, it got worse. So much that weeks had passed and I just could not remember the last time I had eaten a meal, the last time I’d had a solid BM and the last time I hadn’t been sick. I was a…
crohns disease
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Happy Stomaversary!
What I’ve Achieved in Twelve Months with my Ostomy Well, me and Priscilla have been belly buddies for a whole year today. It feels like such a long time but it also feels like nothing, like I’ve clicked my fingers and here we are. But what have I done in these twelve months since that fateful day of ostomy surgery? I survived another surgery! That would make two…
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The Highs and Lows of Hospital Stays
I’ve just spent a week in hospital, unexpectedly. Now I am no stranger to prolonged spells in a hospital bed. But this time, this was different. New city, new hospital, new problems. I am still processing all the new information so bear with me, this isn’t going to be all about what has gone on but more about what its like to spend time in hospital when youre chronically and…
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Life Lately | Being Organised
I am in my element, when I am planning and organising. I like the lists. The to-do’s to make. The notes to make. The feeling of accomplishment when things are in their place. The relief I have when things have been done my way, to my particular schedule. But it runs deeper than just that. Why do I like to be organised? Some of it comes from having a plan and…
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The What and Why: Vitamin B12
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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Life Lately | The Guilt, Oh The Guilt
Disclaimer: This post is not happy and positive. Sorry, not sorry. Anyone who follows me, or reads this blog will realise there has been a little bit of a lull in my posting. And somehow feel like there is an explanation due as to why. There are good and bad reasons to why I’ve been unusually quiet in my sharing of my experiences of living with chronic illness. And they may…
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When Does Having an Ostomy Feel “Normal”?
I am a firm believer in self confidence. Feeling sure of yourself and who you are is a big part of feeling good about life. But do you know what makes self confidence difficult? An incurable chronic illness. And all the things that come with it. What I struggled with was, after almost five years of living with Crohn’s Disease, I needed to have my colon removed and an ileostomy…
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GI Clinic & MRI Scan – 27-28.06.17
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…