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…
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Vedolizumab: Here We Go Again – Third Times a Charm
Today has been bittersweet. I feel like I’ve said that a lot, but the excitement of actually getting back into this whole ‘back on biological medication’ routine has taken over the fact that this was my last outpatient appointment at my hospital. If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll know that I relocated at the start of the summer for a new job – read more here and…
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“It is okay to be angry at your situation sometimes”
I feel some normality returning to my bones, some of my personality coming back. Some of my fight, a strong part of my need to write, seeping out of my fingers. The realisation here is that: IBD is unpredictable. And that particular mental battle is a topic for another day, some time soon. Sometimes you just have to laugh. No seriously, you do. Through wet eyes, I sat on my…
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The Return of… Everything
You always want to believe your consultant when they say “maybe we’ll be able to go a couple of years without any medications or big issues“. You believe because that is the sort of IBD dream isn’t it; managing without medical intervention? It was for me, back in June at my last appointment; full of confused optimism. Fast forward not even six weeks and I was bed bound, in constant…