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…
IBD
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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…
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Life Lately | Stuck, Confused or Lost?
It’s difficult when you have to be a ‘team player’ and ‘independent’ too How many jobs have I applied for when this phrase is used time and time again? It is of course a valid and acceptable quality for most candidates. Prove it, get the job, work hard and this is like second nature. But what happened when you haven’t worked in over a year and your independency is higher than being…
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Waking Up with a Stoma
I had been through recovery before, knew that the groggy fog of the anaesthetic would eventually lift. But this time around I felt utter relief. I was confident this time that this was going to be a new life for me. I felt around under my hospital gown for the scar, for the bag. The scar felt huge and like I had been ripped apart inside but in reality it…
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Diagnosis: How I Feel Five Years On…
A casual Twitter conversation launched me right into this; right back to the moment when I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease: How much from the day I was diagnosed with IBD do I remember? I remember the fear. The unknown factor. I remember the hospital trolley I lay on whilst I wanted for my scope. I remember the pain I was in, the unbearable agony my stomach was giving me;…
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Doing Long Distance
A couple of weeks ago, I started a new job. And not just any job; one I was so damn excited to get and actually start. But it meant moving away from home. That was a messy feeling in my head for weeks, which included moving all my patient care for my IBD and stoma as well as packing and getting my head around being away from home. I haven’t…