Guys, lets talk about looking after yourself. I know that this might be easy for me to say – couple of months into remission with my Crohn’s, preparing for a new and exciting job, coping well with my stoma – but looking after yourself is important. So important. Actively being present and finding out what works best for you. I am somewhat more able to do this now because I…
IBD
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Changes, Welcomed Changes
I’ve always been known as someone who doesn’t do things by halves. Some examples? – I have the most progressive disease my Gastroenterologist has seen. – In a three-month period, my colon disintegrated but I didn’t present with a flare up of IBD! – My GYN surgeon removed a tennis ball cyst off my ovary which should have been causing tons of problems, but wasn’t – When I got sick,…
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Speaking: Loud and Proud
Know what inspires me the most? Other patients. Other ostomy patients, other IBD patients. Those people who have a connection to me once I share my own journey. I met these people last week at a Coloplast Care day. I spoke about how I came ot have my ostomy, my IBD history in brief and how life has been since surgery. I tried to follow my written document – you…
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Life Lately | Pushing my Limits
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade Yeah, I relate to this way too much. And I say it time and time again – surgery changed my life – but this time, it’s gone and given me something I would never have expected. A job. I kept it very hush hush and only really celebrated when I got offered it and accepted. So, I am now an employed lady. Hallelujah! Some…
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Hospital: Fear & Anxiety or Hope & Comfort?
Why do you go to hospital? Is it because you’re in so much pain and need relief and answers? Well you’re like me then, only going when it is beyond your threshold and you need help. The pain was unreal and unbelievable earlier and every time I’ve been come into hospital I’ve always experienced pain; they are forever intrinsically linked in my head. So now, it’s incredibly hard to think I can still be here without feeling…
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GI Clinic 21.03.17
This has probably been the first time in forever that I haven’t really been bothered about going to see my Gastro. I haven’t really had any problems; I’m not taking any medications, my wounds are all healed, my surgeon is happy with my current progress being made and my stoma seems to be getting into a solid routine. All good on the symptoms front; nothing to report. But, I still attended…
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“Adding scars to my body in order for a higher quality of life.”
I always wondered what sort of person wanted to have surgery. I always wondered how you could get to that point and want someone to cut you open. I always wondered, until it happened to me. My Timehop is a good reminder of what happened a year ago, or two or three years ago. It serves to remind me just how things have improved. It allows me to reflect…
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Changing Attitudes
13.06.16 I stared down at the box of tablets in some sort of disbelief. How did it get to this, needing to take anti depressants? It’s week five of my post op recovery. I had surgery in mid- May on my bowel and to remove a cyst on my ovary. Things were going well; I was healing from my incisions and I was getting back to a normal diet. Then…
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Painkiller Addiction – My Other Recovery
Despite being chronically ill for the past four years, I’ve never thought of myself as needing painkillers to get through the bad days. Not that my bad days weren’t bad, I was just able to manage my pain. But surgery changed all that. I had planned IBD surgery on my bowel in May 2016 and the one thing I was terrified was the pain I was going to go through. I knew…