Just when you think things aren’t going anywhere, life pulls you back in. If you’ve been following me for a while now, you’ll probably know that I haven’t work since before my first surgery in May last year. In fact, loosing my job was a big factor is why I finally chose to have surgery when I did. There was a plan to retrain after I had recovered from my Right…
IBD
-
-
A Day in the Life – The ROManTIC Trial
Two weeks ago, I was invited to the Royal College of Surgeons in London for discussions of a new trial for Ileocecal Crohn’s patients. This has been the first time I’d been invited – well, I had sought out this day for my own medical geeky-ness – to participate in something so formal and important as a possible trial. Its objective was to gain the perspectives of both patients and…
-
Stoma Nurses; What makes them so important?
A couple weeks ago I got the chance to interview my stoma nurse about her job role; this is Q & A with Nicola Jennings: Stoma Care Nurse at Good Hope Hospital in the Heart of England NHS Trust. What is a stoma nurse? The title for the role at the hospital I work is ‘Colorectal Specialist Nurse’, this incorporates stoma care. They are specialist’s registered nurses wo have gained additional…
-
When Will My Life Begin?
Last week, I had seberal rough days when I was full of self doubt and getting utterly frustrated with many aspects of my life. I wasn’t going to share how upset and angry I had been feeling but I thought, no, I am not going to deny myself this part of recovering and having a chronic illness. Here is the note I wrote to myself in the depths of feeling…
-
REVIEW: ‘Managing IBD: A Balanced Guide to Inflammatory Bowel Disease’ by Jenna Farmer
Follow Jenna on Twitter @abalancedbelly and check out her website: www.abalancedbelly.co.uk Initial Thoughts “Managing IBD: A Balanced Guide to Inflammatory Bowel Disease” is just that, a balanced guide to navigating a diagnosis and life with IBD. Jenna was diagnosed in China after suffering with IBS for almost ten years prior. The pressing need to find out information – in English – and pursue good care in a foreign country, led…
-
Acceptance
Lately, people have been asking me how I’ve become so okay with how my life currently is. I think they mean to ask ‘how have you been able to accept your stoma so well?’ because it’s only been a little over six months since my operation. I think it’s down to three things, really: I have lived with a chronic illness for five years. I’ve had all that time to…
-
Life Lately | Finding Space to Relax
Life, right now, isn’t busy for me but it’s a complete struggle to relax. I say ‘busy’ in the traditional sense that I still currently unemployed so I don’t have a Monday to Friday 9-5 keeping me occupied. But, that doesn’t mean I haven’t been working. I’ve been spending my time writing and working on improving my ‘blogging game’ pretty much since 2017 started. Despite this, once I am through…
-
I am not *quite* used to this, not just yet
This weekend I was in London; I had an amazing time, look! But boy did I suffer. It was a very long day; with an super early start and a late finish. I would do it all over again, even with the soreness I felt the day after. My point here? Well, its a nudge, a reminder, a mini wake up call. I am not like everyone else, I still…
-
“I had to mature”
“I had to mature. I gained that ability to recognise what was REALLY important.” – Me, 23.10.16 There is nothing more scary, awful and plain inconvenient than being chronically ill. But, those people who are, are the best people I know. They have this amazing ability to see good in what hell they are going through. They smile when they are in pain, they celebrate the small victories they make…