Yes, it’s already been THREE MONTHS! Can you even believe it?! I know that three months is nothing in the scheme of things, and even three months out of 2016 doesn’t feel like an incredibly long time, but to me three months is a lifetime. When things don’t go right or you have problem after problem, even a week can feel like an eternity. That’s what I was experiencing before…
IBD
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Going Medication free..? Is this *the* IBD dream?
I received correspondence from my GI yesterday, following my clinic appointment with him last Tuesday. It made for an interesting read: “I am sorry you came to separate surgeries, initially an extended right hemicolectomy and then a subtotal colectomy. We have still got you on Vedolizumab and I am not a hundred percent sure this is the right choice for you at present. In theory you have been completely down staged…
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Old versus the Present
Let me set a scene for you: It’s raining. Drizzling. My favourite. I’m walking home from town. It’s getting dark. I’ve got my hood up, headphones in my ears, music pumping around my head. I start to hum the tune of the songs, moving into singing while walking. I’ve got a definite spring in my step, walking tall and proud. I can’t feel the spotlight of the headlights of cars stuck…
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GI Clinic – 15.11.16
I last saw my consultant the day I was admitted to hospital in mid August. I remember how disappointed he looked when he had to leave – he was going on annual leave for the rest of the month – and looked anxious. With good reason too, I would say goodbye to my bastard colon 11 days later. So today when we nodded to each other in acknowledgment before my…
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Oh The Pain! Flapjackgate: My First Ostomy Blockage
What was suppose to be a relaxing weekend in preparation for holiday to Cornwall with Ben this week, turned out to be somewhat of a small disaster: Going to Good Hope A&E twice in the space of 12 hours. Oh joys. Saturday started off fairly normal – breakfast, shopping in Lichfield, food shopping in Tamworth, followed by lunch at home. I had made chocolate flapjacks the afternoon before and had…
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Vedolizumab: The Final Loading Dose 07.11.16
Four weeks have passed. My blood work was done the day of stoma clinic last week so I was on schedule to receive my final loading dose of Vedolizumab then on to a regular schedule of having it. As I said in my last post about Vedo, we still didn’t know if this was working yet or if it was going to work. We just had to complete the loading…
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Returning to Work…?
Today I attended a work coach appointment at our local Job Centre. NB: I currently receive ESA because I’m unemployed and recovering from surgery. I’m still yet to my surgeon for my post op check, but so far things have been going well with my stoma and my Crohn’s; I haven’t been left without any help or care! So today was about seeing what will happen next. Usually, a person…
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Taking my Stoma to the Spa
I love a good spa day. Swimming, a steam, hot tub, a treatment and being pampered in a robe and fluffy slippers. My idea of heaven. Over the years I’ve found being in a relaxing environment such as a spa very much help me with my mental health and give me some much-needed reflective time alone. I tend to ask for them as gifts for Christmas or birthdays so, that…
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Grieving: Those Waves Don’t Stop
They “prep” you for surgery; you hear that a lot in the weeks and days leading up to an operation. Medically, you should be fit enough to withstand the trauma your body is going to under take. You should be aware of the potential dangers, prepare yourself for things to be different than what you’re expecting, what you’re thinking could happen; even if you’ve had surgery or this surgery before. What about…