Category: Lifestyle
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Navigating A&E with a Chronic Illness
When you have a chronic illness like Crohn’s disease, you get to know your body in a different way. You learn to read the subtle signals and recognize when something is seriously wrong. My recent trip to A&E was a reminder of the unique challenges this presents to patients with Crohnic illness – The people…
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Dear me … from me.
How incredible would it be to send a letter to your past self?! The shortest of messages that just says – it will be ok. A year ago today, I woke up in intensive care after having major surgery. I remember bits. I remember Coldplay playing in theatre before I went under. I remember the…
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Autopilot
It’s funny how quickly you can find yourself in a pattern or a routine. Normal happens without much thought or planning. You blink and that’s it. My normal has changed considerably in the past year … almost exactly a year in a few weeks. My body has gone from being thrown around from country to…
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Infliximab Round 1 – Here goes 🥳
Infliximab | Round 1 – Here we go! ✊
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More good days than bad 🧡
Finally more good days than bad!
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Goodbye 2022 and Looking forward to 2023
Saying goodbye to 2022 – a rough ride of a year but funnily enough, not all bad. Lessons have been learnt and changes made for the better!
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I feel a bit … normal …
For the first time in 6 months, today I have felt a bit normal! Background – Friday I saw my old hospital cell mate Liz (Hi Liz!) during a hospital appointment. Liz was in a bed opposite me for a week few days/a week of my sentence stay … I can’t remember, it wasn’t very…
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I’m dreaming of a Crohn’s free Christmas
… just like the ones I used to know! 🎄 Today we realise the obvious. I have no control over what happens next! This week I have been told I am in a ‘flare up’ which in real terms means inflammation and pain vs remission which means business as ‘new normal’. So now we take…
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What a difference a week makes …
… so far the world made me shave my head, get a tattoo and now dye my hair pink … I think I just need to buy a camper van and that will be my transformation complete! 🎉
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This ain’t no Fairytale …
This ain’t no Cinderella Fairytale … Mental Health struggles will not disappear at midnight alongside the strike of 00:00 on a clock. #WorldMentalHealthAwarenessDay2022 can only mean something today on Monday 10th October 2022 if it also means something on 11th, 12th, 13th and every other day, of every other month … otherwise it means nothing.
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Good times ahead!
This is a once in a life time opportunity. I would never have CHOSEN to cut my hair short, let alone this short! But this is where we are so we might as well have some fun! and now it’s done 🥰 … and I actually kind of love it!
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Because I can, can, can 💃
Going from I can’t to I can’t ‘yet’ has been so powerful!
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I am not ok – but I will be
If you know me, you know that I am not ok. If you ask me, I will smile and be positive and say all the right things. But I am not ok. I will put one foot in front of the other and carry on carrying on but know that I am not ok. Don’t…
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How are we doing?
Asking for help should be encouraged and welcomed for those who need it … why is it proving so hard?
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Weekend Vibes 😎
Checking back in after a few days back at the world of work … I’m so pleased to be back! (Such a Weirdo!😂) Genuinely though, having the routine set, get up, nurses come in the morning have breakfast and my shrinking cocktail of medication, get ready and start my working day 😊 is making a…
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Heading back to the real world … ish
Heading back out into the real world … well a baby step at least.
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Calling on Dr Google and Social Media once more!
Please note, yes, I have NHS rage … but my rage is at the current state of the NHS not the NHS itself … If you, like myself are bored of my moaning, please enjoy the photo of my dog 🥰 Current Rage As I have mentioned numerous times, my hair is falling out. What…
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Tears and Timelines
“Coping with a long-term condition can have a big impact on your mental wellbeing too – research suggests that people living with Crohn’s or Colitis may be twice as likely to experience mental health problems as the general population.” Crohn’s and Colitis UK 👆 Well that’s good init! It really doesn’t come as much of…
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Update: 15th August
Thursday Nurses Nurse Nurses … First nurse of the day is Monica the Stoma nurse. Where I used to see Lisa and Nav in the hospital, Monica and Debbie will be my out patient Nurses. My uncle also sees Debbie and tells me ‘she’s alright’ which is actually very high praise 🤣. Monica checks my…
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Finally going home … very briefly 😬
Everyday for 10 days the Doctor came round. Everyday for 10 days they talked more and more information at me. Everyday for 10 days they asked if I had any questions. Everyday for 10 days I had one question. Can I go home now? And finally after 10 days I got the answer I had…
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Life on the medical ward …
I am in past tense still and am going to share my highs and lows of the 10 days I spent on the ‘Medical Ward’ directly after admission. Thursday 9th June So I wake up on day one to see the Medical Ward in all it’s 5am glory … if you have slept to 5am…
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How it began – Is anybody listening to me???
So going back months, years even, I have had a sensitive stomach … lactose intolerant aka eat pizza at home or with friends and family only 😂 Having a close relationship with the bathroom each morning, lessening as the day goes on with the exception of meal times. It was always just the way I…
My unwilling journey with Crohn’s Disease 