Now VS 2015
‘Good’ VS Bad
I was scrolling through my phone pictures the other day and right at the very top was pictures from 2015 when I took my Nan to Egypt for the week. This was also the year I got my first full time job and the year that I graduated and whilst these all sound like great memories it really is a year that doesn’t resonate well with me. I’d say for me mentally this was my lowest year, as mentioned in a previous blog I was hospitalised shortly after handing my dissertation in at uni as I was in a very bad flare up. This resulted in various drugs but the main one being prednisolone aka steroids aka the DEVILS tic tac.
I actually NEVER thought I’d share these photos as quite frankly I cannot associate the girl in them as being me, I was so far from myself it’s painful to look back on.
The truth is, IBD is much more than the odd stomach ache and rushing to the toilet. It’s NOT IBS, it’s not cured by trying to be mindful, doing yoga or eating ‘healthy’.
It’s - excruciating abdominal cramps, joint pain, muscle pain, exhaustion, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, rectal bleeding, loss in appetite, weight loss/gain, fever, fatigue, brain fog, tooth loss, malnutrition & malabsorption, hair loss, fistulas, strictures and abscesses, intestinal blockages, perforated bowel, sepsis, surgical complications, and increased risk of colon cancer.
Patients with IBD often depend on medications to help control the symptoms and pain caused by their disease. Medications commonly used to treat IBD include antibiotics, steroids and immunosuppressants that may bring remission, but no guarantees.
These medications can sometimes cause unwanted side effects which are often harder to manage than the disease itself. As you can see from my photos this is probably the only time in the past 10 years that my illness has been ‘visible’ through the uncontrollable weight gain caused by the steroids and the notorious ‘moon face’ 🌝 pred was something which my body NEEDED to recover but bought a wholeeeee load of side effects with taking them.
The main point of sharing this post is to reinforce the message ‘everyone you meet is facing a silent battle’. Something which we can easily forget.
I still experience many side effects from my current treatment and over time they become ‘normal’ however I do think it’s important to reflect on what we as IBD patients contend with on a daily basis and just how resilient we are when it comes to our daily challenges.
It’s okay to give yourself a bit of recognition and praise, everyone is fighting their own battle but no one else is fighting yours!
It’s Crohns and Colitis Awareness week and this is my story. 💪🏼💜
What you don’t see…
What you do see…
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