As far back as I can remember, I’ve always been a people pleaser. It’s good to say ‘yes’, it’s polite to say ‘yes’, it’s fun to say ‘yes’. That’s the weird mantra that I’ve always seemed to live by – and although saying ‘yes’ can lead to a more positive existence that opens up a lot of doors, it can also be extremely damaging.

Being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease is like having someone steal all your ‘yes’ power and ration you with a certain number a day. Whilst internally you might still want to be that ‘hell yeah’ individual, the motive gets caught in a tangled web of anxiety, exhaustion and defeatism.

Continue reading →

I doubt anyone has ever envied the lifestyle of a person living with a chronic illness. I can’t say that I blame them, but what we go through on a frequent basis is a lot more complex than popping pills and having blood tests. Whilst there is an argument to say ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’, there is also a small part of me that’s a bit bored of getting ‘stronger’. Here’s my list of things that all people living with a chronic illness can relate to…

Continue reading →

As a sufferer with a Chronic Illness, it’s more than likely that you’ll have a plethora of new ‘friends’ that you may often see more regularly than your normal friends. GPs, consultants, pharmacists, specialists…the list can feel endless. But not all relationships are a positive one.

Continue reading →

I’ve resisted writing this post for quite some time as it seems to be a rather controversial subject in the world of Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Since being diagnosed in 2015, I’ve been on a cocktail of different medications including Mesalazine, Prednisolone, Budesonide and Azathioprine. I was always able to control my symptoms with a selection of the above at any one time, but despite achieving remission from Azathioprine, something just didn’t sit right with me.  Continue reading →

It’s strange how as a female, so much of my identity was defined by my hair.
When I was 14, I became absolutely obsessed with my locks – products, extensions, colours…I was a chameleon and I loved it. When I was 16, I told my Mum that I wanted to be a hairdresser (it was a short lived dream) and when I was 20 I decided I wanted to create my own hair-care brand (I didn’t).
Despite these phases, the way my hair looked and felt remained the core of my identity. However, the relationship I have with it today has been somewhat of a challenge. Continue reading →

So, recently I was contacted with a question about whether or not I had ever been travelling whilst having Crohn’s Disease. We’re not talking about a 10 day Holiday to the Balearic Islands, but more like a 10 month trip around Asia. Sadly, I have not done the ‘travelling thanggg’ so rather than give up and be unable to help with any advice, I put the feelers out to you wonderful people, and have managed to get your feedback and create my first Community Q&A post – using your words, your experiences and getting answers from there! Continue reading →

Hello, party people! Happy New Year – even though we are now a week deep into 2018. Whoops. How is everyone doing? The festive period can be a bit of a weird one, especially if like me, you don’t go to your family home for Christmas anymore. But whatever December threw at you – you made it, and you’re here, reading this; so well done, you! Continue reading →

The word ‘support’ is a bit of a weird one. It has weird connotations to me – like ‘support group’ or ‘support bra’ but sadly neither of those items are what I want to talk about (although let’s see if I can slip them in somehow…)

What I really want to put on the table, is the importance of getting the support you need when you are battling a Chronic Illness like Crohn’s Disease and why not allowing yourself to be supported is probably hindering your health.

Continue reading →

Our day has arrived, babies! 1st December – 7th December is Crohn’s & Colitis Awareness Week in the UK and a chance for us to have our voices heard and make our mark.

Regarded as a notoriously ‘invisible illness’, the campaign is aimed at #MakingTheInvisibleVisible – trying to reach out to people who are unaware of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases as well as bringing more visibility to these illnesses to those who might not know a lot about it.

Continue reading →