From a (hyper) active woman, mother, wife, keen chef, music lover, reader… to a housebound human, barely making it through the day, miserable and dejected. Never before has the importance of mental health been so apparent to me than over the past two months. It all started just under 11 years ago, two weeks into a new job.
Continue reading
I can’t quite believe that it’s been one whole year since my life was turned around, spun on its head, righted, brought back from the brink of whatever. And what a year of discovery it’s been! Continue reading
I’ve been unwell with a raging cold/flu for the past week. Nonexistent nose, compressed chest, wracking coughs, and an abdomen that felt like a truck had run over it due to the afore-mentioned cough. So as you can imagine, the prospect of attending my kid’s open day at school was daunting, to say the least.
The new challenge in my life is upon me – living with a stoma and ostomy bag.
For those of you who don’t know what that means, I have a chronic condition, Ulcerative Colitis, which has required me to have my diseased colon removed. Continue reading
Dear 33-year-old self,
In a few months’ time, you’re going to be diagnosed with a chronic, painful condition which you’ve never heard of – ulcerative colitis – and it’s pretty much going to change your life for good.
I don’t want to scare you with this letter, but here’s what you’re going to be in for: Continue reading
Going through a major operation such as the one I did, a subtotal colectomy, sure brings along some perspective. D-Day was Monday, April 25 – the day of liberation in Italy as a friend pointed out when wishing me freedom from pain and a means to regain my life. Continue reading
So here it is – the day I part with Cassandra.
That’s what I’ve decided to call my colon – I love the name, it’s so melodious, but of course, the figure from Greek mythology that it represents suffered an awful fate – enabled with the gift of prophecy that no-one would, however, believe. A terrible harbinger of doom. Quite an apt name I think for a part of me that has tried so hard to work but can’t help but fight itself. And it does this in ‘secret’ – in that it’s fight is invisible.
Adieu, Cassandra, fair thee well. Thanks for the good times, pity about the bad times. My body needs to rest now so let’s hope I’ll get on just fine without you.
It’s taken me a while to get down to writing this particular blog post, mostly because I don’t want to come across as a whinging brat, but also because I don’t particularly like dwelling on the negative. I’m more of a make-life-work-with-what-you’ve-got type of gal. Continue reading
Verdict is out – chest infection means that my planned surgery has been postponed for the second time as I’m sent home on antibiotics to recuperate for two full weeks. Then it will be another trip in to hospital to see if we can go ahead. This is really turning into a waiting game. Continue reading
OK so I’ve been sent home from hospital for another few days… time to blog about something else for the time being… Continue reading
whatever Mia thinks 