Me and My Crohn's

Approaches to Food in a Flare Up.

Anyone who has ever experienced a relapse of their IBD will at some point have asked themselves the big question: “what should I eat?” When your symptoms flare up your appetite normally goes down, but it is important to try and give your body nutrients, particularly if you are experiencing vomiting or diarrhoea. ButContinue reading “Approaches to Food in a Flare Up.”

Ustekinumab, Anaemia and More Surgery.

Ustekinumab After my nightmare stay in hospital, I was finally feeling hopeful that Ustekinumab may be the drug I’d been looking for. Nothing is ever quick however, so I spent the first few weeks back at home just getting by, waiting for the day that I would wake up and feel something other than terrible.Continue reading “Ustekinumab, Anaemia and More Surgery.”

Surgery, Anaphylaxis and Ustekinumab.

Being admitted I was admitted to hospital on March 15th, 2019 for my first ever surgery. Even the journey to the hospital was a nightmare. I felt like I’d reached an all-time low with my internal symptoms, and my extra-intestinal symptoms had also reached rock bottom. The erythema nodosum which I had suffered from soContinue reading “Surgery, Anaphylaxis and Ustekinumab.”

Clinical Trials, Abscesses and Fistulas.

Clinical trial enrolment In late December 2018, I began the process of entering a clinical trial for a new biologic called Risankizumab. The first thing anyone looking to enrol in a trial will likely have to do is a “washout period”, basically where you stop taking all other treatments for about 6-8 weeks to ensureContinue reading “Clinical Trials, Abscesses and Fistulas.”

Coming and Going, Adalimumab, Methotrexate and Yet Another Liquid Diet.

Going back to university When I finally returned to university in the autumn of 2018, I was so excited to be back. Although most of my friends from first year and my old flatmates had moved off campus, as a “disabled” student I was entitled to remain in a dorm. This meant that I would be livingContinue reading “Coming and Going, Adalimumab, Methotrexate and Yet Another Liquid Diet.”

More Steroids, Another Liquid Diet and Adalimumab.

Steroids So, by Easter 2018 it was clear that my journey with infliximab was over and my doctors decided that whilst they figured out the next step, I should go back on steroids. I started on a lower dose than I had previously taken, but this had next to no effect and my symptoms wereContinue reading “More Steroids, Another Liquid Diet and Adalimumab.”

Infliximab, Antibodies and Mercaptopurine.

Infliximab Since my first signs of a flare in May 2013, my Crohn’s hadn’t been under control. It was now the 21st April 2014, and after struggling for over a year on steroids and antibiotics with little success, I was admitted to hospital again for investigations. It was supposed to be just the usual abdominalContinue reading “Infliximab, Antibodies and Mercaptopurine.”

My Diet: What I Eat and Avoid.

Diet and Crohn’s Anyone with IBD knows that diet is everything. Whilst we need to debunk the myth that certain foods cause inflammation, it is undeniable that certain foods trigger symptoms. Because Crohn’s is such an unpredictable and individualised disease, annoyingly there is no “one size fits all” diet and food triggers vary massively fromContinue reading “My Diet: What I Eat and Avoid.”

Physical Side Effects and Body Image.

I thought I’d kick off this section with some reflections and advice on body image and Crohn’s. Despite being labelled an “invisible illness”, Crohn’s Disease can have a lot of aesthetic implications. Some of these can be hard to handle on a physical and emotional level, with many patients experiencing low self-esteem. But it’s importantContinue reading “Physical Side Effects and Body Image.”

My First Flare, Steroids and Azathioprine.

First signs of a flare After returning to school and being back on a relatively normal diet, I was starting to think that things were back on track for me. I had this whole Crohn’s thing under control. But in March 2013 my symptoms began to creep back in. First the cramps, then the nausea, then theContinue reading “My First Flare, Steroids and Azathioprine.”