Hello, I’m Chris. This blog documents my journey through ulcerative colitis, life-changing surgery, and adapting to life with a stoma. I share honest experiences, practical advice, and the realities people don’t always talk about—so others going through similar challenges don’t feel alone.
My Latest Posts
- CLOSING REFLECTION – THE WHOLE JOURNEY
My journey with ulcerative colitis didn’t follow a straight line. It began quietly, with symptoms that were easy to dismiss. It escalated into years of medications, hospital visits, false hope, temporary relief, and relentless setbacks. There were moments where drugs worked — and moments where they failed spectacularly. There were periods of stability that feltContinue reading “CLOSING REFLECTION – THE WHOLE JOURNEY” - A CALL TO HOPE
If you’re reading this while still unwell — still waiting for answers, still counting toilets, still measuring your life in flares and appointments — I want you to know something important: You’re not weak for struggling. Ulcerative colitis has a way of quietly taking things from you. Confidence. Independence. Spontaneity. It does it slowly enoughContinue reading “A CALL TO HOPE” - PART SEVEN – LEARNING WHO I AM NOW
Chapter 42: Recovery Isn’t a Finish Line Leaving hospital didn’t feel like an ending. It felt like being dropped into unfamiliar territory with a vague set of instructions and the expectation that I’d work the rest out myself. Recovery wasn’t dramatic. It was slow, uneven, and quietly demanding. Days blurred into routines: Empty the bag.Continue reading “PART SEVEN – LEARNING WHO I AM NOW” - PART SIX – WAKING UP DIFFERENT
Chapter 32: Pain First I woke up in pain. Not gradually. Not quietly. Instantly. A deep, overwhelming pain across my abdomen that took my breath away before I’d even fully opened my eyes. It wasn’t confusion that brought me round — it was my body screaming that something major had happened. I remember groaning. TryingContinue reading “PART SIX – WAKING UP DIFFERENT” - PART FIVE – THE WAIT
Chapter 26: Deciding Without Doubt Once surgery was on the table, everything changed. Not in a dramatic, emotional way — but in a quiet, irreversible one. The conversations stopped being about what if and started being about when. The plan was a subtotal colectomy with an ileostomy. Most of my colon would be removed, andContinue reading “PART FIVE – THE WAIT” - PART FOUR – WHEN THE GROUND MOVES
Chapter 19: Building Something New Feeling well for the first time in years gave me confidence — not just physically, but mentally. I decided to retrain as an accountant. It wasn’t a small decision. I was working nights at Waitrose, studying during the day, and trying to build a future that didn’t revolve around illness.Continue reading “PART FOUR – WHEN THE GROUND MOVES” - PART THREE – THE LONG MIDDLE
Chapter 11: Learning to Live With It After the colonoscopy, life didn’t stop — it just changed quietly in the background. On paper, I had mild ulcerative colitis. In reality, I had a condition that needed managing every single day. I was sent home with Pentasa suppositories and told to use them nightly. That aloneContinue reading “PART THREE – THE LONG MIDDLE” - PART TWO – LEARNING THE LANGUAGE
Chapter 6: Waiting With a Name Being given a diagnosis didn’t bring relief in the way I expected. Ulcerative colitis sounded serious — but vague. It wasn’t something people talked about openly, and it certainly wasn’t something I understood. I went home and did what most people do: I Googled it. That was a mistake.Continue reading “PART TWO – LEARNING THE LANGUAGE” - PART ONE – BEFORE I LISTENED
Chapter 1: It Wasn’t Haemorrhoids My story didn’t start with a dramatic collapse or a blue-light ambulance ride. It started with something far less urgent — and far easier to ignore. In 2013, when I was 26, I began noticing changes when I went to the toilet. At first, it was constipation. Then white streaksContinue reading “PART ONE – BEFORE I LISTENED”