I'm joining in with Crohn's and Colitis UK's event called WALKIT in Leazes Park, Newcastle on 30th June 2018.
As you might know, last year I took part and raised £135.00 - thank you to everyone who donated last year!
I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis in August 2016 after years of illness and misdiagnosis. UC is one of the main types of Inflammatory Bowel Disease - an incurable autoimmune disease causing severe abdominal pain, inflammation and ulceration of the intestines and colon, bleeding and diarrhoea. It affects everyday life and is very painful.
In the future I may need surgery to remove parts of my bowel due to how diseased it is, and may end up with a ileostomy bag. So far I'm trying different medications (some with awful side effects) to control my symptoms.
I'm currently on a strong concoction immunosuppressant medication which makes me at risk of complications from just general illness.... a regular cold could quickly turn into pneumonia and I suffer from nausea and vomiting daily. I have weekly to bi-weekly blood tests to make sure the medication doesn't give me pancreatitis or liver damage. I've been on steroids medication as well as Azathiprine for more than 2 years, which has led to weight gain, chronic fatigue, and other issues. I have regular scope tests due to my increased risk of complications like bowel perforation, toxic megacolon, osteoporosis and colon cancer.
I'm so lucky that I have a great care team around me, with my GI consultant, and IBD nurse just a phone call or email away - but not everyone has this. Without my care team I wouldn't cope as well with this lifelong illness.
I'm raising funds for Crohn's and Colitis UK. Crohn’s and Colitis UK is a national charity in the battle against Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis. They are fighting to achieve a better quality of life for the 300,000 people in the UK suffering physically and emotionally from these and other forms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).
By donating you'll help provide high-quality information and support, fund critical medical research, and campaign vigorously for more knowledge and better services for people affected by Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis. This includes having access to a much needed specialist IBD nurse for those suffering out of hours.
Thanks for helping by donating much needed funds.
http://crohnsandcolitis.org.uk