It feels surreal to be able to say that I am officially one year post surgery! Back when I was laid in that hospital bed, it felt like time stood still and going outside or leaving the hospital felt like a dream. Here we are a year later, and what a year it’s been!

From an IBD standpoint, the surgery was a success and I don’t have any of the issues that I was having with incontinence, desperation or urgency. However, that doesn’t mean that it’s been all fun and games.

The biggest challenge for me, has been the associated arthritis which came on very quickly after my surgery, and really hasn’t given me much of a break since. It’s still something that we’re battling with as I’m currently not tolerating any of the medications to treat it, and this means I’m stuck on steroids.

In the space of a year, I’ve gone from malnourished and extremely underweight, to going up 5 dress sizes and struggling to manage my water retention, due to the steroids causing Cushings syndrome. It’s been a huge toll on my physical body, but my mental health too.

Because of the arthritis flaring, I have been in a general autoimmune flare, which sadly also impacts Bruno, my trusty mucus fistula. This has meant that he’s been more irritated than before, and I’m currently having to use steroid treatments to manage him too. It’s less than ideal, because for a short period after surgery, I was totally unmedicated and the GI system was much happier.

Looking back however, I still think having the stoma surgery was the best outcome possible in the situation. Although different issues have cropped up, its provided so much relief not having to constantly contend with the IBD symptoms, and from a GI point of view, I am now so much healthier.

The hope is that of course, we can get the arthritis under control in time and then that will truly be a wonderful combination – but in the meantime, being able to navigate the world without being stuck in the bathroom is wonderful.