 Crohn’s and Colitis week is happening now: 1st to 7th December 2017, being promoted by wonderful charity Crohn’s & Colitis UK, to raise awareness of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), with a focus on it being a hidden illness or disability. The charity has done some fantastic work with supermarkets nationally getting signage added or changed to disabled toilets to get the message out that not every disability is visible – so that Ulcerative Colitis sufferers like me, don’t have to worry about being challenged for using disabled toilets when we need to – because we ‘look ok’.
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 I blogged about my ‘dream’ job a few weeks ago - 'The Next Step 2017' and applied for the job that weekend.
I have learnt a lot about myself and my anxiety in the following days and weeks. So here is what happened and my reflections after the event. [I have used this image, as it sums up how the phone ringing does affect me and my anxiety - acknowledgement #CollegeHumour] After 2 to 3 years I had my first flare up of Ulcerative Colitis in January and February 2016. I think this was a result of being run down with the flu and being depressed.
To find out what was happening I had a few trips to the GP and an endoscopy and today a appointment with the Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) nurse clinic at Kettering General Hospital. This was a highly beneficial appointment as I found out a lot, that perhaps I should have been told when I was originally diagnosed in 2003. I wrote myself a note to remind myself, so thought I would share that with you: Wow, it has been a month and quite a bit has happened. A month ago, I blogged that I recognised I was stuck in a cycle with anxiety feeding IBS feeding anxiety, which was at the least hindering my recovery. So I have had a string of appointments over the past month, which included, GP, Psychiatrist, Gastroenterologist, and an Endoscopy. So, to start, an anxious visit to the GP: who as usual seemed to lack empathy. I explained my bowel symptoms and link to anxiety. He concluded that I displayed the symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome and suggested I discuss it more at my next Gastroenterologist appointment. Thankfully my appointment with the Gastroenterologist was the following week. He agreed that it sounded like IBS and said having looked at my blood test results that my IBD was under control. He suggested I have an Endoscopy to check my bowel as I had not had one for ten years. In terms of the IBS he suggested a drug called Amitriptyline, but because of my other medication wanted the Psychiatrist to prescribe it. I then had my appointment with the Psychiatrist, where I discovered that the Gables Mental Health Hospital site has been closed and that I had another new doctor. We explored my medication and I was reluctant to change the Trazodone, as it has been good for me. So the Amitriptyline was not an option if I was to stay on Trazodone. He did though increase my dose of Trazodone to 150mg a day. My outpatients appointment for the Endoscopy was fine. The consultants letter to my GP said there was no signs of inflammation or history of inflammation and that I no longer needed to take Asacol. So the outcome of these medical appointments seems to be a diagnosis of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), but I do not have IBD. So this means I can now focus on my Anxiety and IBS. www.myanxiety.co.uk 17th July 2013 PDF File Version for Blog Post- Visits to GP, Psychiatrist and Gastroenterologist, for printing or saving 
 Sorry everyone - bowel talk! So I have now worked out that my bowel control problems are not necessarily a symptom of my Ulcerative Colitis, (Inflammatory Bowel Disease) and have now been diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). So how did I get there? Well I recognised that I had got caught up in a vicious cycle of getting anxious about bowel control, which meant my bowels reacted, which means my anxiety is proved right and round and round it goes, meaning I stay in the safety of my home. Bowel accidents do happen and have happened for many years, thereby confirming to my brain that it is right to be anxious.
So of to the GP I went and explained my thoughts, he said discuss it with my Gastroenterologist, with whom I had an appointment coming up soon. So at my appointment with the gastroenterologist I explained again. He confirmed I probably had IBS linked to getting stressed and anxious. He suggested Amitriptyline, for stopping signals from my brain to bowel, but said that I would need to discuss it with my Psychiatrist, because he did not know how it would react with my other medication. Luckily (again) I had an appointment with my Psychiatrist fairly soon. So we discussed it all, for me again. He concluded that Amitriptyline could not be combined with Trazodone. As Trazodone has been my best medication to date, I did not want to change it. So we concluded we would have to leave Amitriptyline medication for stopping signals from my brain to bowel for the time being! It took me a week to recover from the anxiety of these trips and successfully entrenching my brains control of my anxiety and bowels. But I will not give up! See my separate posts on my current medication [LINK TO FOLLOW] and trip to Psychiatrist [LINK TO FOLLOW] My Anxiety 22nd June 2013 You may now know that I suffer from Ulcerative Colitis (UC) as well as Anxiety and Depression.
I have been thinking more about the link between my Ulcerative Colitis and my Anxiety: For me the main challenge of Ulcerative Colitis, other than the discomfort, 10 plus visits to the loo every day and during an attack, bleeding, bloating, tiredness and back ache, is lack of bowel control.  Things I do to manage my Ulceriative Colitis:
 I was diagnosed in 2000 with Ulcerative Colitis (UC), which is Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
Ulcerative Colitis is a form of colitis, a disease of the colon (large intestine), that includes characteristic ulcers, or open sores. The main symptom of active disease is usually constant diarrhea mixed with blood................ |
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