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Weird World... aka Covid -19, the 2020 pandemic

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Last time I posted I had just started training for a half marathon... since then I’ve completed the Stow half twice... both times were amazing experiences. The second of my half’s was about 10 days ago.. since then the world has gone crazy... we are living in lockdown, fighting a global pandemic.... Coronavirus or Covid-19. This is a flu-like respiratory virus which has infected thousands.. of not millions of people world wide. It is an airborne virus which seems to survive for long periods of time on hard surfaces.  In the last 10 days the UK has plunged into what can only be described as a parallel reality... shops have been stripped bare of all products.. including toilet rolls, pasta and flour!  Schools have been closed for the foreseeable future meaning my wonderful y6 daughter may not finish primary school.. we are both currently working from home. It’s wierd being a teacher and not standing in front of a class... instead I’m setting work online either via email
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I’m doing a half marathon!!!

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I have signed up for a half marathon! The Stowmarket half.  I have run consistently all my adult life! I was running right up until just before I got really sick back in 2012, and it has always been one of things to help me focus on getting back to fitness. Up until now I have been content with running for pleasure, doing ark runs and the odd 10k.  I ran London back in 2004 and have done nothing further than 10k since however inspired by my running friends and fellow Ostomtes in some of the FB groups I belong to O have signed up to a half! The course is apparently “ undulating” .... Suffolk speak for pretty hilly! So I know I have got plenty of training to do, through the summer when the weather is hottest. I plan to cycle as well as run especially on the hottest days as I think this will help me to stay hydrated whilst still getting my body used to exercising for the time needed (just over two hours!) I have a hydration bladder so am training with that, and will run with it
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This Girl Can....

A while ago I was sent a link to the application form to become an ambassador for the This Girl Can Suffolk campaign. I applied and was successful! The role of the 61 ambassadors is to help encourage and motivate other women to take small steps and overcome the barriers to become more active! I have always loved sport but as a working mum it is easy to fill the small amount of time that is available and exercise is often the thing that has to give.... So my pledge as an ambassador is to try to find ways of making exercise part of my daily routine so that I don't miss out! Whether that is walking the dog, cycling the school run, walking up stairs instead of taking the lift, running back from the school run, or doing a HIIT session after everyone's in bed to making the most of organised free sessions like parkrun or great run local! I have free use of the fitness suite at work which I never use so I am going to regain some work life balance and use it at least once a week! Me t
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World IBD Day 2017

Tomorrow is World IBD Day... it is the 5th that I have celebrated. Tomorrow I will be wearing purple in honour of the day. Prior to 2012 I had no idea about World IBD Day indeed I didn't know what an IBD was and I certain didn't know what an ostomy was! In honour of my 5th World IBD Day here are 5 thoughts to share... 1) Having an IBD IS HORRIBLE. It is debilitating, life changing, life limiting and exhausting. At my worst I had very little life. I couldn't go out with my family, I couldn't do things with my daughter or my husband. 2) Going to the toilet up to 30 or 40 times a day IS NOT normal! It is not the same as having a dodgy curry! It is exhausting. And time consuming! 3) The medical profession can be both brilliant ... they saved my life...but also awful at diagnosing IBD. It is much easier to diagnose IBS than IBD. Being told for years that I had IBS probably nearly killed me. 4) There is no cure for IBD... research is finding answers slowly, but it is
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Water water everywhere....

I've been really struggling with my hydration over the last couple of weeks. I'm not really sure why. Hydration is always an issue for people with an ileostomy... the colon is the part of the body that is responsible for absorbing most of the water that we need. With no colon it is much harder for my body to absorb water so I am really conscious about drinking water and using rehydration tablets. I do a reasonable amount of activity.... running, gym, dog walking and we travel quite a lot too. I often feel thirsty but rarely have struggled the way I have over the last few weeks. It has been really noticeable when I go for even a short time without drink... I quickly feel tired, headachy and sluggish. I am really struggling to get back to normal hydration. At the moment I have constant dry lips, headache and I feel tired. I am drinking well over 2 l of water a day and hydration salts daily. I am hoping that this is just a spell and that it's linked to being tired and hav
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Let's talk about poo

It's another World IBD Day .... Another day to help raise awareness of Inflammatory Bowel Disease and the first time in four years that I have been free from hospital visits. I had a total proctectomy last year and finally got signed off from the hospital. I am officially IBD FREE ...there is no more diseased and ill sections of my body left! However events like this are hugely important. Increasing numbers of people are being diagnosed or tested for forms of IBD, but diagnosis is a long slow process, often resulting in people becoming seriously ill before they get a final diagnosis. IBD is life threatening, there is no cure. It is a debilitating condition that severely impacts on quality of life. When I was at my illness it was difficult to go out, to go to work, to look after my little girl ... I lived with a constant fear of having to be near a toilet ... And I mean NEAR a toilet .. Like seconds away. If I needed to go I needed to get to the toilet instantly. And I certainly
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Thoughts on World Ostomy Day!

Today is World Ostomy Day. Most people won't know this or even care and if I'm honest I didn't up until 3 1/2 years ago when my Ostomy saved my life!  That's pretty much the long and short of it... If an amazing surgeon hadn't taken out my colon and formed an opening with my ileum on my stomach I wouldn't be here. I wouldn't be watching my daughter swim. I wouldn't be able to go out for a curry with friends. I wouldn't be able to run. Before I was given my ileostomy I honestly didn't know much about them. I guess the concept of pooing into a bag on my stomach was pretty grim. It certainly freaked me out when the surgeon came in and told me that they were considering removing my colon... But you can't live without a colon! Actually you can... Very well...and a whole load better than I could live with my diseased colon. So ... What do I want you to know today? 1) My Ostomy is the single most important reason that I am here today! 2) I look
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