Fitness With a Chronic Illness

Hi... I'm Ant. Thanks for having a read of my first story. The picture above shows me in hospital having various transfusions of drugs to combat my ulcerative colitis.

You may think, "Never heard of that mate... What's that?" Ulcerative colitis is an irritable bowel disease that affects the lining of my colon. It means I may get ulcers, tearing, and other complications with my bowel. As you can imagine it means I can't go to the toilet normally. I can honestly say, I'll pass blood, diarrhoea and be in constant pain. I'll have waves of flare ups and unfortunately there is no cure. Currently I'm considering surgery to remove my bowel.

Each day is a battle. I have to watch what I eat, as I won't absorb nutrients from food correctly. I'll be fatigued and generally in a lot of pain. But none of this stops me achieving what I want from life. You get a lot of stigma from this illness. It's invisible as my insides are ruined, so people will say "you don't look sick?!" Yup cheers mate, have you seen my intestines recently? I am actively campaigning for invisible illnesses to be in the public eye, so anyone and everyone can talk about their problems with confidence and show that they aren't alone. I have had this condition for ten years and battled everyday. But if I can... why can't you?

What's it like to live with a chronic illness that you can't see? Well, my furry friends, I'll tell you. Having ulcerative colitis (UC) is an incredibly embarrassing and debilitating disease. One day I may wake up and feel "normal." I'll go to work and eat something and then the problems will start. I might have to run to the bathroom maybe 6-12 times a day. I can be in so much pain it's unbelievable, the cramping, the nausea, the bloating, not to mention what comes out isn't exactly pleasant. All of this puts you in a place where sometimes you can't see a way out. You eat well, watch out for trigger foods, and things still don't work out. It's so frustrating when things aren't going well. This disease causes you mental anguish too. I've been so low with this disease, suffering with anxiety and even depression at times. I was first diagnosed in 2008 and I had just started university. Naturally I felt awkward around my friends having to run off every other minute... I had no confidence. I couldn't imagine having to explain this to a girl I fancied. "Sorry, babe, I have to go again...." 🙈 It was incredibly difficult. But I've surrounded myself with friends and loved ones who accept my illness for what it is and they give me the inspiration to change how this illness is viewed.

But this is only the tip if the iceburg. Doctors would just say the symptoms are brought on by a poor diet or it's IBS. No one took anything seriously and just shrugged me off. I eventually got referred to a specialist and they diagnosed me with UC after a battery of tests (colonoscopys, blood test, stool samples... everything)

Once you get your diagnosis, you know where you stand. Since my diagnosis, I've been on a variety of meds to "find the magic combination" but I still struggle. The meds affect my organs and have almost given me kidney failure..... hence why I want to have surgery. No drug is worth my organs.

There is no known cure. It's sister disease is Crohns and again there is no known cure for this either. However, there is hope.

The picture on the right was me last summer. Fully fit and in good shape. My UC still flares up and I'll have bad days but I'll still try and get to the gym or at least get myself to work. Everything boils down to the little wins. If just getting out of bed is a battle then celebrate it when you make it out. Then go one step further and keep going and winning. If you lose, start again. Just don't lose hope!

I believe anyone can overcome adversity and get what they want from life. I have my own fitness dedicated Instagram account, @ibdfitness where I talk about everything IBD and post recipes and videos of workouts. I'll try and inspire you or at least make you laugh.

Why not make 2018 your year? If you liked my story, please let me know!!

Cheers and good luck

Ant 💜💪💙