IBD, ostomy, life and me!

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

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