This blog has been really neglected lately. Life has been in the way a lot. Anyway, I've come across a number of articles about women's experience in the medical model I wished to share. Sadly, the main theme in these is about women's pain and symptoms not being taken seriously by medical professionals. Any woman with endometriosis will have many stories to tell about being told it is all in their head or not they are just looking for attention. Sometimes the focus on this despite all evidence to the contrary that they begin to make you feel crazy, even when you aren't, rather like the ..read more

I haven't been doing too well at writing this blog this year. Too much life happening, which is better than too much illness happening. Anyway, there has been big news in Crohn's land today. The chemists who did the ground work for biological drugs like Humira were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry today. https://crohnsandcolitis.org.uk/news/nobel-prize-awarded-to-scientists-whose-work-led-to-adalimumab This is a seriously huge deal. Not only are diseases like Crohn's getting a lot of press from this, but it is also highlighting the future of treatment for people who autoimmune disord ..read more

It's World IBD Day once again. And to mark the occasion, I thought you might like to see what £4500 looks like. Seriously, that's more money than I have in my bank account at the moment! I have no idea why the delivery company is wanting to send me quite this many at once, but hey ho, I'm sorted for the next four months. Must be their way of saying Happy World IBD Day! NowI need a bigger fridge ..read more

Today marks 9 years since I divorced my uterus! We parted company on an operating table at a hospital in middle England and my cervix and fallopian tubes went with it. Although I still have problems from time to time, it was still the best decision I ever made. Being out of treatment options I was willing to consider for endometriosis, adenomyosis and fibroids led to my decision to part ways with body parts. Like a lot of Endo women, my treatment journey started with birth control pills. Lots of them. 6 brands over 5 years. Plus the Nuvaring. And every one caused problems. I had my period ..read more

Every March I keep thinking that I need to post something about Endometriosis Awareness Month and I often forget until it's the end of the month, then I'm scrambling for something. But this year, I came across the right thing to share. I've always liked the CBC Radio show 'White Coat, Black Art'. The host is a doctor who reports on a variety of health issues and he can be brutally honest about how the medical model works. And sometimes, he gets brutally honest people to do pieces for the show. This week's is about Endometriosis. It's been done by a woman who attends the Endometriosis Supp ..read more

I'm Canadian. Canadians love pancakes. Like a lot. Well, actually we love maple syrup and pancakes serve as a good delivery tool for the liquid loveliness that would be a national drink if we hadn't all fallen into sugar comas. It's Pancake Day, and normally as a Canadian Brit, I would settle into a stack of Canadian pancakes and bacon, smothered in maple syrup. But today, I decided to do things the English way. English pancakes are almost like a French crêpe, but not as big and often plainer. I never said I was good at making my food pretty. The English are particularly fond of ..read more

As a Crohnie, I always feel I need to give a shout out to World Toilet Day on 19 November each year. Anyone with IBD spends a higher than average amount of their time worth their toilet. While!e at times I resent the amount of time I spend with mine, at least I have one. More people have mobile phones than have access to a safe and clean toilet. Says a lot about the world's priorities, doesn't it? Having access to a toilet does more for the overall health of a community than just above any other public health measure. Have a read of this interview -https://www.un.org/development/desa/un ..read more

I do love Halloween. I live the dark nights with decorations an the dressing up. My pumpkin is carved and I have treats for trick or treats. My quickly-carved-after-work Jack O'Lantern And for the 10th year running, I am sitting here eating the Halloween candy because I haven't had a single trick or treater. Boo. The British are only just re-learning how to do this holiday. Despite some people thinking Halloween is a cheesy American import, it isn't. https://youtu.be/Twog7XFOXnM Alas, I have lived most of my years in the UK in a flat and currently live on a tucked away, poo ..read more

I've only just realised that I haven't managed to write a new blog post since June. Proof that life (meaning work) has been too busy lately. I've missed out on having a 'sumner lull' this year. I didn't manage to take much of my annual leave in the first half of this year, so I am suddenly in a flurry of holidays. Not that I have loads of money for these things, but I manage to use my 6 week annual leave entitlement (seriously, I couldn't go back to the measly 2 week entitlement in Canada) by budget travelling in tents and youth hostels. However, there is one big unspoken cost in travelling ..read more

Hay fever season this year hasn't been quite as bad for me as usual. While a friend is posting pictures of her allergy arsenal and one of the young people I work with is in the throws of a nasty eczema flare-up (how I know her pain, I mean itch), here was me thinking that it hasn't been too bad so far. Until today. #Iwanttoscratchmyeyeballsout So to try to bring so light to this, I have found a bunch of fun memes on the subject to share. All copyright to the artists. Enjoy! *Snicker Oh god,this one is so horribly true from my life before hysterectomy! I need me one of these ..read more