Getting Started

Hello! My name is Heather and I’m new to the blogging world. I’m a wife, mother, scientist, dog lover, yoga enthusiast, tea drinker, optimist, and I have Ulcerative Colitis. For those unfamiliar with this disease, it is a Irritable Bowl Disease (IBD) that causes inflammation, pain, and ulcers in the colon or large intestine. I was diagnosed in 2010 and have had flares every year until recently. With this disease comes several ever-changing symptoms and issues. At times, I’m too ill to work and suffer from anxiety and depression due to feeling isolated by the disease. Luckily, recently, I have found a great support group online that has really helped validate my feelings and struggles.

At the moment, I am out of work due to unforeseen circumstances. I have considered starting a blog for a while and thought this was the perfect opportunity. I actually have some time to sit down and write! I’m new to this and not sure where this blog will go, but my plan is to write about some of the daily struggles associated with this disease and to raise awareness. It’s hard for people without this disease to understand how a person can feel alright one day and terrible the next. It’s hard to imagine not wanting to leave your house until you know the route and where the restrooms are along the way. Most people just decide to go somewhere and leave. For me, I have to have a plan, there have to be available restrooms on the way and at the destination. I can’t eat too close to when I’m planning to leave. I normally give myself an extra 20 minutes to get anywhere and most of that time is spent sitting at home, contemplating just staying there. I’ve gotten used to living this way and I like to remind myself that it could be worse. I could be unable to leave my house at all. I have been there several times – for days and sometimes weeks straight. Right now, I feel okay. I still like staying home, but I can leave if I need to. I still need to mentally prepare, but I can and do leave home.

I love to cook so I will probably share some recipes (family approved), I may write about some new yoga pose I’m working on, I may share some scientific article on a new health discovery (probably UC related), maybe just vent some days. Who knows? I’m hoping this blog will benefit someone in some way. That’s really all I’m hoping for. If you are still reading this, thank you and welcome.