💜 It’s been a month since I was admitted to hospital for my Ulcerative Colitis. As I’ve always strived to be as transparent as possible about my Mental Health journey online, I’m attempting to follow a similar path with my, relatively new, IBD journey. 💜 I was diagnosed with UC in June 2021 and I’d been experiencing symptoms since 2019 but my diagnosis was not straightforward. I was consistently turned away and told “it will go away on its own” (I was being told this prior to any tests / examinations). I had no other choice but to be more persistent in my approach. After 2 years, multiple blood tests, stool samples & 1 sigmoidoscopy, my tenacity paid off and my IBD journey began. 💜 Since diagnosis, my flare ups seemed to be mild-moderate, with troublesome but manageable symptoms and typically lasted a few weeks. The severity grew in June, this year, when my symptoms intensified each week. My medication was no longer effective & I was rushing to the toilet up to 10 times a day, passing large amounts of blood to the point where I was so weak I could barely get up my stairs to bed. 💜 After 8 weeks of failed medications and repeatedly reaching out to my GP & IBD consultants for help, I was eventually given an emergency sigmoidoscopy where they discovered an aggressively inflamed colon which required inpatient treatment. They tried a few different types of corticosteriod infusions, which all failed to reduce the inflammation. With steroids being unsuccessful (and the side effects being extremely problematic), I opted for immunosuppressants. 💜 It’s been 13 weeks since the start of this flare, I’ve just had my second Infliximab infusion AND I’m able to poop semi-normal again! It’s too soon to determine whether this treatment is working but I am feeling optimistic. 💜 You know yourself better than anyone, be a nuisance and press for answers. Unfortunately, unless you make yourself very clearly known, it’s easy to get lost in a stretched system. I also want to mention @crohnsandcolitisuk I felt completely clueless after getting my diagnosis, but having this support system / community available makes living with this chronic illness that little bit easier.