I have been hesitant to post this as it’s something I try and hide because I don’t want people to look at me and think that I’m weak or make assumptions. Having travelled with this condition I now believe it is important as it may help others who suffer from UC and who are scared to travel or even leave the house as a result.
Last year I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, or UC, as it’s commonly referred to. At the time I was pretty in the dark about the illness but coincidentally my childhood best friend had been diagnosed a couple of months before, after falling ill whilst we were on holiday together. Talking to her and others also suffering has helped no ends and I am coming to terms with something I will have to deal with for the rest of my life.
Anyhooo, I won’t go into the gory details but for those who do not know what ulcerative colitis is, it is an inflammatory disease of the digestive tract which causes ulcers to cover the lining of the intestines. During a flare, these ulcers can bleed causing extreme pain, bleeding, fatigue and weight loss. I lost over a stone in less than 2 weeks when I was first diagnosed – if you’re trying to lose weight then get yourself a chronic disease! Jokes aside, a chronic disease basically means that it cannot be cured, only managed, with correct treatment. Unfortunately for me, my body did not respond to the first two stages of treatment (anti inflammatory drugs and immunosuppressants) and I have completed three courses of corticosteroids meaning the next stage was biologics. This was a problem as I had already booked my flights to Australia and against the advice of my consultant I would need to put my treatment on hold. I felt as though the illness had already consumed so much of my life: stopping me from completing university courses, stopping me drinking on my 21st, leaving me in bed over Christmas, etc. that I didn’t want it to stop me from doing something I had wanted to do for so long .
So here I am. It hasn’t been smooth sailing. Firstly, even getting into the country was a task. I had to make sure that I had enough medication to cover me and with over 1000 tablets I had to also provide a Doctors note to show upon arrival into Australia. Feeling sketchy even though I was being totally legal, I made it into the country without anyone even blinking an eyelid.
Since being here there has been days when I’ve been in agony and all I’ve wanted was to be curled up in bed at home with a hot water bottle. It’s a million times worse when you have a flare and you’re thousands of miles from home. I have been on a constant supply of pain killers but I tell myself that the good days outweigh the bad. It has stopped me doing things here but at the end of the day at least I am actually here. If I start the next stage of biologics then it will mean regular infusions or injections so this may be my only chance to travel for this amount of time.
I take every day as it comes and to be honest I have probably been overdoing it and should take some time out for some R&R. I’m half way through my adventure and time really is flying so slowing down might not be a bad thing after all. My advice for those who are worried about travelling due to illness would be to not let it consume your life. Prepare well enough so that you know what to do if you are unwell. Australia has a particularly good health care system, but check out wherever you’re planning on going. Also invest in some good travel insurance. You may think it’s expensive but it won’t compare to what the bill would be without it!
If anyone has any advice for me I’d love to hear it as I feel as though I’m such a rookie when it comes to UC and even just what to do when you get ill whilst travelling.
Thanks for reading,
Annabel x
The Blonde Backpacker 