What to write?

Sometimes I really struggle with what to write about in my blog. As the main focus is about my inflammatory bowel disease and subsequent surgeries, sometimes there are periods when not much is happening, which don’t make for great reading.

Right now for instance, I am still having the wound from my surgery 12 months ago packed daily. I am waiting to see a plastic surgeon to see if anything can be done about that wound. And there is an infection in it so I am taking antibitoics. Other than that, health wise I am OK (I have a bit of a cold but it’s not too bad – I had my flu jab).

My blog has always ben about my journey, so when nothing is happening, it makes the updates harder to do. As such, I don’t have a huge following, and most of my readers are friends who read it via facebook. Of course, if I don’t post regular updates, then I won’t get more readers… so it is a problem.

The other issue is that I am pretty busy. I work full time, and by the time I have come home and got either dinner ready or the toddler to bed, I’m not at my most creative. I have a few ideas, but never seem to have the energy to develop them. It’s hard to know if this lack of energy is IBD related – fatigue is a huge issue – or if it is my body trying to grow a new buttock, or if it is just life in general.

However, it is helpful to me. So I shall continue to try. I’d like to get into video posts (vlogs) but need to get myself an iPhone adaptor for my tripod. And maybe some lights…

What I have discovered recently is there are some great IBD blogs out there, from a range of people at a range of stages in there journey. I’ll put a list together. Maybe reading more of them will help me find my voice…

 

Writing my Stoma Story

So I’ve been thinking about my fundraising plan. Not that there was much a plan, I just decided to give it ago. And so far I have raised £40, so thank you to the people who have already donated. The surgeons haven’t even sliced me open yet!

Anyway, I have created a category for these fundraising blog posts – Stoma Story – so if that is what you are interested in, then click on that to find them. My other blog posts are quite interesting too though.

I’m planning to try and write as much background as I can before the surgery in January, baby permitting. I think I need a post about:

Symptoms & diagnosis

First surgery

Life with a stoma

Pouch surgery & complications

Pouch advancement

Drugs, drugs and more drugs

The beginning of the end

Abscesses & fistula

Life with a failing pouch

 

And I think then we’ll be good to go with the surgery in January, and you’ll be able to see how things have developed. I’m also going to do a post along the way about how the two charities I’m raising money for have helped me, and how if you are living with IBD in the UK, they could help you too.

Thanks for reading, and if you are able to donate, you can do so at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/RichardHarris19