I was 31 when Crohn’s disease rewrote my life.
I remember waking up at he recovery room. feeling a little empty in my mid section. Turns out majority of my large intestines and half of my small instestines inclusing my ileum were removed. And then the doctor said, because of this, you shall have perpetual diarrhea. I didn’t have words for what I felt. I only knew the life I’d planned had just changed shape.
For nearly twenty years I lived inside this disease. Flares. Hospital stays. Surgeries. And the quieter loss nobody warns you about: a life interrupted, one cancelled plan at a time.
I looked everywhere for a voice that sounded like mine. Something honest, unfiltered, and human. What I found was either clinical and cold, or cheerful in a way that felt like a door closing.
At 2 a.m., in pain, neither one helped.
Then came my ileostomy. Right at the uncertainty period of Covid.
I’m 51 now. I’m almost pain-free. And I got back something I thought I’d lost for good: myself.
That is why Gut Guide Daily exists. It’s the place I needed and couldn’t find. A place where living with IBD or an ostomy is talked about openly, without shame, and with real hope.
What you’ll find here
- My story as it happened: Crohn’s, surgery, and life after
- Honest ileostomy life: the practical, the awkward, the ordinary
- Gut health tips I’ve learned the hard way
- The emotional side of chronic illness
- Food, comfort, and the everyday things that help
- Life as a mum managing all of it
One thing, clearly: I’m a patient, not a doctor. Everything I share comes from my own life. Please talk to your own care team about your medical decisions.
If you’re newly diagnosed and terrified, I see you. I was you. Pain is not your last chapter.
I’d love to hear your story. Leave a comment or send me a message. I read every one.
— Marsha
