So it's IBD awareness week this week, and I realised that I haven't been spreading much awareness about it. So I'm going to write up this thing here and hope as many people as possible have a read of it.

IBD stands for Inflammatory Bowel Disease, and is usually associated with two main illnesses; Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis. The main difference between the two is that Colitis only affects the rectum and the colon, whilst Crohn's can affect the entire digestive system.

Symptom's of IBD can include Diarrhoea, Constipation, Severe Stomach Cramps, Tiredness and Fatigue, and loss of appetite/ feeling unwell. Of course, these are not the only symptoms, but they're the biggest clues. Unfortunately, and coincidentally, Crohn's disease is Chronic, meaning that it is ongoing, and life-long and can differ immensely from person to person. This also means that there is no known cure for this disease.

Not only that, but those with IBD may also develop Fistulas or Strictures, which need to be dealt with as soon as. Some of those affected need to go on strict liquid diets, or have an ileostomy or a colostomy, where a bag is attached to an area of the bowel to collect waste. Over 300,000 people in the UK have been diagnosed, so its a wonder why not more people know about these illnesses.

In 2010, I was diagnosed with a condition known as Orofacial Granulomatosis (OFG), after two years of battling an 'unknown illness'. Coming into highschool and developing a condition that no doctor could diagnose certainly knocked alot of confidence out of me. I was picked on a decent amount because of the changes to my appearance it brought on, all the while accidentally making the condition worse. It wasn't until I saw a specialist in London about it, that it was finally given a name and it could start being combated.

At the time, I was told that there had been a few cases where those with OFG had gone on to develop Crohn's disease as well, so it wasn't massively shocking to me when, in August 2013, just after by 16th birthday, I was diagnosed with the illness. Thankfully, because the symptoms were discovered so promptly, it didn't get too bad before it started getting treated.

Right now, I'm only on two types of medication, which i have to strictly take. Certain foods upset my system greatly, whilst others don't have an effect until later on in the day when I find myself feeling rough or rushing for a bathroom. I feel tired almost all day, either physically, mentally or both. Stomach pains come and go like the weather in England. Mood swings cloud alot of my days. Stress causes it to get insanely worse, which then brings on more stress. And I often think I have it easy, compared to a lot of those with IBD.

But, having this disease taught me to appreciate a lot of the little things. For every rough week I have, I have better days, where I feel like I can accomplish a lot more. I certainly appreciate my friends and everything I do have a heck of a lot. I know what it feels like to feel absolutely awful and have nothing that can be done about it. So I try to do as much as I can to help others, and support them where I can.

Probably the most inspirational person to me would be DYNAMO, the Magician. As soon as I found out that he too had Crohn's disease, I felt like that was someone I could relate to. And the fact that I have seen the amazing things he has done, all whilst battling this fierce illness, it means that I can't let it get the better of me. I try to try my best at the things I do, as there are those, like Dynamo, who didn't let their illness stop them achieving great things.

IBD isn't talked about very often because matters regarding the bathroom are often seen as some kind of taboo. As if it's bad to talk about what goes on in there. It's about time that some real awareness was spread to those who haven't even heard of Crohn's or Colitis before.