I have suffered from ulcerative colitis for 9 years, having bad reactions to most treatments but went into remission for 1 year in 2019. As soon as the first lockdown hit, I ended up overtraining which created too much inflammation in my body and I was suffering from constant bad flare-ups which meant I ended up being admitted into hospital over 8 times. I kept refusing surgery… the reason I refused it was because I was 28 years old in the prime of my career as a professional MMA/boxer and thinking of having a bag would ruin everything…
It got to the point where I didn’t have a choice – my colitis was too bad and it was now a case of either my bowel was going to rupture inside or turn into cancer. I decided to go ahead with having my whole bowel removed and therefore having an ileostomy bag fitted. Now looking back this was the best decision I’ve ever made in my life after the compilations. I’m not in pain anymore and I can still do everything I did before but better. After 2 major surgeries, I was back boxing in the ring and after 9 months I was competing in triathlon races etc. Showing my bag to everyone in need of help and boosting confidence. I carry on my career and journey of doing what I love and inspiring others to do so also.
Rico
@ricofrancobkb

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