"Invaluable support from the RAH IBD Team"

From pre-diagnosis, diagnosis, and post-diagnosis of ulcerative colitis, the support I have received from the gastroenterology and IBD team at the Royal Alexandra Hospital has been invaluable. 

Over the last year, all members of the team that I have spoken with have helped me understand the nature of my condition (causes, symptom relapses, benefits and risks of different treatment options) and I feel that this understanding has really helped my overall well-being with this chronic and unpredictable condition. In my initial meeting with an IBD nurse, the different roles performed by the IBD specialists and different options available for treatment were explained to me. 

The IBD Nurse Specialists are always available when I need support and advice via e-mail and telephone and reply very promptly. This service allows me to contact the IBD nurses directly than opposed to having to get in touch via my GP.  Further, when I have experienced symptom relapses, the team reply to me very quickly. Communication between the IBD nurses and different departments/services has always been exceptionally efficient (e.g., when I required unrelated surgery, went to the medical daycare unit, with my GP). 

I feel very well-informed and involved in the process of treatment escalation when it was/is required; the IBD nurse specialists have a wealth of knowledge about the condition and treatments, and always allow me to ask questions in person or later via telephone or e-mail. They also point me in the direction of reliable sources if I feel like I need more information. For example, when I had to start adalimumab injections, my initial loading injection was demonstrated by an IBD nurse specialist using a dummy pen. The initial injection was then administered by the nurse, and I was able to administer the subsequent three injections myself. I feel like this process boosted my confidence in being able to administer the injections myself. The IBD nurses also discussed the different mechanisms through which the treatment may work and tests that I would require both pre-treatment and during my treatment, in a very easy to understand manner. 

Both IBD nurses and consultants have been extremely kind, friendly, and patient. Support has been first class, even during the current challenges brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. I would be lost without this service. I am immensely grateful for the support of the whole team and I cannot fault them; they are a real credit to the NHS and their professions.