The Honest Colon:

I'm Alexander. I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at 29, after months of hiding it from everyone.

The Honest Colon is the stuff about living with UC and IBD that people don't usually say out loud: the urgency, the hiding, the hospital stays, the mental side, the good spells and the flares. It's also about building a life alongside it, at whatever pace your body allows.

This is lived experience, not medical advice. I'm not a doctor and this isn't a cure channel. If something feels wrong, speak to your GP or IBD team.

My book, Have You Not Just Been? (an honest story of living with ulcerative colitis), is out 28 January 2027.

If you're struggling: Samaritans 116 123 (UK, free, any time).

IBD might change your life. But it doesn't get to decide what your life becomes.