“My three points for living with IBD: Own your health, tell someone, celebrate your wins.” – Daniel’s story
In 2009, I was 20, playing rugby at a high level and at peak fitness, until my body blindsided me. Within a week, I dropped over 10 kilos, started losing blood in my stool, was doubled over in pain most days, and couldn’t explain what was happening.
It took a month of appointments, tests, and hospital stays before I finally got the diagnosis of having ulcerative colitis. My initial treatment of prednisolone and sulfasalazine worked. I went into remission and stayed there, mostly, for four years. I thought I’d dodged a bullet.
Then in 2013, I stopped playing rugby and started training for an Ironman. It was a big shift – triathlon training meant nine sessions a week: swimming, cycling, and running. I got lighter, fitter… but I also got sick again. Really sick. The weight loss was dramatic, and my symptoms returned. The same medication that had once worked now did nothing. As if 8+ months of rigorous training had fundamentally changed my body, it rejected the previous treatment. I was stuck at home, chained to bathrooms, cancelling plans, trying to hide it from people because I never want to be “the sick one.” It wasn’t just physical; it was emotionally brutal. The isolation, the embarrassment, the constant fatigue. I felt like I was disappearing. But I refused to let this illness dictate my life.
I became obsessive. I tried everything I could find, slippery elm, L-glutamine, maca powder, low FODMAP, gluten-free, and different training styles. Some things helped. Most didn’t. But I kept searching because I had no choice. It took over a year, but with a new regime, guidance from a naturopath, and a mix of tinctures, diet, strength training, my original sulfasalazine, and supplements, I clawed my way back into remission.
That wasn’t the end of it. In 2021, I broke my leg badly playing rugby. The recovery was slow, life got fast, and my routine fell apart. I jumped full-time into my own health business, Vitadrop. I was leading a company but neglecting my body. I was basically treading water for 12 months. By October 2022, another major flare reminded me that if I don’t put health first, nothing else lasts.
I became a father in February 2023. And that changed everything. I wanted to be able to chase my kid around the park without pain. I wanted to be the best version of myself for him and for my partner. In 2024 I hit the gym again, started running even though my leg hated it, cleaned up my diet, rebuilt muscle, and locked into a structure. I went from barely jogging 50 metres to running two half marathons. That physicality, that momentum is essential for keeping my UC in check. I’m still not at my peak, but I’m back in remission, and I know exactly what it takes to stay there.
There’s no silver bullet, no perfect prescription, but my 3 main points for living with IBD are:
1. Own your health. It WILL be hard. Don’t wait for a doctor to fix you. Investigate. Experiment. What works for someone else might do nothing for you. What didn’t work six months ago might help now. Get curious. Be ruthless. Take notes. Build your own protocol and defend it.
2. Tell someone. You’re not weak. You’re not disgusting. You’re not alone. The shame only grows in silence. You don’t need a megaphone, but you do need a conversation. Odds are the people close to you already know something’s up. Let them help carry it.
3. Celebrate your wins. This is important for your mental health. Write down some of your wins and remind yourself what you’re capable of. Keep them on hand to cash in when you need reminding how good you can be.