Amy Coomey: 'I’ve learned to live with my disease'
With World Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD) Day falling this week, a Cork woman has shared her personal journey with the condition in support of a new awareness campaign.
Amy Coomey (28) from Knockraha, Co. Cork, was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in 2019. At the time, she was experiencing toilet urgency and extreme stomach pain.
Other linked symptoms included arthritis in her hands and joint pain particularly in her knees and ankles.
Amy is one of approximately 50,000 people living with IBD in Ireland today.
Since her diagnosis, Amy has been treated with various biologic medications and infusions.
However, after one infusion, she was diagnosed with inappropriate sinus tachycardia (IST), a rare arrhythmia characterised by an abnormally high resting heart rate for which she now takes medication.
She is currently on no treatment for Crohn’s but is awaiting a colonoscopy to assess her disease.
“After seven years, I believe I have learned to live with my disease,” said Amy.
“It’s changed so much in my life, from my diet, my work life, to my friends and family.
After years of trial and error, and lots of research, I have found a diet that works best for me. I found it best to avoid dairy, spicy foods, nuts and leafy greens, and a lot more.
“Putting my health first and knowing my limits, and when to walk away from something that impacts my health, is now key to how I live my life,” she added.
For Amy, who spent six months in Canada with her partner in 2022 who together have recently bought a house, having a strong support system in her life has helped her immeasurably.
She said: “My family, friends, and my partner, Alan, have had to see my struggles and my pain, and do the best that they can to help support me and be there for me.
Amy now works in childcare. Her hobbies include working as a dog portrait artist. She loves to get commissions and seeing how happy her paintings make people.
“I dream of becoming a full-time portrait artist, to one day get married and create a healthy, happy family. I will continue putting my mental and physical health first and to love my body,” said Amy.
Community support campaign
To coincide with World IBD Day, national charity Crohn’s and Colitis Ireland has mounted its new It Takes a Village campaign.
The campaign is built around the idea that no one living with IBD is alone in their journey and should rely on the help of family, friends, and others traveling a similar journey alongside them.
As part of the campaign, a new hands-on guide, It Takes a Village, has been published busting myths, advising on language to use, and to avoid, and offering guidance on how to be a great ally to anyone living with the condition.
The campaign is also urging businesses to accept the Crohn’s and Colitis Ireland No Wait card in allowing discreet no-questions-asked bathroom access. Businesses can confirm their participation by visiting crohnscolitis.ie/IBDpledge.
For more information and to support the It Takes a Village campaign, see crohnscolitis.ie/ItTakesAVillage.