August 2026 Update
Despite ongoing struggles with colitis and sleep deprivation, I enjoyed a relaxing start to the month in Greece and a great stopover in London before returning home for immunotherapy.
Health Navigating my health this month felt like a constant balancing act. The colitis was significantly relieved during my time in Greece, though it never fully went away. It was not intensely painful but still managed to be a steady twenty-four-hour presence that "demanded" my attention. This combined with the process of coming off the steroids caused some unsettling weirdness with my resting heart rate and completely threw my body out of rhythm.
The ultimate casualty of all this was my sleep. Between the steroids keeping me wired and the colitis waking me up, I simply could not get enough rest. I found myself spending hours and hours just lying in bed trying to force my body to shut down. On a much brighter note, a delayed visit to the surgeon on my return to Sydney confirmed that my throat is entirely clear. Hearing that news brought a massive wave of relief. My scheduled immunotherapy also went smoothly without any unexpected problems. Unfortunately, by the time the month wrapped up, the colitis had flared back up and my sleep was worse than ever.
Personal Even though my health was not ideal, I made a point to maximise my time and enjoy the moments I had. I spent the beginning of the month in the village in Greece. I used those quiet days to genuinely relax and establish a grounding daily routine. I took the opportunity to complete some minor fix-ups around the house there while enjoying the slower pace of village life. My days settled into a peaceful combination of writing, reading, resting out in the sun, getting some exercise and trying to sleep.
On August 14, it was time to begin the long journey home. I made my first stop in London to stay with Fiona. We have been friends since we were thirteen and it was fantastic to have a proper catch-up. On Saturday, we headed to Crystal Palace to see Lenny Kravitz. Aside from my incredibly bad logistics planning for the day, it was a fantastic concert and a lot of fun. I spent Sunday catching up with JJ and doing a bit of street photography around central London.
By Monday afternoon, it was time for the long flight back home via Hong Kong. The flight went well. I arrived home and immediately crashed into bed. My initial plan was to visit the surgeon that very day, but since he was unwell the appointment was moved. That delay was a blessing in disguise because it allowed me to get some much-needed sleep ahead of my immunotherapy session on Thursday. The remainder of the month was dedicated entirely to resting after the treatment, wrestling my body clock back into a normal rhythm and managing the frustrating reality of my colitis getting progressively worse the longer I have been back.