Life coach and radio presenter Aarti Joshi opened up about her battle with Crohn's disease and shared one lifestyle change she made that helped her ward off the disease.
Crohn's disease is a lifelong disease that causes inflammation in parts of the digestive system. It's an unpredictable disease that can go from being healthy to “incredibly unwell and completely changing your life.”
Aarti's symptoms included fatigue, infection and a “strange skin rash.” This Scottish-Indian who suffers from her eczema said her rash was different and her doctor misdiagnosed her rash because of her skin color.
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It wasn't until she was rushed to A&E after a busy weekend at TRNSMT for the DF concert in 2019 that doctors diagnosed her with Crohn's disease.
she said glasgow live: “For about 6 months I was exhausted, but I refused to give in and accept it. I was working on TRNSMT that weekend and I knew something was wrong. I did.
“When I entered the hospital, they asked me what I had been doing over the weekend, and when I told them that, everyone looked really confused. They said, 'You need surgery right away.' But that wasn't the case.'' I'm sure how I ended up in the hospital.
“That was pretty shocking to me.”
Artie's diagnosis was a relief because he finally knew the cause of his symptoms, but he was also scared about what the future held.
The DF Concerts marketing director for eight years loved her job, but admits it sometimes caused her stress, which doctors believe may be a sign of a Crohn's disease flare-up. He claimed that it was the cause.
She added: “It can manifest in hundreds of different ways, it can be really sick, it can be fine, and it can be controlled. When I went to the hospital, I was told that my Crohn's disease was caused by stress and that this was a major contributing factor.
“I kept telling everyone I wasn't stressed and I kept it all to myself. Looking back, I realized I was experiencing burnout. The moment you feel that way, it's time to do something about it instead of waiting until you're really sick.
“When it becomes inflamed, I get severe abdominal pain and my skin tends to turn red. I get red spots on my face, and I have to go to the bathroom more often than usual. I also wake up feeling very tired.”
Ultimately, Artie decided to quit his job in March 2022 and continued working as a life coach at Freedom and Joy as well as a presenter on GoRadio.
After changing her diet by cutting out gluten and dairy, she noticed improvements in her health conditions, including eczema and asthma. She has not experienced any significant worsening of symptoms in her 2 years.
Aarti further added, “My trigger was stress. What I realized was that my job was causing me stress. I had to do something different.”
“DEF has been incredibly supportive and understanding throughout, which is why I made the bold decision to leave. Making that change was what was best for my health.
“Some of the things I was eating must have caused such a reaction, but I didn't know it. I am now managing my illness through diet and am not taking any medication. yeah.
“It's really scary considering how unpredictable this disease is. When that happens, I can feel pretty negative because you're just really sad. Sometimes I have to cancel a coaching call because my situation is not good and my client knows it. ”
“This is a warning to people. I've always been the person who said, 'It's okay,'” Artie said of his advice to those who may have or have been diagnosed with Crohn's disease.
“I kept going to the doctor to get pills prescribed, but they couldn't properly investigate the problem and I ended up being admitted to hospital for three different surgeries.
“It's important to understand that with this disease you can feel very well for a long period of time and then become incredibly unwell and your life completely changed.
“As South Asians, we can be a little closed off and stoic. I think it's affecting so many people in our community, so I want to hear more about this issue in our community. It would be great if we could talk about it.
“You can live a really full life with this disease, and most people live wonderfully happy and fulfilling lives while living with this disease every day.
“People with Crohn's disease are exactly the same. They just have really bad days sometimes.”
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Ms Aarti says it would have been a huge help if she had known about the Catherine McEwan Foundation when she was first diagnosed.
The charity, which aims to provide better treatment, care and lives for people battling Crohn's disease and colitis, is launching a new campaign to help people fight inflammatory bowel disease and colitis ahead of World Inflammatory Bowel Disease Day this weekend (Sunday 19 May). We have launched a campaign to highlight the sense of isolation that comes with living with the disease.
The campaign, which launched in Glasgow today (Friday 17 May), features QR codes made from 100 empty toilet rolls. When scanned, a QR code comes to life and displays a film that frankly talks about how “terrible” life is with IBD.
The film features Scottish football legend Alex McLeish and musician Rick Parfitt Jr., as well as a host of 'real people' living with inflammatory bowel disease from across Scotland. ” people appear.
Glaswegians will be able to see the sign on New City Road in Cowcaddens this weekend.
To find out more about the Catherine McEwan Foundation, watch this video.
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