From Luton to Sri Lanka: Remembering an epic 1959 road trip
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How I find silver linings as a BBC weather presenter living with Crohn's3 days agoShareSaveMary McCool and quanto deu o duque da quina de ontemLaura MillerBBC Scotland NewsShareSave0:44Calum MacColl sung the Gaelic song that won him a gold medal at the Royal National Mòd in 2021.To those who watch the BBC Scotland News weather forecasts, Calum MacColl's disposition is positively sunny. The 36-year-old presenter is known for delivering drizzly outlooks with a spring in his step, usually while wearing a brightly coloured suit. On one occasion he burst into song for viewers - in Gaelic.Calum says his positive mindset, along with music, are among his greatest defences against his darkest days with Crohn's disease.The long-term condition, in which the lining of the digestive system becomes inflamed, affects more than 500,000 people in the UK.Calum in June this year, following a Crohn's flare-upCrohn's can manifest differently from person to person - for Calum, his worst flare-ups have involved going to the toilet around 30 times a day.On one occasion, his weight dropped to eight stone (50.8kg) because his body could not retain nutrients.It has also come with chronic pain, blood in his stool and in his late teens, Calum began to develop fistulas - tunnels that can form between the bowel and other organs, which Calum needed surgery to rectify.As he spoke to BBC News about his life with Crohn's, Calum pointed out his right eye had recently reddened as part of the inflammation."It can affect the joints, it can affect your skin - I call it a volcanic eruption of inflammation right through the body," he said.'Stress trigger' at schoolCalum had not long started high school in Fort William when he began experiencing symptoms of Crohn's. He was smaller than his peers and he says he was bullied over his weight - verbally and physically.Though inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) ran in the family, Calum says he has always wondered whether bullying was a "stress trigger".Calum, pictured in high school, wants more support for young people who are diagnosed with Crohn'sThe condition is usually diagnosed between the ages of 15 and 40 - so Calum remains thankful to the locum doctor who spotted his symptoms when he was 13.Upon hearing the diagnosis - which was only a "label" to Calum at the time - he went home and burst into tears."There wasn't great information about it, he said. "I didn't have a clue about it really."I wish there had been someone there, maybe with the experience I've had, to talk me through what was to come.""I could have done with a lot more support through my teenage years - emotional support, not just about the physical symptoms of Crohn's but really the stark and quite scary mental side."Managing moodBouts of depression have accompanied Calum's worst flare-ups.When his friends were out at Fresher's Week at university, Calum remembers living life "between my bed and the toilet" - one severe flare left him missing several months of a semester.Over the years, with much intervention from the NHS, he has learned a great deal about the relationship between the brain and the gut - which produces about 95% of the body's serotonin, a chemical which has a role in controlling mood."This was so enlightening to me because the times through my teenage years where I was feeling so low and I didn't realise why - of course it was because my gut was in chaos at the time. "It was having major impacts in the way I was feeling about myself and low moments, depression - that's something that has coincided with each flare."Plain meals such as white rice and chicken are one way Calum helps his gut cope with foodMusic is one of the consistent sources of joy for Calum, who is an award-winning singer, bagpipe and accordion player.Even when he has been unable to perform himself due to poor health, he has enjoyed disappearing into his favourite listening material - a much welcome escape from reality."I saw it as a healer in many respects," he said. "It would take me into a new world away from the trials and tribulations the dark times of Crohn's disease."I could listen to the music and it would just help both physically and mentally with the debilitating symptoms I was suffering."I always see the power in having hobbies like that and music for me - and the weather of course - they were the two things that got me through some very dark times, along with the love of family members."Calum's condition has sometimes led to time in hospitalCalum's relationship with Crohn's is complicated, but experience has also brought fresh perspectives.He credits the disease - and his learned vigilance over changes in his body - with getting an early diagnosis of testicular cancer at the age of 23.After an operation and chemotherapy, he went on to make a full recovery."You learn so much about your body, your body's signals to you and your body's cry for help," said Calum."I developed a dull ache down below, and many people would probably just brush it off and say that's nothing - but I thought this doesn't feel right, I need to get this seen to."I'm actually thankful in some respects to Crohn's because it taught me to listen to my body."1:26Calum MacColl is a firm believer in the health benefits of a positive mental attitude After a particularly severe Crohn's flare-up in June this year, Calum is back at work using a new treatment called risankizumab.He says he never fails to be amazed at how quickly his body is able to "bounce back" - though stresses this is down to accessing medical help as early as possible.The possibility of even more treatments in future makes Calum feel hopeful - and he wants to pass on this positivity to others who are just beginning to cope with Crohn's."I don't think I probably would be the person I am today without my experience of Crohn's disease," he said."I always think that developed who I was as a person."He added: "There's been very low moments both physically and mentally for me in these flares, but you know that the storms always pass through and the sun will shine again."Crohn's doesn't define you - you can control it rather than it controlling you and you can achieve whatever you want in life."Allow X content?This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy and privacy policy before accepting. To view this content choose ‘a(chǎn)ccept and continue’.Accept and continueMore stories about living with Crohn'sTeenage pilot with Crohn's flying round the world'I feel judged when I use my Blue Badge' Crohn's diseaseScotlandFort William
