What it covers

  • 01Newly diagnosed
    What I wish someone had told me in 2018, written for the week after you're told.
  • 02Self-advocacy
    Getting something useful out of a ten-minute appointment, and being believed.
  • 03Practical living
    Work, travel, benefits, insurance - the UK-specific things nobody prints a leaflet about.
  • 04The mental side
    Fatigue, and the part of this that happens in your head rather than your gut.
Read The Honest Colon

Or get in touch - alex@ziaandzuko.com

What I'm building

01Publication - written and built

The Honest Colon

A lived-experience publication about living with ulcerative colitis in the UK. I write it - I was diagnosed in 2018. Built to test whether honest first-person writing out-ranks generic health content written by nobody in particular.

Started 2026. Where the book came from.

Lived experienceFirst personUK-specificNot medical advice
Livethehonestcolon.com
02Book - out January 2027

Have You Not Just Been?

A memoir about eight years with ulcerative colitis - the diagnosis, the years it took out of me, and getting my life back. Written for the person who has just been told what they have and cannot find anything honest to read.

Out 28 January 2027. Pre-orders open 1 December.

MemoirEight years of itSelf-published
In progressthehonestcolon.com
03Channel

The Honest Colon on YouTube

The same writing, said out loud. Short videos about what a diagnosis actually feels like, what the appointments don't cover, and the parts people tend not to say in public.

New channel - just getting going.

VideoFirst personNot medical advice
Newyoutube.com/@thehonestcolon
Built with: Diagnosis, Flares, Infliximab, Fatigue, Colonoscopy, Appointments, Biologics, Steroids, Work rights, Travel insurance, Remission, The mental side

If any of this sounds familiar

The Honest Colon is where I write about ulcerative colitis properly - what the diagnosis is actually like, what the NHS appointments don't cover, and the parts nobody warns you about. No advice, no prescriptions. Just one person's experience, written down honestly.

Read The Honest Colon