Get well soon Shinzo Abe

This morning we discovered that Shinzo Abe has decided to resign as prime minister of Japan. While I do not agree with all of his politics, it is clear to me that he is a highly competent politician who has lead Japan with dedication and skill. Japan has a brutal political system, with most prime ministers lasting only a year at best. Abe has managed 7 years and has had the chance to inact his economic reflationary policies refered to as "Abenomics"

For those who do not know about Ulcerative colitis Shinzo Abe's hight profile has meant that a number of articles have been written attempting to explain - what is Shinzo Abe's medical complaint?.

This high profile example of what UC can do to a person's vitality is particularly striking to me.

When I was first diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis, I had no idea how debilitating it could get. Initially I had mild symptoms (more frequent BM's and an increase in mucus) as well as difficulty sleeping.

As time went on, I increasingly found everything harder. All of a sudden I felt that I could not trust my bowel and asked work if I would be able to work at home. Something I had never felt that I needed or particularly wanted to do during my whole career - all ten years of it.

One thing that has only really struck me now, is that it hits you mentally really hard. It bashes your confidence in your body for a start, but as researchers are increasingly fond of showing us, the bowel is intrinsically linked to every function of the body. Of course, this includes the brain, and I felt my ability to concentrate and my emotional state deteriorate

Now back to Shinzo Abe, he doesn't strike me as being a man who is normally emotionally unstable. So a profound change in his mental state is likely to be deeply disturbing to his close advisors and fellow politicians.

From Shinzo Abe's point of view: he will know, as he has with this condition a number of times in the past, that he must put all of his energy into getting healthy once more. It is not feasible to run a country and travel constantly while working on his health.

I also think that Shinzo is a responsible person who deeply cares about the people of Japan, so while it has come as a surprise, within the context of this disease which I understand so well, I can understand his decision to resign.

Get well soon Abe.

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