Colitis Controlled

Introduction:

Diagnosed w/UC 1987 (9th grade)…living with it since. Brief periods of Asacol use to subdue flares…other than that, no meds for 18 yrs.
Rule #1 – NO ALCOHOL

Georges story about “Colitis Controlled”

Nothing brings on a flare up like stress and alcohol. Why do Colitis patients react this way? I have spoken with many in the last 24 yrs. and found a lot of common ground in our upbringing, values and to some degree diets. I have come to believe this illness is a physical manifestation of a mental illness. Coming from an upbringing where I did not feel free to discuss my problems, I bottled them up until my body couldn’t take it anymore. I have encountered a wide scope of personality types in my attempt to determine why I got sick, but found several underlying commonalities. PLEASE COMMENT if you have any thoughts about this. This is a disease of the civilized world with a lot of meat in our diets.

I have yet to meet a vegetarian that has UC.

European upbringing and value system…again these are purely hypothetical observations as I was looking for common ground. I was never allowed to give up or stop trying, unless I was physically unable to do so…did I create my own illness to help me deal with my personal doubts and fear of failure?? I was a skinny, picked on geeky kid that couldn’t talk to a girl to save my life. So I sought to remedy these perceived shortcomings in a few ways. I started playing guitar, it was a great companion during my illness that did not require me to be more than a few feet from a bathroom. Then I tried to “get in shape”, but have been unable to gain any real muscle mass regardless of how hard I tried. So martial arts entered my life, as a kid I used to be involved in judo…so I was into Kickboxing, Ninjutsu, Arnis, Wing Chun…until finally finding the right choice for my rather frail body type…Gracie Jiu Jitsu. Self perception is important for us. Guitar and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu gave me a confidence and strength I never knew I had. I am not cured, but I am mostly in control…which is more than I ever hoped for.

Colitis Medications:

OK, I lied when I said I don’t take any meds. Codeine has been used to treat my pain, then I noticed something…the constipating effect on my bowels was relieving my symptoms and rendering the disease controllable. I was told I would be on anti-inflammatory drugs for the rest of my life, they made me nauseous and degrade muscle tissue!! These drugs are also toxic to your liver and kidneys in the long term. 300 mg/day of Codeine makes me an addict…but it was my choice to use this “lesser of 2 evils” approach. I have no regrets, but I do wonder what shape my body would be in had I taken a more traditional approach.

written by George

submitted in the Colitis Venting Area