Independent LIfe Not Going So Well

Hello, my name is Courtney and I have UC. I am nineteen and I was diagnosed with UC when I was sixteen. I’ve had two colonoscopies so far and I am told I will need one every year from now on. Having UC is so stressful and at many times depressing, so I thought it would be a good idea to talk to people who are going through the same thing.

Some more about me:

I’m from North Carolina and I’ve been here all of my life. I love to do things that relax me and take me somewhere else like reading or watching TV. There is nothing better than getting away from this world sometimes. I am very smart when it comes to academics but I can be very ditzy in normal day to day conversation.

Symptoms:

I am currently having a flare up and I have to say it’s one of the most horrible ones ever. There is running to the bathroom every day and seeing the blood that always freaks me out and there is being tired all the time. When it’s time to sleep it’s so difficult and frustrating sometimes I’ll end up in tears because I just can’t sleep. Worst of all is the pain. The horrible, horrible pain that rips me apart and leaves me shaking, covered in sweat, in the bathroom floor.

Independent LIfe Not Going So Well

I feel like UC has been making the attempt to destroy my life from day one. I missed so many days in high school because of UC and they tried to fail me my junior and senior year. I was straight A student and it took a lot of effort considering how many days I actually missed. I feel like no one around me understands what I go through. I look fine on the outside so I must be fine – right?

Its hard to explain to my friends why I can’t come and party with them or go to that Mexican restaurant they always go to. How do I get to be a teenager/young adult when I deal with pain and embarrassment all the time? It’s not my goal to complain to the world about my problems. I do understand that people are sicker than me but it’s hard to think about when you’re trying to deal with your own life.

The doctor tells me stress can make the UC act up more. What I would really like to know is how am I not suppose to be stressed? I work and go to college and I pay my bills like I’m suppose to but it’s hard sometimes. Any tips on dealing with the stress and the pain?

I recently had a colonoscopy because I’ve gotten a new doctor now that I’m no longer a minor. I thought maybe she’d look, come back and tell me it isn’t that bad and that she could fix it. Wrong! My new doctor comes back to tell me that it’s the worse case of UC she’s ever seen and she took several biopsies. She starts to tell me what they are checking for but all I hear come out her mouth is cancer. I am waiting for the results to come back and I believe this is the most stressful few days I’ve ever had in my life.

Please wish me luck and I’ll take any advice you guys choose to give me.

Apriso 0.375GM 4 a day
Omeprazole 40MG 1 a day
Mercaptopurine 50MG
Ferrous Sulfate 325MG 2 a day
Folic Acid 1MG
Humira

prednisone works but it sucks

written by Courtney W

submitted in the colitis venting area