I am a 34 year old mother of two, diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis a year ago.
At the time I was diagnosed I was told that about six inches of my colon was affected. In one year it has doubled to one foot of affected area. I have taken Asacol, Entocort, Steroids, Canasa Suppositories (gross) Hyomax, and now taking Lialda, all with NO relief. I don’t remember what normal is like. I read other stories and see that they refer to going into remission or having flare ups. I feel like the past year has been one long flare up. I can barley leave my home, for fear that I may have an accident. Mornings are the worst, I have to run to the bathroom the moment my feet hit the floor when I get out of bed, and for about 3 hours I go to the bathroom about 3 times per hour. I used to be a successful realtor, now, as if the economy wasn’t enough of a struggle to earn money, I have UC to contend with. My business has suffered and I see no way of working. I can’t show homes anymore because I’ve had embarrassing accidents. Additionally, I have endured a divorce in this past year, and to make matters worse, my ex’s employer was my insurance provider. As an independent contractor I am not eligible for insurance through an employer, and many carriers have made private insurance far out of my affordability range because of this pre-existing condition. I don’t know what to do, I can’t find another job with these symptoms, I can no longer afford my medications (which weren’t working anyway) and docs are now suggesting Remicade which I can’t afford. I feel like I’m on a sinking ship. Does anyone know of jobs that people can stay home and do?
Does anyone know if people with Ulcerative Colitis could be eligible for disability benefits or how to go about finding out?
Submitted by “Lost”
Lost’s story is now entered into the 2011 Ulcerative Colitis Writing Contest!!!
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