Stuck Inside

Meet Tanja:

I am a 34 year old woman that has had ulcerive colitis for 9 years. I started off being diagnosed with a mild case of UC. Unfortunately after a recent colonoscopy I now have a diagnosis with a moderate left sided ulcerative colitis.

Some more about Tanja:

My family would describe me as caring, sentimental and fun loving. I love animals and horseback riding. I love experiencing different countries and cultures. I guess you can say I am also a huge fan of Disney World since my husband and I have gone 9 out of 10 years, we decided to go to Hawaii the year we got married. I also would say that having ulcerative colitis has made my shyness go away because with this disease, let’s face it, all personal private business goes out the window.

How’s Tanja Feeling:

For 7 weeks now I have had diarrhea with a lot of blood. I guess my urgency level would be considered moderate; about 5-10 times a day. I will say that my pain level is not too bad, pretty tolerable.

Tanja’s Colitis UC Story:

As I am am sitting in the hospital room, on which is day 3, of this depressing, terrifying and humbling experience, I debated on even writing a post; especially since my husband is the writer in the family. The thing is that this disease is isolating. I just happened to be web searching about UC; which is all you can do when you are stuck inside; when I came across this site. I found it to be comforting to know that people have and are experiencing the same stuff as me. I have a great family, in-laws and husband that are very supportive. But even with that, I feel like they can not truly understand what I am going thru. I should and do consider myself very lucky that this is my first major flare since I first got diagnosed 9 years ago. What is so daunting is the questions I have with no one to give me any real answers.

My doctor admitted me Thursday night because UCERIS and oral prednisone was not helping. What is even more irritating is that I have not officially spoken to my doctor since being admitted.

I do like her and she is very caring about her patients but why has she not come and seen me. Instead I get these other G.I. Doctors, from the department, that don’t know me, come to ask me the same questions over and over.

What makes this disease so frustrating is that I want answers and no one can really give me any. Why did I all of a sudden flare up? Why has the medications not helped? Why am I the only one in my family that has this? I guess these are common questions that people with UC have.

They are currently giving me a five day dose of an iv steroid. If they do not see improvement by Monday then they want to try some stronger meds like Remicade, which is very scary for me. I just don’t know what kind of improvements they are looking for. Worst off is now I am on edge trying to analyze every pain, gas bubble and stool I pass. I wonder if anyone else has experienced this similar situation and when did you see improvements?

I have an appointment with a holistic doctor next week that looks at many aspects of life from medications, diets (though they say to not eat fatty foods when you are having a flare up- I almost think it is opposite with me because I felt better eating fries and a cheeseburger then when I was eating lean meats and gluten free) and stress. I think stress is my main culprit that caused this flare. I am hoping that she can find me more natural ways in dealing with this disease. I was also wondering, from a female perspective, has UC prevented you from getting pregnant. I am hoping to start a family soon and was wondering what others had experienced.

So I just wanted to share my story because I am stuck inside on a beautiful 50 degree day which stinks especially since it was a very cold winter. Any input or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for hearing my story.

Meds and Supplements:

I had an allergic reaction to Asacol when I was first diagnosed. Throughout my 9 year relationship with Ulcerative Colitis I was really lucky to be mostly meds free; with the exception of Canasa for some mini mild flares. My doctor told me about VSL 3 that I have been taking with my daily multi-vitamin.

written by Tanja G

submitted in the colitis venting area