My Adventure With Colitis – Elizabeth

Introduction:

It was May of 2010 when I first started seeing the white mucus in my stool. I was in a flare for 6 months before any Dr would see me. I went to the hospital around 8 times not knowing why I was bleeding rectally, and every time I went they told me they couldn’t help me because I wasn’t bleeding enough for them to do anything about it.

The Colitis Adventure:

Because I wasn’t able to afford a Dr visit for 6 months(not being able to find a GI dr who took cash patients) I had lost all my muscle mass and was barely able to walk. I became so dehydrated that I couldn’t even hold water down. Before I went into this flare I weighed only 130 pounds at my most.

My father sent me the money to go to the Dr. and as soon as the money arrived I was at the dr’s office the next day. My father never told me till the day before this visit that UC ran in the family on his side. When I saw the doctor I was in such bad shape that he had me call off work the next day and come in for a colonoscopy which he covered.

During the procedure I was awake for the entire thing, I remember them telling me it would hurt and I remember screaming, they told me after wards that they couldn’t put me under in fear that I wouldn’t wake up, and put 2 bags of IV into me on full drip the entire time.

The Dr then told me after the procedure of all the foods I was allowed to and not allowed to eat.

I cried on my way to the car. This was Aug 19th 2010. Then he gave me the meds and told me how to take them, I still continued to work my 40hr job in the beanery I worked at.

I was living with my Boyfriend at this point in time, constantly fighting because he moved his ex girlfriend and there new baby in with us while I was still dating him, so my stress level was very very high. (I broke up with him for 6 months and he got her pregnant, I knew she was pregnant when I moved in with him, she was no longer talking to him and giving the baby up for adoption.)

She wasn’t a good mom and I basically raised his daughter when I wasn’t working and going to school 14hrs a week as well. My body only weighed 115lbs at that time and I was barely staying alive.

My mom and dad constantly begged me to come home until October 16th 2010 when my body basically shut down. I had to wear diapers at this time because I couldn’t control my bowel, Puking every time I moved and In constant pain. My guy at the time refused to drive me to the hospital every time so I constantly had to drag my body down the stairs to the large van we had and climb onto the seat with every effort I had hoping I would make it. On my way to the hospital on the 16th I passed out behind the wheel 3 times in the mile it took me to get to the hospital. It was his Birthday that day and he wouldn’t take me, It was 2am when I left so luckily there weren’t many people on the road. My father begged me the second day I was in the hospital to come home and I agreed.

I was in the hospital till Nov 5th 2010 and i weighed 110pounds when I got out. I spent every waking moment packing my room to move home. He refuse to help me pack and I only had 2-3 days before my mom would show up in her car. I stressed my body out more in those 3 days then I ever have in my entire life. He was only nice enough to pack the van and take my stuff that wouldn’t fit in my moms car to the storage unit I purchased.

I am now going to school once again and I am going out of state to do so. I was very healthy when I got here in Florida but the combined heat and school and trying to find a job made me go back into a flare. I’ve tried controlling it with Predinsone but I didn’t have any luck with self treatment. So my guy is purchasing me diet books after he found this site for me. It’s a different guy than the one last year. I’ve known him for many years just never dated because of my ex. He’s been trying his hardest to maker sure I have a career as well as a healthy body.

Colitis Medications:

They had me on Apriso and I haven’t been able to figure out if its working or not.
Prednisone hasn’t been working but I think I’m becoming immune to it.
And when I left Texas I tried 6MP, All most all of my hair fell out and I begged my family dr to take me off of the meds.

 

Submitted by Elizabeth in the Colitis Venting Area,

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