Similar Peas in a Pod?

I’m 28 and just returned home from a 3 night stint in the hospital for my UC. I lost way too much blood, and so, was the recipient of two blood transfusions. I began Imuran a few days ago and am on prednisone for a taper that will hopefully get me thru until the Imuran takes effect. I’ve had UC for a year and more than half of that time has been in a flare. While laying in the hospital, I realized that this disease is something that I must accept and make apart of my life’s journey. I’ve spent some time reflecting on the mystery of this auto-immune disease and began to wonder if there is a way that I can respond to life differently that will alleviate some of the “activity” of my colon. In this thinking I began wondering if some of my fellow UC soldiers battling away across the globe share any of the same traits/life histories and or feelings.

“Why is my body thinking it needs to fight my colon?” A nickel for everytime I’ve wondered this:)

A doctor once told me that when our body perceives danger in any way we go into “flight or fight” mode. This release of hormones is subconcious and is designed to keep us safe. It is a theory of mine that perhaps my body is so used to being in this mode that it hardly ever truly relaxes, and maybe I need to discover within myself a feeling of “it’s safe.” I, and no one else seems to have a clue if this has any connection to my ulcerative colitis but it has led me to want to ask those who also live with this disease how you all approach life today and about your personal legend (i.e. history) up until this point. My goal in asking about yourselves is to determine if we notice any similiarities in our emotional/personality makeup. I thank you in advance for considering these questions and for responding if you feel moved to contribute.

-What 3 traits would YOU say best describe you?
-How would others describe your personality?
-Would you say you express your thoughts or tend to bottle them up?

-Have you experienced trauma in your life?
-What were your general feelings/emotional experiences as a child?
-Do you notice flares come up in your life when under stress?

 

Submitted by “3 Little Birds”