Stay as Strong as You Can

I’m Jamie, 20 years old, from Dublin, Ireland! I’ve had colitis for about 4 years now, but I’m doing really good, and I hope you are too!

Some more background about Jamie:

I’m a massive fan of the band Paramore.. Probably too much so, I love art & music, especially comic book artwork and tattoos (although, I have none, remicade needles are enough) and and one year for christmas I got co-ho-ho-litis

Current state of my Colitis:

[highlight]SYMPTOM FREE…[/highlight] except for cramps, they’re a bummer! also chronic fatigue.. but no pooping sprees right now, so I’m doing well!

Hi, no need for introductions I guess, since I’ve done all that..

BUT YOU’RE GETTING ONE ANYWAY!
So, my name is Jamie, I was diagnosed with severe pancolitis at 17 years old, but became symptomatic in November/Decemberish 2010.. the months sorta blurred together until I realised “hey, pooping blood for this long is definitely not a good thing that my body should be doing!”

I’ve posted here a couple times about my story, mostly negative stuff.. I’m trying to be a bit positive!
I basically ended up in a very bad way, at the time of diagnosis my hg was down to 3.8 and my potassium was at 2.0, after 4 blood transfusions (although 20 was ordered from the bank and they definitely thought they’d need’em all!) I was getting back on my feet.. my entire recovery took about a year to gain back the weight i’d lost, get into remission, regain the muscle mass lost etc.. gruelling.

So now, upon reflection, I thought would be an absolutely great time to write (especially since thanksgiving for all you american folk was not too long ago!)

I’m currently at a state in my life that I’m not completely happy with, but see each day as a new opportunity to get that step further!
I’m so happy every morning when I wake up and see how much further I’ve come towards the end goal.

My life, in medical perspective, was not supposed to make it to this point.

I read back on my file a couple of months ago and just burst out crying, it was extremely tough to see the things written in my chart, how the doctors after finding my blood results were surprised I’d even come around from the general anesthetic that they’d given me for the colonoscopy, and that there was a surgery room prepped and ready to remove my entire colon if I didn’t respond to steroids immediately.. scary stuff.

Right now, I’ve made it my mission to see the world!

Before being diagnosed with UC, I’d never left this small little island that I call home.
As of today, my travels have not yet been too far from home, but in the last 9 months I’ve been to Florida, The Bahamas, Glasgow x 3 (beautiful city!), Leeds, Manchester, London x 2, Portsmouth and Paris!

I’m having a great time with my life, I’m meeting amazing new people and staying well.
I wish I could go back to 16 year old me who was suffering so horribly and just tell him alllll of the amazing things he was about to see and that all he has to do is keep holding on, because it’d be worth it so much more!

I know some of you out there reading this will be newly diagnosed, and probably still sick, which was the same for me when I first came here, I was looking for other people who knew what this disease felt like and I got so jealous of people who were doing well.. this post is to show you, that’s gonna be you, just hold on, ride it out, and see where you end up (just like my megabus from Glasgow to London… ugh! UK people will understand!)

Keep on doing whatever makes you happy!
– Jamie

PS. Adam, thank you so much for this site. and I hope you’re doing great :)

Colitis Medications:

Remicade once every 6 weeks. 4mg per kg

written by Jamie

submitted in the colitis venting area

JamieIsLame

I’m From Dublin, Ireland
Back in November 2010, I noticed some changes to my bowel habits.
Before this, my bowel motions were pretty much once a day, normal motions, but on November 5th I started to get looser motions, which became more frequent, at the start I thought this was absolutely nothing to worry about, and within 2 weeks it sort of returned to normal.