Meet Jamie:
I’m Jamie, 40 years old and have had Ulcerative Colitis for about 10 years now.
I am an electrical engineer, passionate about cooking, music and my family, and currently live in Cape Town, South Africa!
Some more interesting Stats:
My hobbies include Action Cricket, surfing, squash and I am a psytrance DJ in my sparetime. Cape Town has one of the best psytrance scenes in the world. For those that don’t know anything about psytrance, google Avalon or Tristan and you’ll be converted haha!
Jamie in Action!!
I qualified as an Electrical Engineer 10 years ago, and work as a Consulting Electrical Engineer in Cape Town, South Africa (The best city in the World)!
I have backpacked around Asia and Thailand and Nepal. I did the whole London stint for 5 years from 1998 – 2003. Originally from Zimbabwe, moved to SA in 1983 when we realised Bob was running the country into the ground. My folks came to SA on holiday when I was 8, and we never went back haha!
Symptoms:
[highlight]I currently have no symptoms.[/highlight] Occasionally I get the runs or constipation, but all in all I am symptom free.
Jamie’s Story:
Jamie busting his normal “non DJ” looks!
[dropcap]I[/dropcap] was diagnosed about 10 years ago and I have been relatively symptom free for about 3 years now, mainly because I take my medication religiously everyday and I stick to a balanced healthy diet. I’m a firm believer that UC sufferers must eat healthy and avoid sugar, oily foods and stay clear of wheat/breads/pastas etc! When I was diagnosed, I tried to stop eating breads and stuff, but 10 years ago there wasn’t many wheat free products. Nowadays every shop has wheat free breads etc, so its much easier!!
I am on Salazapyrin daily (also called Sulfasalazine, big list of UC’ers reviews here), and I take a Probiotic and folic acid tablet daily. My last colonoscopy was about 5 years ago.
If I recall my last flareup was about 3 years ago, and that was my fault as I was frustrated with having UC as all my friends were fit and healthy, so I decided to stop taking my medication because I wanted to be like them. That lasted 3 weeks, when I started to feel sick, and sure enough I was having a flareup. My doc was disappointed in me, and put me on a dose of cortisone, and soon after I was 100% again, and have been well ever since.
I occasionally suffer from lower back pain which my doc said is related to UC, but that is something I can manage! He diagnosed me with Ankylosing Spondilitis, but I am convinced that my lower back pain was as a result of a car accident I was involved in 5 years ago…
10 years ago when I was diagnosed, I was having a tough time with studies and infidelity in my marriage. I think the stress of it all was a major factor in bringing on the UC. If you have UC, its best to lead an active lifestyle, free from junk food and stress! If you can manage those things, then I think you are more than half way to becoming symptom free!
I have often thought about going onto Biologics, but then I think about my immune system, and I would rather try and manage my lifestyle and diet, and ultimately my UC that way than go onto biologics where my immune system is so weak that I am at a risk of getting a way more serious illness/disease.
My girlfriend and her sister are both doctors (Radiologist and Microbiologist), and they help a great deal in researching what foods are good and bad, and we all try and stick to the Banting diet which I find helps tremendously with my UC.
Medications and Supplements
Currently I am on Salazapyrin EN, and take folic acid and a probiotic daily.
written by Jamie P
submitted in the colitis venting area
I’m Jamie, 40 years old and have had UC for about 10 years now.
