The Sudden Change of a Lifestyle

Introduction:

My name is Alex and I’m 18 years old. I live in Sweden. I was diagnosed UC in April 2008.
I’ve read some of the stories on this site, and now I want to share a quick story of my life.

I’ve never spoken to anyone with UC except a friend to my dad, so please be nice. ;-)

Some more about me:

Negative history:

I’m probably the most unlucky person in this city.
Bone-fractures, atopic skin, borrelia, scars from stitches on my chin, my lips, my arms and on my knees.

Positive history:

I have always been a sports guy. I’ve trained both floorball and soccer at the same time for about 6years.
I’ve got really supportive friends, the best family you can find.
Easy to make new friends and build relations with older people.
I’m a bright kid, school has never been difficult for me.

Symptoms:

At this very moment I feel quite good, I have some wandering aches and abdominal cramps. But that’s it. Some people feel sorry for me, I feel great. Knowing that it could be ALOT worse!

The Sudden Change of a Lifestyle

How it all started:

February 2008
I was starting to feel abdominal aches and my stomach was acting weird.
It started with 5 stools each day, I thought that I had ate something bad.
But as the weeks passed I was getting worse.
But I was too embarrassed to speak about it. (Who talks about the bathroom visits!?)
I was running to the bathroom about 20times a day! At the end my mom noticed it. And insisted on seeing a doctor.

The sentence:

So we did. And there we had it, I was diagnosed with UC. He told me that it was incurable.
That sentence, is a sentence I will never forget!
As a 13year old, many emotions flew by. I played all possible scenarios in my head over and over again. Asking myself: “Will I ever get back to normal?”
He prescribed me prednisolone and azathioprine. I started feeling better, but my face got swollen from the prednisolone.
I was so embarrassed of my looks. Everyone was asking me about my face and my fat belly.

A changed lifestyle:

As I was getting worse, I had to quit soccer.
But I enjoyed playing floorball so much that I told myself. I will not give up this easy!
But in the end, I had to quit floorball also.. I lost contact with many of my teammates, which is sadly.
I wouldn’t leave the house unless I really had too!
I missed 3 months of school. I didn’t remember how it felt to have no symptoms.

At the end of 2012 I stopped responding to the medication. Starting to see some blood in the stools again. We were talking either starting with remicade or the surgery. I was thinking about going for the surgery, but I didn’t want a pouch on my belly during the summer.
So I chose Remicade. And 4 days after the first infusion I was feeling great! No blood, less bathroom visits, everything was feeling great!
I’m returning to a “normal life”.

My life now:

I’m studying to become a plumber. I have also picked up floorball again. Which feels awesome!

My friends mean everything, they stood by me every minute.
Without them, I’m not sure I would sit here in my bed and write this..

Medications:

I’m taking Asacol and imurel everyday and remicade every 8th week. My values is looking good and so am I! ;)

Remicade is by far the best thing that happened to me!

written by Alex

submitted in the colitis venting area