Ulcerative Colitis – A New Me

Introduction:

I’m a mum to 2 cheeky boys – almost 1y and 3ys – and wife to one (I live in New Zealand and have a degree in Marketing and Finance but choose to be a stay at home mum. I’m 29 and my Ulcerative Colitis story started at a young 17.

Colitis Symptoms:

Bloating, Cramping, Nausea, Mucous, Blood, frequent and urgent bowel motions, low iron, low energy, allergies to certain fruit and nuts, hayfever (the last 2 developed when I was first diagnosed), insomnia (just at flare ups), really low immunity

My Colitis Saga:

A 17 year old girl, who just got a boyfriend, who loved dancing, performing, long days at the beach, and nights singing with friends, who eas about to enter exams that would determine the rest of her life, does not want to be told that she has a bowel disease – let alone live with the reality of UC in all its glory.
I dont even think I told my boyfriend because I was so embarrassed, and it wasn’t until he heard that I was in hospital that I had to spill the beans..
Speaking of hospitals – from 17-21 I was in and out of hospital a good 7 times, varying lengths and once over Christmas. I was first diagnosed because I had a lot of diarrhea, for weeks, when the blood started I freaked out and told my mum, which lead to a colonoscopy, which lead to the Ulcerative Colitis. I had an amazing specialist who was very thorough in explaining it and what it meant, and was very kind to both me and my mum. I remember thinking why would anyone choose a profession where they have to look up peoples bums…

Although I knew I was stuck with this, I couldn’t quite come to terms with being someone who has UC

after many flare ups of varying degrees, I got them under control by de-stressing my life and by adopting the ‘eat right for your type’ diet and I was flare free (and med free) for 6 years. I happily forgot about UC and pretended like it didn’t exist in my life
2 years ago I had a sudden onset though and ended up back in hospital. I don’t know why it happened after so many years,
I had my first child by this stage and it broke my heart to have to leave him for a week and have others take care of him while my husband worked.

I hate UC, I hate that I have to know where the nearest toilet is. It has humiliated me to a degree I never thought possible – Trust me with a baby and a toddler and all the gear that comes with them on outings you don’t always get to the toilet.
I hate that after 12 years of having it the chance of cancer is ridiculously high.

I have never really come to terms with it – never really wanted to. But i have two boys now and ive been scared into acceptance. This is the first time I have researched it and taken my med as I should 4 x 500g mesalazine twice a day as a preventative

I feel a little bit lighter, I have living to the standards of ‘normal healthy person’ while running on the empty tank that is the reality of UC. i can give myself a bit of a break and find a new normal. for me I do need to figure out my diet, I do need to rest more, I do need to slow down when I feeling low

I do have one thought that

I’m interested in a repsonse on…

For anyone that hasn’t heard of Eat Right for Your Type, its a diet based on blood type – supposedly your body and absorb and digest different foods better or worse depending on blood type. I’m A positive.

When I followed this 80% (ill never claim to be perfect) i saw great results, bloating went down, allergies gone, flare ups down. I also noticed the foods that I was to avoid was ones that I naturally shone away from – red meats, tomatoes, orange juice, wheats, potatoes, breads, dairy etc..
When going through some posts on diet best for UC it did strike me that people where avoiding similar foods to what I did on the ERFYT (eat right for your type) diet..
If I was another blood type the food list would be quite different.. so my 2 part question
a) is there a majority of UC cases with A blood types?
b) if anyone is another blood type and has UC and has followed ERFYT which diet works best – a UC one or your blood group one..

Where I’d like to be in 1 year:

aware of what I can do for a healthier me.
On the toilet once a day instead of 10-15

Colitis Medications:

I find clorafoam enemas amazing when I have flare ups
Pentasa has always worked for me for an every day controller
HATE prednisone and will do anything not to have it ever again

written by Jolie

submitted in the colitis venting area