Ulcerative Colitis Personal Stories
Please send us you personal story, it help others coping with the same issues. Email us at:
Patrick's Story
Was diagnosed with it in 1991, at 30yo, after a fairly long very intense conflict with my father, which i just couldnt put out of my mind for like, 20 mins even. I was pretty hyper,a lot of the time, the old man had put me through some major trauma and the issues were and remain unresolved, so this the biggest suspect that i can put it down to. Fortunately, I dont after this much time spend anywhere near as much time dwelling on that, but back then it was dreadful, yes.
I dont bother with visiting Gastro-Es or anything anymore,there is no known cure in conventional medicine, they admit this, but still want you to keep coming back to try this and that, I guess theyve got to give you hope, and also keep their cash-register ticking over. Anyway, I havent had even Colonoscopy for about 4-5 years, its expensive still even though Medicare pays for 2/3rds of it. My attitude is what will i get out of it, I know i have symptoms so I still have the disease, theres no real improvement or no real consistant worsening either , so I give them about $200 to hear myself diagnosed with UC again, which I know already. Okay, of course, its also a necessary check for early signs of bowel cancer, but i wont get into what my attitude to that is.
Last few years Ive taken Sulfasalazine maintenance treatment only,6x500 mg per day, it keeps it at bearable level, I guess, without it it goes out of control completely. So i keep it up, as a minimum treatment.
As im home full time now, Im going to look into meditation treatment, Ive heard of a segment on a news show which had IBD people telling success stories of this, and really, im probably someone who would benefit from learning to meditate, even though its probably not really an easy thing a major lifestyle change maybe, time and effort. But im going to do it, because so far as i can see, thats where the future may lie, conventional medicine seems no closer to a major breakthrough since I was diagnosed.
Really, I've got to admit, although diarrhoea is a regular everyday part of life, its not really a terrible ordeal day in day out, now that my memory of life without UC is beginning to recede into history anyway.The biggest disappointment is that I wish to do a little international travel, before i get too much older, even though Im a younger than average 42 yo male, I look about 28-30 still, but with travel, managing the condition would be so difficult potentially, so hard to keep myself clean without the facilities of home to hand, it would tend to ruin the pleasure of the travel experience. I can get thru a morning to evening without a toilet visit, once Ive gotten up and been a few times in the morning, but for a longer period than that, sooner or later there would be an accident or I just wouldnt be able to keep myself sufficiently clean.
I realize this last paragraph has gotten a little personal and gross, but as a UC sufferer, you know what im talking about.
|
