#ulcerative

[startingover2108]

ulcerative colitis (UC) diagnosis

They finally made a diagnosis.. am waiting for some results for my medication hopefully will be better then. So currently can't eat normally..

Am eating mostly soups, boiled chicken from soup, plain white rice, boiled potatoes and for breakfast I have oatmeal .. but seems like I will have to be careful of lactose ..

12/12/2022

[devilhorns-n-halos]

Hey immune system stop attacking the good bacteria im dying k thx

[maxtrickey]

I would never have imagined that I'd be more isolated and more alone after my mums death, it's literally the opposite of any sort of portrayal you'd have seen in media people fucking hate trauma they hate helping and support, I see people less and less, I see people who have cut me out having a great time and I honestly feel like I have nothing now, no one, I don't go out I don't have friends that actively invite me places I'm just always stuck in my fucking room, I'm so angry all the time just existentially how could this happen,

I feel like I'm genuinely nothing, not worth anything, cast off, forgotten, regretted, despised, just a universal joke

The anxiety sickness/emetophobia is back I throw up preemptively before going anywhere now just like primary school just like the entirety of secondary school, I'm right back where I started but with less than I had then, or have to fucking run off and vom if I have a panic attack outside

I look disgusting, I feel disgusting, I'm ill constantly and I'm probably going to die due to medical fucking incompetence at hospital, and I fucking hate that people have this power and have conditioned and dictated the way I feel over years and years

[laughingwithmycolon]

Some of you recently messaged me to ask me how I’m doing right now.

Like I’ve told you before: I’m in remission and working a lot. I don’t even know HOW I got to this wonderful point after experiencing problem after problem for the past few years with Crohn’s disease and/or arthritis.

It’s almost March of 2017 and I visited the doctor only twice this year. Two times in two months. Like that’s nothing. My GI did an ultrasound and blood tests and both came back completely normal/fine. Even my iron levels are perfect after my infusions last September-November. I take my medication but honestly i feel so freaking good that I even forgot to take them a few times (or took them at lunchtime because I forgot them at breakfast!).

I eat a lot. Sometimes I’m a bit anxious when I eat because I expect to be in pain the night after. But except for a few times (maybe 4 times in the last couple of months) everything goes smoothly. I even gained a bit of weight. But that’s okay. Weight gain is a good thing when you have been malnourished for such a long time.

I know I still have Crohn’s disease but if you’d ask me I’d say that I’m a pretty healthy girl (that takes some pills everyday).

How are you doing?

[laughingwithmycolon]

CROHN'S, HUMIRA &ANXIETY It's been a long time since I wrote a "real" blog post but some messages I got recently reminded me that I've never gone into depth about my mental struggles with medication and how I overcame those. Most of you might know that I started Humira over three years ago. I might have mentioned that it was a scary but kind of inevitable decision. When I look back to the pre humira time I honestly don't know how I managed to live like this: I wasn't able to eat properly and lived on ~ 1500 calories of toast, yoghurt, applesauce, oatmeal and rice. I studied full time in university back then so my day was mainly filled with lectures, practices, my bathroom and my bed. Since I was super weak, malnourished and underweight all the time I couldn't even take the steps some days. I hated groceries because I didn't want to think about food. And my arthritis was so bad that I desperately needed to go for a walk all the time because lying in my bed made the pain and stiffness even worse. Everyday was a struggle and my GI had told me that I needed to start a biologic medication (such as Humira or Remicade) months before. But I was anxious. When I had been diagnosed with Crohn's disease I told myself that I just had a mild case and that I probably wouldn't need one of the scary immunosuppressive medications. A few months later I started Azathioprine...and then the next flare up arrived. This is when my GI told me that it was time to think about humira. I was classified as moderate to severe and felt like I'd lost every sight of control that I ever had over my life. I lied awake for several nights reading every single information about humira. I had panic attacks. I was used to being miserable but not used to being on aggressive treatment for my disease. I procrastinated making a decision for months. I'm thankful that I had great doctors back then that supported me and gave me the time I needed to make my own decision. My GI even offered my to do my first two Humira shots by his side so that I would feel more comfortable. My first humira day came and I was still terrified but I managed to do it. I talked to my GI all the time while giving myself the injections. It was way better than I expected it to be. Humira was my magical drug. I went in remission almost immediately. I struggled with infections occasionally and I even had some flare ups after a year or two which meant that I needed to add Azathioprine back into my medication. But I was finally able to enjoy life again. I won't lie to you: The anxiety and panic issues weren't over after I went into remission. It even got worse after a few months. Maybe because I had more energy to invest into panic attacks. Maybe because I forgot how miserable I was before starting humira. I've never been diagnosed with anxiety or panic disorder but I'm pretty sure I dealt with it back then. Fortunately I had great support by my family and friends which made it easier to deal with everything. Now I'm pretty okay with it. Sure - I worry occasionally. But that's normal I guess. I found a few things that helped me to get over it: Reading blogs, talking to other patients, journaling, traveling, running and exercising in general. I think if I could go back two or three years I'd be more honest with my doctors about my anxiety and ask for support. It's a draining thing when you try to recover properly after years of disease activity. When I comes to the safety of biologic drugs (especially Humira, Remicade, Cimzia and other anti-TNF agents) we have to remember that they do have a huge impact on our immune system. So here are some Go-To's for being careful without freaking out: - Go to your regular blood test! - Visit the gyn/OB, dermatologist and your GI regularly. - In case of fever/infection or any other new symptoms visit a doctor immediately (preferably one who knows something about immunosuppression) - It's okay to take an antibiotic even when you wouldn't take one as a "healthy" person. Better safe than sorry. - Get checked for tuberculosis and hepatitis before starting treatment. - Pause the medication when you're sick (flu, fever...) and talk to your doctor.

[scholarshipportal]

(via Ulcerative Colitis vs Crohn’s Disease – Causes, Symptoms, Nursing Care, Treatment)

[scholarshipportal]

(via Ulcerative Colitis - Symptoms, Causes, Treatment & Surgery)