MEET MY DISEASE

Around the age of 15 I had my first symptoms of a disease known as Ulcerative Colitis. These symptoms went undiagnosed for a few months and did not settle until over two years later. After nearly 5 years flare up free, I am now in another flare up.

I have never opened up about my Ulcerative Colitis online because it is quite a 'TMI' illness. However, the most comfort I have found in coming to terms with having a chronic health condition has been from speaking to other people with the disease. So, I hope by opening up about my condition online, I will make someone else with the same condition or similar, feel a little less alone.

If you don't know what Ulcerative Colitis is, Ulcerative Colitis is a chronic long term health condition. I will be stuck with this disease for the rest of my life. Sometimes I will be fortunate and I will be in remission but I will always need daily medication. Ulcerative Colitis can be different for everyone who has it so I can only share my own experiences.

In simple terms, my immune system woke up one day and decided it couldn't differentiate the bad stuff in my body from harmless bacteria. This means that my immune system attacks the tissue of my colon, causing it to become inflamed. My most common symptom of having a flare up is having blood in my poop. (I did warn you it is a TMI disease). If I am unable to get a flare up under control, this results in needing the toilet more frequently and a lot more urgently.

Currently I take a medication known as Mesalazine to keep my UC under control along with an immunosuppressant called azathioprine to reduce my immune system. For years this worked fine and kept my UC well away. Unfortunately, stress can bring on a flare up. As a result of my current living situation, I have been under A LOT of stress so my disease has come back to bother me.

I am very used to having this disease so it no longer gets me down. But, if you are someone who has been recently diagnosed, I would like you to know that it does become your new normal. Yes, it will always suck that we have to take extra precautions when doing so much as leaving the house. But soon enough, it will become second nature and you won't even realise you're doing it.

If you have any questions about UC, wether you have it or simply would like to know more, please leave me a comment! I'd like to make some more UC related posts in the future including travel tips for people with UC, my UC emergency kit, and more stories about hospital trips and funny poop stories. If you would like to request any UC related posts, please leave me a comment.