Person Just Diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis

So, were you just diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis (‘UC’)? Hey, I know what you’re feeling. I’ve been where you are right now. You might be young, maybe in your teens. You might be older, with children and grandchildren.

Maybe it’s your child who’s been diagnosed with UC. Regardless of where you’re at we’ve all been there, all of us with UC, and it’s OK to be scared, shocked, indifferent or whatever you’re feeling right now. I can imagine you might feel so embarrassed right now, because I was too. In my mind I was saying how can a doctor ask a girl these questions about my toilet habits but I know the doctors need to know the answers to be able to help you.

When I was back in school the students thought I was different because I missed a lot of school . Things were falling apart, I got a lot of bullying with people saying ‘You’re different… don’t hang with her…. omg 😲’. It wasn’t nice. Most mornings I didn’t go in to school until a bit later. If I went to the toilet for a long time, the teachers would be taking me outside the classroom to ask questions.

I had to explain to them where I was for so long. These conversations would take five minutes each time which felt so stupid as teachers wouldn’t know what I was going through.

I got depression a lot but never told anyone because I didn’t know what they would think. Most of my friends knew because I told them and at least they understood like most people I thought would.

UC is a part of me, and I’m doing the best I can. I can honestly tell you that living a meaningful life is possible. Right now, I have a part – time job in a factory packing fish and I have great support there. I take photography out on the ocean and at different places usually taking photos if people ask for example if there was storm or if somebody was at sea and wanted their photo to be taken.

People having a flare up I didn’t care at the time, I wasn’t worried. I mean worrying yourself isn’t good. It is important that the bowel is empty for the tests so your doctor can get good views of the bowel wall. My doctor prescribed a special drink to take on the day before my examination to ensure this.

I was given a sedation for the test which takes approximately twenty minutes. I was asked to rest in the recovery room for about an hour and could be given light refreshments before I was discharged home. Capsule endoscopy is a recently developed technology which may be helpful in certain cases.

My doctor also took into consideration how I was coping with my symptoms. He prescribed drugs to reduce the inflammation in the colon and help to heal the inflamed intestine lining.

I have no shame or embarrassment in saying I have UC to people if they asked what was wrong with me. It’s not a pleasant thing to have throughout your 20s but one key thing about living with UC is accepting you have it and to not feel embarrassed about discussing it. After all, everyone goes to the toilet – it as natural as breathing – so what the sheepish attitude to talking about bowel disease?

But coping with UC is not simply about managing the disease, it can severely affect mental health too. For example, anxiety and depression are heavily associated with having the illness. I do have positive times and navigate times but hey that’s going to happen. They say life is short but you got to be strong for what you have.

I was diagnosed as a child in 2008 and attended in Crumlin hospital. I was transferred to the adult service at 16. I have UC since 2011.