Living with UC

In the past, I've been pretty closed about this subject.  It just wasn't something I wanted everyone to know about, and definitely not something I wanted blasted for the world (cause who isn't online these days?) to see.  But, in dealing with my disease these last few months, I've decided to throw caution to the wind and just be open about it. So here goes...

I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis in May of 2007, after about of month of literally running for the bathroom after every meal, and sometimes just a bite of food would send me racing.  I finally made an appointment with a GI specialist.  After a bunch of blood work, a sigmoidoscopy, and eventually a colonoscopy, the diagnosis was confirmed.  I had left-sided Ulcerative Colitis.  Which is basically inflammation and bleeding in the left-side (descending) and sigmoid colon.  My doctor initially wanted to get me into a new clinical trial he was started, but low and behold, I was pregnant!!  Yep...found that out at the GI doctor!!

The doctor's said either my disease would get way worse with pregnancy or it would get better.  50/50 So, they put me on the standard course of meds, Asacol, and sent me on my way to my OB/GYN.  I was lucky, I had absolutely no GI symptoms or problems through my pregnancy.  My racing for the bathroom stopped shortly after I found out I was pregnant (though I began racing for different reasons...gotta love pregnancy induced nausea!!).

Ashton was born in January 2008, and still my UC symptoms didn't return.  I got pretty bad about even remembering to take my medication. I've always been really bad about that...

I nursed Ash for a little over a year.  When I stopped nursing, in 2009, my UC flared with a vengeance!!  At first, I tried to be more diligent about taking my meds, but still I was hardly perfect.  So, after several months of running...back to the GI doctor I went.

Needless to say, they were shocked to see me.  They thought I had moved, switched doctors, or something.  After enduring a lecture (btw...I wish doctors would stop lecturing...I am an adult), the doctor prescribed steroids and increased my dosage of Asacol.

2 1/2 years later and I'm still not in remission.  See...UC is an incurable disease.  Medications can induce remission, where you don't have active symtoms, but "flares" inevitably occur.  I have been on no less than 8 medications in the past two years.  On and off prednisone (a corticosteroid) which itself has a ton of side effects.  I have days where I am so tired, I just lay around on the couch and give instructions to my children from bed. I carry extra clothes in my car for myself just in case I have an "accident" (and you thought those extra bags in the glove box were for the kids!). I am still working with my GI doctor on finding the right meds for me.  I will probably be starting a new one soon.

So, there it is...in a nutshell.  My name is Emmilee and I have Ulcerative Colitis!

For more information on UC, please go to the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America's website at ccfa.org.

Thanks for reading!  And just as a side note, I didn't share this because I need or want sympathy.  My only request is for understanding and prayers.  There are about 500,000 people in the US suffering from this disease.  Due to the nature of the disease, most don't talk openly about it.  For some reason, it's more acceptable to talk about your children's poo than your own poo!!

This is me...living with UC!