My Battle with Ulcerative Colitis: The Pain, Surgeries and Medications

Writing this is very difficult for me emotionally. But I want to share my story with you because I felt that I would never be able to lead a normal life after I was told that I had Ulcerative Colitis. I want to share this story so that others who suffer from these diseases know that they are not alone and that there is hope for a better future.

I was initially diagnosed on August 9^th of 2001 at the age of twenty-three. Tears come to my eyes as I remember all of the suffering, all of the medication I was fed, the hospital stays, the late nights spent in the emergency room, the surgeries and most of all the pain. This disease not only caused physical pain for me but it also tormented me mentally. I was quickly falling into a deep depression. And even worse, I wasn't the only one suffering. My parents and my siblings were heartbroken as they watched me deteriorate physically, mentally and spiritually.

Ulcerative Colitis is a disease that primarily affects the colon (large intestine) and rectum by causing inflammation and ulcers. This inflammation creates the symptoms of Ulcerative Colitis, also known as UC, by emptying more frequently than is normal. Symptoms of UC include bloody diarrhea and rectal bleeding, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, weight loss and malnutrition, loss of body fluids causing dehydration and fatigue. The majority of people diagnosed with this type of Inflammatory Bowel Disease experience these milder symptoms. Others who suffer from moderate to severe UC have symptoms such as severe abdominal pain and cramping, nausea, vomiting and frequent fevers.