My disease is Ulcerative Colitis and it is going to be mine forever!
The time feels right to start raising awareness and sharing my story because my disease is not going anywhere, and it certainly is not going to beat me. Please don't let the title of 'My disease' scare you off because I want these posts to be knowledgable, helpful and informative. Having a chronic disease has become part of daily life to me, I want to write these posts to share my experiences and not feel isolated throughout.
So when and how my Ulcerative Colitis was diagnosed!
If you've read my previous post 'Where my Ulcerative Colitis began' you'll be up to speed with how it started but I'll set the scene as mid-february 2017. It was my first trip to the doctors about what was going on and also the day of my first driving test which of course I failed! I was pretty terrified to say the least. I explained my symptoms, went through how I was feeling and then showed pictures of my stools (disgusting, but very helpful). As soon as the doctor saw the photos she told me I needed urgently referring to a specialist consultant and never really gave us an idea of what it could be.
Early March I met with this consultant and explained everything as I had done before. I was told I had Haemorrhoids commonly known as 'Piles' which felt like a positive as it wasn't Ulcerative Colitis and it was easily treated! A sigmoidoscopy was planned (basically a camera through your lower large bowel) to certify that this was the problem and allow me to begin treating it.
At this point I may have been naive, but part of me felt so SO happy because it wasn't the disease I'd been fearing about. Even though it wasn't definite what my problem was, when you hear a doctor diagnose you with something you assume they're probably right, well apparently not!
It was 28th March 2017 and I was in for my sigmoidoscopy.
So a sigmoidoscopy!
I won't lie, having a sigmoidoscopy is not a pleasant experience but it is definitely not as bad as a colonoscopy which I will talk about in a few weeks. I have a pretty high pain tolerance and struggled with the level of discomfort in the procedure but it was bearable! I had no sedation (bad move) which was probably why I was so nervous and aware of what was happening. After my scope I had to wait for my results and to confirm or deny that I had piles.
And this is when my Ulcerative Colitis was diagnosed!
My consultant came in as I was sat with my Mum and Dad and began to explain what the procedure found. I did not have Piles and I did have Proctitis, which is Ulcerative Colitis in the rectum. They had taken biopsies and pictures in order to further confirm my diagnosis and that was when I discovered I had UC, three days before my trip to New York!
I was shocked of course but didn't fully understand the condition, the following weeks would bring a lot of reading and time into understanding Ulcerative Colitis...
Lucy Jane
Useful Links
Crohns & Colitis UK
SBs beating Ulcerative Colitis (Just Giving page)
So when and how my Ulcerative Colitis was diagnosed!
If you've read my previous post 'Where my Ulcerative Colitis began' you'll be up to speed with how it started but I'll set the scene as mid-february 2017. It was my first trip to the doctors about what was going on and also the day of my first driving test which of course I failed! I was pretty terrified to say the least. I explained my symptoms, went through how I was feeling and then showed pictures of my stools (disgusting, but very helpful). As soon as the doctor saw the photos she told me I needed urgently referring to a specialist consultant and never really gave us an idea of what it could be.
Early March I met with this consultant and explained everything as I had done before. I was told I had Haemorrhoids commonly known as 'Piles' which felt like a positive as it wasn't Ulcerative Colitis and it was easily treated! A sigmoidoscopy was planned (basically a camera through your lower large bowel) to certify that this was the problem and allow me to begin treating it.
At this point I may have been naive, but part of me felt so SO happy because it wasn't the disease I'd been fearing about. Even though it wasn't definite what my problem was, when you hear a doctor diagnose you with something you assume they're probably right, well apparently not!
It was 28th March 2017 and I was in for my sigmoidoscopy.
So a sigmoidoscopy!
I won't lie, having a sigmoidoscopy is not a pleasant experience but it is definitely not as bad as a colonoscopy which I will talk about in a few weeks. I have a pretty high pain tolerance and struggled with the level of discomfort in the procedure but it was bearable! I had no sedation (bad move) which was probably why I was so nervous and aware of what was happening. After my scope I had to wait for my results and to confirm or deny that I had piles.
And this is when my Ulcerative Colitis was diagnosed!
My consultant came in as I was sat with my Mum and Dad and began to explain what the procedure found. I did not have Piles and I did have Proctitis, which is Ulcerative Colitis in the rectum. They had taken biopsies and pictures in order to further confirm my diagnosis and that was when I discovered I had UC, three days before my trip to New York!
I was shocked of course but didn't fully understand the condition, the following weeks would bring a lot of reading and time into understanding Ulcerative Colitis...
Lucy Jane
Useful Links
Crohns & Colitis UK
SBs beating Ulcerative Colitis (Just Giving page)