Dealing with a bad day with ulcerative colitis...

Hey,

A little over two years ago I was diagnosed with an irritable bowel disease called, Ulcerative Colitis. Since I’ve had this disease I’ve had to adjust my lifestyle, and need to take medication twice a day. I am currently in remission, meaning I haven’t had any serious flare ups since I was first diagnosed. To make a long story short, I spent two weeks in the hospital waiting for the doctors to give me a diagnosis and during that time my intestines were completely inflamed and I could barely make it to the bathroom. On that note, the whole experience was very humbling and even though I was suffering I couldn’t help but laugh at my situation. I just feel really blessed that my mom was able to stay with me throughout my stay, and how kind the nurses were to us both. God transformed a traumatic experience into an opportunity to bring my family closer together, and I soon gained such a passion for cooking health supportive foods. 

I titled this entry as “dealing with a bad day with UC” because I’m not feeling too hot right now. How I’m feeling is kind of hard to explain but I will try my best for you. I feel weak, spacey and today there has been a bit of “bubblies” swaying through my stomach back and forth. I’m not entirely sure if it’s something I’ve eaten or if I’m just having an off day. It could very well be a mixture of both! These days I don’t usually have an appetite and settle for the gentler options like soups, tuna, avocado, toast, rice, sweet potatoes and bananas. It sounds boring but nothing compares to the days when I was first diagnosed with UC, I couldn’t even eat beans, nuts or vegetables. All things fiber was a negative the first month out of the hospital and those were some hard times for a health-seeking person. 

One thing I can say is that irritable bowel diseases are no joke! They are not only uncomfortable but are frustrating and can be emotionally draining. I remember all the times I had to back out of plans because I wasn’t feeling well and I used to worry about offending people by refusing to eat their food. And I’m not even sure if it was the medication or the disease that has caused me to become allergic to eggs and cow dairy. I know you’re probably thinking “quit your whining” and fortunately I’ve learned to deal with the small but annoying inconveniences I have to live with on a daily basis.  It took me a few months but I accept my illness and know that there’s no reason to fear what people will think of it. Through time I’ve learned how much my faith in Christ, the support from people, eating healthy and just getting enough sleep have made this disease more manageable. 

I could give anyone who suffers from this disease (or any auto-immune disease for that matter) advice it would be to make sure you’re getting enough sleep, be open to new foods and educate people about your disease. You’d be surprised by how many people would be willing to accommodate you if you just told them about it. So be outspoken about your needs and let people know what you’re feeling, but most importantly appreciate the body that God has given you!

UPDATE: Good news! I started writing this entry in the morning and am now feeling a lot better after resting and eating carefully throughout the day. That’s what I’m talking about ;)

-Jessica

Recovery Update!

It’s been exactly one week and one day since I’ve had my spur of the moment bilateral hip replacement. I call it “spur of the moment” because everything happened so quickly! It all started on January 17^th  while sitting in the doctor’s office with my parents and Michael. After Dr. Alexiades came to the conclusion that I needed a bilateral hip replacement, he told us he would probably be booked until May or June to do my procedure; unless of course there were cancellations... After hearing that I said a quick prayer in my head as we waited in his assistant’s office to schedule my surgery date. She told me there had been some cancellations and then asked me how soon I wanted it done and I was like, “as soon as possible!” So after a little waiting and plenty of praying, she asked me, “how about on Monday?” and I said “yes” without hesitation. Monday was only four days away and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous, it was my first serious surgery after all. But I was calmed after hearing rave reviews about The Hospital for Special Surgeries and the overwhelming flow of prayers I had been receiving.  God revealed His mercy to me and it couldn't have worked out better, after the surgery I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off shoulders, or in my case both of my hips.

At the moment, my pain is at bay and I’m feeling pretty great considering I had both of my hips replaced. In fact, I should be off my crutches by next week and switching to a cane for another couple of weeks which is exciting progress. The swelling on my thighs, butt (oh my word was it huge…) and pelvis went down significantly! I can finally tell that I’m standing and walking without a wobbling, and notice that my legs are now even. Unfortunately I think the only thing compromising the pace of my recovery is the Coumadin I have to take on a daily basis; which is a blood thinner which prevents blood clots but like anything else it has its side effects. It makes my skin very vulnerable and more susceptible to cuts and bruises. For example I’ve noticed a heck of a lot of bruises on my knees, calves and inner and outer thighs, making it uncomfortable for me to sleep. But I’ve been sleeping on my back and with fewer blankets on me which is different, but very helpful at the same time! I also have to limit eating too much vitamin K which is the antidote of Coumadin. So this means I must go easy on the kale for the next three weeks. Wah!

Aside from getting random bruises on my legs and a little swelling, I’d say I should be ready to roam about unassisted, by my next follow up visit on February 21^st. I’m so thrilled to be able to be active again, and enjoy being 20 years old without experiencing arthritic pain and always feeling fatigued. Most importantly be able to do the merengue at my grandmothers 80^th birthday party in April, oh it’s going to be a whole new world for me! A la Aladdin. In other words my life is going to change a lot this year in more ways than one!  Now I am going to enjoy some reading followed by a nap, I promise to continue keeping everyone posted on my recovery status. Peace!
-Jessica