Dealing with a New Diagnosis of Ulcerative Colitis

Being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis can be overwhelming and devastating, especially to those who have never heard of diseases like inflammatory bowel disease. When I was first diagnosed I was 24 years old. Being this young brought about a lot of questions about this disease and how it would affect my future. I was still in college, not yet married and had no children. Dealing with a diagnosis like this was difficult for me. I was already dependent on my parents and family at this point in my life and being told that I had ulcerative colitis only meant that I would depend on them even more. Burdening others was an immense issue for me. My parents and family have always been very supportive and my fear wasn't so much if they'd be there for me but how it would affect my relationship with them.

When you are first diagnosed you will naturally experience the mind-set that this is going to be the center of your life and everything will revolve around your disease. You will naturally be pessimistic and might feel like there is no future ahead of you. A lot of people will fall into a deep depression and will give up all of those things in life that make them happy and give them a sense of accomplishment. In order to avoid falling into this depression it is important to continue living your life the way you did before your diagnosis.

In my life I had always seen a bright future ahead of me. After I was told that I had ulcerative colitis the hope of that future slowly diminished and seemed far beyond my reach. All of these feelings are hard to deal with and it takes a very strong-minded, determined, and positive individual to realize that no matter the boundaries of ulcerative colitis you cannot let this disease control and dictate your life. In order to overcome these discouraging feelings I had to humble myself and ask for help, not only from my family and friends but also from a professional. I found it embarrassing and humiliating to think of myself as needing a psychiatrist. But after awhile my disease became so severe that I had thoughts of wondering why I was here and if I was ever meant to have a purpose in this world. Seeing a therapist gave me more insight into my disease, helped me to accept that this was something I would have to deal with my entire life, and gave me the courage to face any obstacles that would come along in my life.

Aside from therapy one of the things I found most helpful was learning that there are other people in the world who truly understand your disease and your suffering. I became a member of online message boards where I found a lot of people that were not only going through the same things I was but also people that were suffering more than I was and still had positive attitudes. If these people could make it through each day then so could I. I just needed to have the determination to believe that. A message board that I feel most comfortable at and I think will be helpful to you is an ostomy site called "Shaz's Ostomy Pages." Even if you don't want to introduce yourself or share your story at least read what others have to say so you know you are not alone.