Let’s welcome this week’s warrior, Jessica!Â
My name is Jessica and I am from Athens, GA, but moved a year ago to Coastal Georgia and loving every minute of it!
I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis in February of 2021. My last semester of college (October 2020), I started to have bloody bms, urgency, and abdominal pain. I’m not too sure how long my symptoms were going on before I noticed something was wrong. I remember all through college, I was having frequent abdominal pain, but I just thought nothing of it. I went to my OBGYN and she treated me for hemorrhoids. The medicine they gave me worked, but as soon as I came off of it, the symptoms came back (steroid suppositories… makes sense now why they worked). She referred me to a gastroenterologist, but the wait time for a new patient was five months. At that point, I had just graduated college, and I was living at home with my parents until my wedding 3 months later. Thankfully, my mom took the initiative and called our family gastroenterologist, and they got me in on a cancellation. Now, I look back and thank my mom for teaching me in that moment to take initiative about my health.
Fast forward, at my appointment, my gastroenterologist also thought it was hemorrhoids, but out of caution he ordered a colonoscopy. I was terrified of the colonoscopy, but again, I am so glad and blessed that he ordered one immediately. My colonoscopy was 1 month later on February 16, 2021. I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis. Thankfully, we caught it fairly early — only 1 foot of my colon is affected. I was immediately put on mesalamine and it worked. It got me through my wedding and honeymoon, but then I flared again after 1.5 months. After 5 months of fighting with the insurance, I was finally put on Humira. It put me in remission within two weeks. I am now going on 8 months of remission.
I am so thankful for the amazing doctors that listened to my symptoms and concerns and took the initiative to be cautious and order the colonoscopy immediately — even though at the time it seemed like forever, I was diagnosed within 4 months of symptoms. If it wasn’t for that, who knows how bad it could have gotten before I received treatment.
At first, I refused to make changes to my life. I don’t think I fully grasped how serious of a diagnosis Ulcerative Colitis is. I had a 4.5-5 month flare a few months after diagnosis, and that is when it hit me. I had to start taking my health into my own hands.
For the last year, I have been working on my daily habits — sleep, hydration, movement, stress management, etc. I also have majorly worked on my mindset. Medical PTSD is REAL and it has taken time, but I am now learning to live my life without the constant fear of a flare (I still have my days more than I’d like to admit). I also worked with a dietician to identify my trigger foods and make changes to my diet. I’ve also researched a lot about ingredients in our products and food and I have made a lot of changes here, although I am still learning.
Currently, I am still learning to manage the fear and anxiety that I deal with daily as well as a new diet and habits. BUT thanks to my diagnosis, I actually feel so much healthier and happier than I did before I was diagnosed because of all the work I have put in. I would NEVER wish this on anyone, and I still wish sometimes I didn’t have to deal with it, but it has definitely changed me for the better and made me stronger.
My journey has made me so much stronger. I am happier and healthier than I was before my diagnosis because of what I have been through in the last year. My mindset has improved, and I am still working so hard here. I have learned and I am still learning how to live a life that is healthy and that supports my body. I have left my full-time job to pursue a career as a Personal Trainer and Health Coach for women with autoimmune diseases. This has improved my health (less hours = more rest) and my mindset because I am finally finding fulfillment in a career I love. I am thankful for my diagnosis for clarifying my calling in life.
For anyone else struggling with chronic illness or Ulcerative Colitis, I would say, don’t give up. Work hard on the areas of your life you can control. Work on yourself. I know the fear of a flare or an actual flare is so, so, so, hard, and I still fear them, but you have to choose to not let your diagnosis control or define you. You can choose to live your life alongside your diagnosis and still find joy in your everyday life.
I love to read, go on beach walks, watch any and all sports (I’m the biggest UGA football and Atlanta Braves fan you will ever meet.) I love to ride my horse and exercise. I also love true crime podcasts. I love finding a community of others dealing with chronic illness and I’m always looking for new friends in the chronic illness space. I am so thankful for this community, and they have definitely given my hope and encouragement.
      
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Thank you so much for sharing your chronic illness journey with us Jessica! Be sure to give her a follow in IG @_jessicaschulte