Here is my story. I was diagnosed with UC in 1988 after having the usual symptoms and weight loss and the numerous trips to the bathroom and all of the associated burdens that you all are already familiar with. Started out on the typical drug therapy-sulfasalazine/prednisone and eventually Asacol and prednisone. I was twenty years old when I was diagnosed and the routine was constant...remission..flare-up...remission...flare-up..more prednisone more Asacol etc... Well I picked up a bad habit in 1994. I started smoking cigarettes, about a pack a day. Benson and Hedges menthol. Low and behold after about 3 months my symptoms lessened dramatically. By 1996 I wasn't on any meds and I was in remission.
I could go places without mapping out all of the restrooms. I could eat almost anything that I wanted to, in moderation of course. I lived a normal smokers life! Smoked outside in the rain or in the cold huddled up with the rest of the smokers. Ate dinner, smoked. Had a drink, smoked. It was around the year 2000 that I read an article about UC and smoking and the unknown effect that smoking has in some people on masking the symptoms of UC. Surely something so detrimental to a person's health couldn't be the answer to my UC. I dismissed the article until two days ago when my UC crept its way back into the forefront of my life.
On June 14th, I quit smoking cold-turkey. Now I had tried to quit before but after a week or two I would be back in the "club". This time I was gonna not try and "find a reason to have a smoke". I simply was going to focus on all of the reasons not to have one. I have kids now and was re-evaluating all of the important things in life as we all tend to do at some point. I had decided that I wanted to live a healthier life and try and be around to watch my kids grow up. I was symptom free from UC for over 15 years and with just seven weeks of being smoke-free the most dreaded illness that I have ever had is back.
Saw a new doctor today, scheduled a colonoscopy, got a prescription for Lialda, went to the bathroom nine times so far today and it is only 6 pm. I am hopeful that some new advances have been made to treat this illness in the 15 years that I have been away. I am hopeful and thankful for my life.
That is my story so far.
I could go places without mapping out all of the restrooms. I could eat almost anything that I wanted to, in moderation of course. I lived a normal smokers life! Smoked outside in the rain or in the cold huddled up with the rest of the smokers. Ate dinner, smoked. Had a drink, smoked. It was around the year 2000 that I read an article about UC and smoking and the unknown effect that smoking has in some people on masking the symptoms of UC. Surely something so detrimental to a person's health couldn't be the answer to my UC. I dismissed the article until two days ago when my UC crept its way back into the forefront of my life.
On June 14th, I quit smoking cold-turkey. Now I had tried to quit before but after a week or two I would be back in the "club". This time I was gonna not try and "find a reason to have a smoke". I simply was going to focus on all of the reasons not to have one. I have kids now and was re-evaluating all of the important things in life as we all tend to do at some point. I had decided that I wanted to live a healthier life and try and be around to watch my kids grow up. I was symptom free from UC for over 15 years and with just seven weeks of being smoke-free the most dreaded illness that I have ever had is back.
Saw a new doctor today, scheduled a colonoscopy, got a prescription for Lialda, went to the bathroom nine times so far today and it is only 6 pm. I am hopeful that some new advances have been made to treat this illness in the 15 years that I have been away. I am hopeful and thankful for my life.
That is my story so far.
