Living with Ulcerative Colitis - an article for the pillpoppers

Lately, people have been sending me articles about other folks with UC. Usually the focus is on people who have had extreme, out-of-control cases which result in surgery and either a j-pouch or a colostomy bag. While this is interesting to me, since it will most likely be my future, I see less articles about people who are at the same stage I am, namely ulcerative colitis that's manageable with pills, pills, pills. I said as much to a fellow chronic-diseased (heh) and she sent me the following article from the NY Times.

Living with Ulcerative Colitis - Managing Chronic Illness - When the Body Decides to Stop Following the Rules.

It's short and sweet, and it's the first article I've read where the writer/subject is still able to manage their UC with medication (albeit TONS) and diet. This is one of those diseases where we don't hear much about the manageable cases, partly, I think because while taking a bazillion pills a day (and having regular checkups, and thinking about surgery, and stressing about stress) sucks, it's not as drastic a life change as surgery.

But it still stinks, and I want public acknowledgement of the fact. Also, adoration and chocolate would be great, too! Please send all donations (corporeal and non) to peppery in Central New York.

Some tests, some answers, some mental/physical assistance?

I went to the doctor. Everything is fine. My heart is, if anything, a little slow. When the doc asked me how things had been lately, I told him I'd been a little stressed lately, (true) and my movements* had shown the effects of the stress (also true), and I'd also, oops, been forgetting to take all my medication (true, true, true). We talked about alternate medications for a while, and the overwhelming propensity of human beings to have problems adapting to required, daily handfuls of pills.

Then the doc asked me how THINGS had been lately. Apparently, lower-case "t" things meant crap, and heavily-emphasized "THINGS" meant are you having a nervous breakdown due to mental problems and chronic disease symptoms?

I fumbled and stuttered and somehow managed to perpetuate a multitude of miscommunication, to which my doctor's reaction was "She must have broken up with her boyfriend" and also "Oh, she's unable to pay my office-visit co-pay." (This happened because I had requested upon my arrival that the office bill me, something which is not done in private practices. This is also the first time I realized, shit, I'm seeing a private doctor.) He assured me it was taken care of, which turned out to mean HE had paid it.

After awkward discussions with my doctor and the office administrator, I was allowed to pay my co-pay, which I did immediately, all while feeling like an ungrateful yet ethical (and stupid) jerk.

I have never, ever had a doctor offer to pay my co-pay. The only possible reasons are one of the following:

1. I am incredibly pitiful/pitiable.
2. I am smoking hot.
3. They are watching my bank accounts.
4. Doc took his entire office out to Sicko and afterwards redid the budget system.
5. I can't communicate for a hill of beans.
6. All of the above.

I think my favorite is a combination of 2 and 4.


But embarrassment aside, apparently there's nothing physically wrong with me. I have a feeling the doc wants to send me to a shrink or his accountant.




*Using the word movements for my bathroom sojourns makes me feel like I'm part of a military battalion, or maybe a ninja squad.