advice on many different topics please!!

every time i get a new job it gets messed up because of me having UC. i call out sick too many times everyone says, so in the end i lose the job. its like they don't believe me and the last employer i told about my symptoms treated me different ever since that day. it feels like there is no hope anymore...even though ive had this for 4 years i feel so lost is there anything that the government can do? what about disability? if they had this disease they would know why my employment history is so horrible...even though i was diagnosed when i was 16 and now im 20 im finding things i've never heard about on this website like not eating fatty things or sugary things or UC being related to depression i fit all these things and no told me anything no one told me about websites like this no one told me that alot of people suffer from this affliction and that no one knows jack about it no one helped me with helpful hints to keeping urself in remission or trying to switch your diet, actually my previous doctor told me NOT to switch anything in my diet that that step was only associated with Crohns. i have felt horrible ever since i was diagnosed i don't even think ive been in remission yet its just pain and crying and more pain and all ive figured out is people either don't know anything about UC or they don't care because they don't think its serious, they think im faking half the time. please wheres the best place to get info and when will i feel better????????

Pixie -

This is one frustrating disease isn't it! You sound so isolated and scared. I'm really sorry to hear about all the problems you've been having, both physically and with employment issues. After my diagnosis, I spent a long time hoping, praying, and wishing that someone would give me a diet to follow that would help to eliminate my symptoms. I heard again and again from many different sources...doctors, people here on the forum, nutritionists...that keeping a food diary is one of the most useful tools for us. Of course I ignored that advice because a food diary is too much trouble to maintain, and if someone couldn't spell out a diet for me, well then I'd keep eating whatever I wanted. Besides, keeping this diary would mean that I was finally giving in to this disease. I was in pretty heavy denial for a while.

I eventually changed this thinking and gave the old diary a try. Just as a trial period I was telling myself. I discovered this was probably the most useful tool we have for helping ourselves! There was a reason some many people recommended it to me. Keeping track of what does and doesn't agree with you, and having it on paper, helps not only you, but your doctor as well. This disease is so personalized that what helps one or two or ten people might not help you. But keeping the food diary, and tracking how different things affect you will let you know what helps YOU. It helps your doc, because he/she might be able to find a pattern in certain foods, and you might discover a food allergy or intolerance.

Read through the posts here and you will discover many people advising someone keep a diary/journal. You will also discover that many people have miracle cures for themselves, but that doesn't mean their diet will work for you. Never hurts to try them out though.

Due to your age, I'm guessing you've been getting jobs that are just that...jobs. I'm not sure what your interests and training are, but I've found that when you have a particular skill and are looking into career type jobs, employers are more forgiving and understanding. It also helps to be healthy when hired, which gives the employer time to get to know you and appreciate what a good employee you are. Then when you have a flare, they like you enough to work with you to maintain your employment.

I hope this helps you. This disease is one pain in the ***. Most people do not understand UC or Crohn's, and that includes doctors. The folks here are always willing to help out, give support, or empathize with you. I've gained more knowledge and helpful tips from this forum than I ever got from any doctor. I know it doesn't seem like it, but remission is possible to achieve.

Good luck and let us know if you have any other questions.

Pixy -

Losing your health insurance is a tough one to deal with, but it sounds like you have a very good doctor to consult with. There are many ways to deal with stress besides taking new meds, like meditating, exercising, even going outside (don't over-exert yourself, just go out for a little while a couple of times a day). As I said, I was in denial for a long time, and caused myself quite a bit of grief because of it. Taking small steps in your recovery is a major accomplishment. Staying on your meds once they start to work is important as well. If you are feeling better, that means they are working, but if you stop, they can't do anything to help anymore. They aren't like antibiotics, where you take them for a set amount of time, then BAM! everything is all better. It is possible to go med free when you've been in remission for a while, but a month or two isn't long enough to judge your overall health. And one last thing, when a drug fact sheet lists side-effects, that doesn't mean you'll get all those effects, thank god! They are just listing things that some people reported as feeling after using the medication. The list will usually contain a small statement about the number of incidences of each side-effect, and whether it was a "common" side-effect, or if it was an "uncommon" but reported possible side-effect. I've been taking anti-depressants with UC for a while, with no noticeable adverse reaction. i hope things begin to look better for you soon. Keep us updated on your progress.

PS Good job on deciding to keep the food diary. You will be amazed how much you can learn from reviewing that after a couple of weeks!

Pixy,
Well you expressed in your mid night letter how many have felt many times with UC. I was diagnosed at 17 y.o. with UC and I remember feeling so ashamed. The Dr. told me that it was toxic and that if I didn't have my colon removed immediately and have it replaced with a plastic bag I would die. Well guess what at 17 I said no. I walked out of his office and went to a Natural Path. I didn't have money so I made cookies for the NP and he helped me in amazing ways.
The western modern Dr. will not tell you that diet has anything to do with UC or anything else. They see it as a biological disease with no cure and do not know why it exists.

Yet people who are having good success are watching what goes in the mouth. Many people have cut out all gluten products and are careful about what carbs they eat.
For myself having had colitis for 30 years and really not much problem with it, I followed the NP's suggestions. (I just blew it the last 2 years by eating a lot of sweets and carbs while I was under a lot of stress after coming back from Iraq).
Check out www.breakingtheviciouscyle.info

Not having health insurance may actually work out for the best for you as hopefully it will lead you to alternative Drs. There is lots of research going on right now that I hope will actually bring a cure rather than a bandage to the UC problem.
You've got to check out thes links. They will make you laugh and at the same time the theory is hopeful. It's some of the latest on UC. It's basically drinking the fecal matter of a healthy person. I'm following this latest theory and I laugh everytime I read it. In some ways I think wow a solution so simple, yet ugh drinking someone's else's crap.. I hope it works as it would be such a simple solution but time will tell. Never give up HOPE. my email is sbjorkgren at yahoo

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fecal_bacteriotherapy

http://curezone.com/forums/am.asp?i=57263&s=3

Dear Pixy,
I noticed that you take a nasal spray -- now when I don't have colitis I suffer from non-allergic rhinitis --. You will find out via the forum that there seems to be some correlation between the two diseases? Many UC sufferers have rhinitis too. This is what made me first interested in the site, as I wondered about this for some time. After all both seem to be some breakdown in the immune system.
As for achieving whilst ill. -- I was a teacher of Home Economics and Textiles when first diagnosed. I became Head of Textiles and took part in the pilot scheme for the new curriculum ( UK ). Also I took a correspondence course to teach English as a foreign language ( I never used this qualification ) For a pastime I again took up figure skating and with a partner used to compete in the local league and in Skate Electric ( UK ) However the stress of the job eventually led me to give up teaching in 1993 ( I then went into remission in 1994 ) Meanwhile we started a holiday business in Scotland and started a skating club -- doing the shows at Christmas etc. Finally at the age of 53 I qualified as a skating coach after 2 years of training on ice and studying all sorts of sports based subjects, writing 2 dissertations etc. Now at 58 I have recently given up both occupations and retired. Now doing lots of dancing in the ballroom !!! Hence the reason I was so upset to have a remission -- as it does affect the quality of life -- therefore I was really determined to get better. Have had little/no symptoms for a few days again. Concentrate on the good things in life. Find JOY.
Take care Pixy , be determined.