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Posted 9/30/2008 4:59 PM (GMT 0)
Just curious.....and this may have been in a past post, so forgive me if this is a repeat, but I am curious about personality traits of people with UC.  I'll start...

Strong Type A personality

Borderline Compulsive on certain things.  (My boss's nickname for me is OCD)

I like order and rules to be followed.

I like consitancy.

I tend to have a very controlling type personality.

I am a people pleaser.  I want people to be happy with me and like me.  It is very upsetting to me when someone has the wrong impression of me.  :(

I tend to dwell on things that bother me and play and replay different scenerios in my head.

I am friendly to everyone, even those who have stomped all over me.

Image and reputation is extrememly important to me.

I have a very hard time sitting down to just relax.  I am always on the move.  (My best friend calls me "Whirley").

I am a worrier.

Theres more...but we'll start here for now...  After reading through this no wonder I have issues!

Posted 9/30/2008 5:04 PM (GMT 0)
I would have to consider myself your total opposite.
Posted 9/30/2008 5:51 PM (GMT 0)
I'm a type A all the way. I am a bit OCD on a few things - no rhyme nor reason at times. I'm a control freak too but I have learned to let some things go. It used to upset me horribly when things weren't to my liking or someone else had to help me with things. I don't care if I please people or not. I am the type of person that marches to her own beat and if others don't like it - then who cares. I accept change but only on my own terms. If someone changes things for me, then it really bothers me. I crave predictability and schedules.
Posted 9/30/2008 6:20 PM (GMT 0)

I only have about half of those personality traits.  I definitely favor routine and order and rules and such.  Also pretty controlling, but I don't care about pleasing others or if they like me.  I'm definitely not nice to people who have treated me badly.  If someone wrongs me, I pretty much cut them out of my life (there's a stress-saver for you).  I do dwell on things and worry, but its mostly the big stuff - my health, my son, finances, etc.

The one thing I've wondered about personality is whether UC sufferers tend to be very anxious people.  I never was before the birth of my son, but after that I was very stressed and anxious (and I got UC 1 1/2 years after his birth). 

Are there any very mellow, relaxed people out there with UC?  And be honest!  ;-)

Posted 9/30/2008 6:36 PM (GMT 0)
I sound a lot like the original poster!

Total type A/perfectionist.  Married someone like me too!

People pleaser...want the world to be okay with me and help everyone else be happy. 

Controlling.  I know I will follow through and be more careful (my perception anyway)

Anxiety is an issue though people perceive me to be cheerful and happy go lucky (I am sooo not)

Difficulty relaxing since there are always things I can be fixing...cleaning..organizing.

I also have tough family relationship issues and I have a difficult time letting things go and just dumping these toxic people.  I feel the need to try to help them and let them guilt me out.  I have improved here, but I know I am kind of abnormal here.

Michele

Posted 9/30/2008 6:59 PM (GMT 0)
I am a new member recently diagnosed, but the first person who posted, you traits are me 100%!!!
Posted 9/30/2008 7:19 PM (GMT 0)
I'm generally more like Kiss520, but I've definitely mellowed compared to the spitfire I used to be. I like to express my opinion to what people should do, but have mellowed on that, I no longer beat a dead horse, if someone wants my opinion but they don't follow it I don't let it bug me like I used to...life is too short and stressful enough, as long as I'm doing good to/for myself and taking care of those who depend on me (kids) then that's all I care about.

:)
Posted 9/30/2008 7:47 PM (GMT 0)
I would say i am all of those things in the original post. I have calmed down, doing yoga, walking, trying not to worry about things i cant change - except this colits, i still worry alot. I feel bad for my middle child (age 8) he is having a hard time with this flare, i havent eaten and try not to worry about the blood, but its hard. I think he got my worry gene. I am sure there is common thread to colitis, if only we could find it.
Posted 9/30/2008 7:47 PM (GMT 0)
pb4 - You really do sound a lot like me. Having this disease has had the same effect on me - I don't sweat the small stuff nearly as much as I used to, and I let things roll off me that would have bothered me in the past. I used to give advice to friends - solicited or not - and now I just let everyone live their own lives and make their own mistakes. I don't know if its because I'm getting older or if my UC just doesn't leave room for worrying about that kind of stuff.
Posted 9/30/2008 9:04 PM (GMT 0)
I have a few of the Type A traits, but in all honesty, don't we all? I favor routine and consistency, but I also realize that I have no control over anything besides my own actions. I'm not a people pleaser, but I tend to have a calming effect on those around me. The thing that gets me the most is when someone is inconsiderate of others, not just me, but I don't dwell on others actions. Like Katie and pb4, earlier in life, I got worked up about many of these things, but as I got older I realized life is too short to sweat the small stuff.
Posted 9/30/2008 9:18 PM (GMT 0)
I was a lot like the type A, but after having UC and being deathly sick for five years, I've really learned to just let things go. It isn't even that I tell myself to let it go; a lot of the time I just don't care about things that used to send me into a tizzy.

(I think the Zoloft may have helped somewhat, too)
Posted 9/30/2008 9:24 PM (GMT 0)
I consider myself a work of art.........JK!

I am constantly evolving and changing and hope to always do that. I try to be considerate and helpful but not let people walk all over me.

I'm not one for astrological signs, but I fit the Libra personality. I always try to balance everything.

Though pred has changed me some and I hope some of it stays, my friends find it amusing. I have lost a bit of my filter.

I try to be as happy as I can b/c otherwise, it is me who is unhappy and man I can't stand that!  I do get down and agitated, irritated and upset but just keep on trying every day.

I also agree w/pb4, I do not sweat the small stuff anymore like I used to do......I just cant there's no room for it. 

I try to have fun anywhere and everywhere, there is a few of us at work who really enjoy flipping eachother off, we do not do it all the time but every now and then we come up with something really good, like the other day I called my friend over to my cube just to flip her off........we both cried laughing I got her so good.   Just small things like that to crack me up.

Posted 9/30/2008 10:19 PM (GMT 0)

Kiss520 said...
pb4 - You really do sound a lot like me. Having this disease has had the same effect on me - I don't sweat the small stuff nearly as much as I used to, and I let things roll off me that would have bothered me in the past. I used to give advice to friends - solicited or not - and now I just let everyone live their own lives and make their own mistakes. I don't know if its because I'm getting older or if my UC just doesn't leave room for worrying about that kind of stuff.

I think for me it's cuz I'm getting older and running out of time to give a crap about every little stupid thing...in my life and especially in other people's whom you give good advice to, they don't follow it but instead keep whining about their problems eyes Plus, taking omegas 3-6-9 I think has helped me mellow out...it's not that I don't have sympathy for people or anything like that, I just give up on the negative ones quicker than I used to...mine as well, they usually give up on themselves and there's only so much I can do to help someone who isn't really willing to help themselves.

:)
Posted 9/30/2008 10:28 PM (GMT 0)
It's funny, I'm a Cancer and when you read descriptions of typical cancerian traits, it is me to a tee. Everything below describes me perfectly::

The Cancerian character is the least clear-cut of all those associated with the signs of the zodiac. It can range from the timid, dull, shy and withdrawn to the most brilliant. It is a fundamentally conservative and home-loving nature, appreciating the nest like quality of a secure base in which the Cancerian woman can exercise her strong maternal instincts.
Outwardly they can appear formidable - thick-skinned, unemotional, uncompromising, obstinately tenacious, purposeful, energetic, shrewd, intuitive and wise, sometimes with a philosophical profundity of thought verging on inspiration.
Their intimates, however, may see a very different character, one with a sympathetic and kindly sensitivity to other people, especially those they love. They are able to identify with the situations of others because of the keenness of their imaginations. They are often over-imaginative and prone to fantasy, sometimes trying to shape their lives to fit some romantic ideal. They are appreciative of art and literature, and especially of drama, where the spectacle and ebb and flow of action and feeling particularly excite them.

In their personal relationships, they are mentally a mixture of toughness and softness, often emotional and romantic to the point of sentimentality in their fantasies; but in real life and in marriage, their loving is not so sentimental but tenaciously loyal. Even if they have affairs (and they may do so), their first loyalty remains to spouse and family, of whom they regard themselves as the protector. They are too easily influenced by those they love and admire, and swayed by the emotion of the moment.

The Cancerian has many potential faults. They can be sulky, devious, moody, inclined to self-pity because of an inferiority complex, brood on insults (very often imagined), yet are easily flattered. As a result they often change their opinions and loyalties and, indeed, their occupations, and lack stability. They are easily corrupted and, because they are convincing romanticizers, can make successful confidence tricksters. Their romanticism in another sense make them ardent supporters of causes.

The excitability mentioned above can lead to weak digestion, gastritis and other stomach ills, and there is a tendency to coughs and weakness of vision.



....Yep! Moody, depressive, having an inferiority complex, sympathetic, hopelessly romantic.... That's me!
Posted 9/30/2008 10:37 PM (GMT 0)

Wow...really great posts.  Like PB4 & Judilyn, I made a vow several months ago to try to ease up on things.  Just let things happen they way they do and try not to get all worked up over things I can't control.  I am trying to speak out more when something is bothering me and not just dwell on it.  I have never been one for confrontation, but the only one who ends up feeling jilted is usually me.  I do find my self falling back into old patterns, quite often actually, but I am also learning to stop myself and move on.  I actaully find it takes a lot of pressure off not trying to live up to everyone elses expections of me and just do what feels best for me.

Thanks everyone for sharing!  This has been very interesting.

Posted 9/30/2008 10:56 PM (GMT 0)
I'm exactly like what you described DDR11. I'm trying to worry less since I think stress is affecting my symptoms somewhat. However, I'm not much of a people pleaser anymore and am not as bad as before I had UC.

ediekristen, I sound exactly like a Cancer even though I'm a Libra.

Posted 9/30/2008 11:37 PM (GMT 0)
I would say that I am a good mix of type A and B personality. I used to be much more layed back before I became a mom. I really don't care about pleasing everyone. If you don't like me or the things I do I really don't care. I'm usually friendly to everyone. I would say that I am anal. I like things just so. My husband calls me obsessive compulisve all the time. He likes to turn a picture so that it's hanging crooked on the wall just because he gets a kick out of watching me straighten it. I love routine and order. I don't have to be on the go all the time. Love to relax but I do let things eat away at me sometimes. I definately worry too much and can get a little paranoid.

Posted 9/30/2008 11:39 PM (GMT 0)

pb4 said...

Kiss520 said...
pb4 - You really do sound a lot like me. Having this disease has had the same effect on me - I don't sweat the small stuff nearly as much as I used to, and I let things roll off me that would have bothered me in the past. I used to give advice to friends - solicited or not - and now I just let everyone live their own lives and make their own mistakes. I don't know if its because I'm getting older or if my UC just doesn't leave room for worrying about that kind of stuff.

I think for me it's cuz I'm getting older and running out of time to give a crap about every little stupid thing...in my life and especially in other people's whom you give good advice to, they don't follow it but instead keep whining about their problems eyes Plus, taking omegas 3-6-9 I think has helped me mellow out...it's not that I don't have sympathy for people or anything like that, I just give up on the negative ones quicker than I used to...mine as well, they usually give up on themselves and there's only so much I can do to help someone who isn't really willing to help themselves.

:)

I've had the same experience with my friends - they whine and complain about their problems.  I give them totally logical advice that gets ignored and they just keep whining.  Now I have enough of my own problems not to worry about theirs.  When someone has a genuine problem, I'm sympathetic; but that's about all I can give right now. 

Judilyn - I second what you said about the Zoloft.  It has really mellowed me out, and I haven't even been on it very long.

Posted 9/30/2008 11:40 PM (GMT 0)
I am a Libra personality. I try to balance. I am not controlling (at least I don't think so) but I have always been an empathizer. If I think someone I love is unhappy, it upsets me. I have never dealt well with conflict. Angry people upset me.
From the time I was little, I would cry whenever I saw a beggar (and insisted my mom give money even though we were not too far from poverty). Or a sick animal. I always was the kid who got upset when other kids made fun of kids with disabilities.

I like a happy world.......and strife between people upsets me easily.
Posted 9/30/2008 11:51 PM (GMT 0)

I do believe I have changed some over the years - but tend to worry too much about little things.

I like people - all people - and always give them benefit of the doubt.  I am very friendly, talk to anyone but very careful to get "close" to anyone (that comes from years of bad experiences, I guess).

Right now hard to be calm, cool and collected!  I am a much better caregiver (my husband has cancer and Dad not well) than I am a patient.  There is where I like to whine!

ElaineNY

Posted 10/1/2008 12:13 AM (GMT 0)
ediekristen :)

I'm a cancer (june 22), but it's only the good stuff you wrote about cancers that I actually reflect LOL! Okay, maybe sometimes on very rare occassions I can sorta, a little bit get a tiny bit MOODY! But that's all I'm admitting to.

LOL :)

p.s. I've NEVER cheated so I'm overly-loyal actually, maybe that's actually another downfall but I figure, if you're gonna cheat, mine as well get out of the exsisting relationship you're in otherwise if it comes out that you've cheated then there's that headache to deal with and that is just not my thing...gawd I hate contraversy more than anything.

:)
Posted 10/1/2008 12:19 AM (GMT 0)
Yep, cheating is too much drama and MAN do I hate drama. Or really, like you said, just controversy in general. There's two things I don't even talk about with people: Religion and Politics. Because no matter what you do the conversation will just get stupid and I hate debating my beliefs with people because a) they're not going to change my ideas, and b) I'm not going to change theirs, so what's the point?

People all the time remark on how laid back I am, sometimes it can be considered a fault for sure, but usually I just sit here and smile at everyone and when someone's being difficult or just plain rude, I nod my head, say "Okay" and let them go on their way. I figure that way it's easier for everyone- they'll leave me alone and get over their problem, and I can avoid a messy situation and get on with my day :)
Posted 10/1/2008 12:26 AM (GMT 0)
You know, my dad was always a very diplomatic person and growing up I was naturally head strong, I was overly opinionated, even a smart-ass especially with my siblings...when my dad passed away (I was daddy's girl) it broke my heart like you wouldn't believe, that's when I decided to jump on the diplomacy boat and ride the rest of my life on it, and I've found that in doing so it has actually made many parts of my life much easier (as I'm sure it has for those around me too LOL). Reason I chose to follow my dad's diplomacy trait is because I thought it would be about the best way I could keep "him" with me for the rest of my life....sounds corny, but I don't care.

:)
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