Posted 3/4/2010 1:56 AM (GMT 0)
I was diagnosed almost four years ago so I didn't have to deal with UC for much of my life, like many of the others here have had to, but I never really achieved 100% remission, although Remicade did help quite a bit for awhile. But I just felt so fatigued all the time, even at the times I wasn't running to the bathroom all the time. Before I was diagnosed I worked out at the gym regularly and led an active, fun life. But in the last few years I basically worked and then spent the rest of my time on the couch resting up from working. I no longer felt confident enough to fly anywhere, just going downtown to visit a museum left me spent.
I spent about a year researching the surgery and saving money to cover my expenses while I had to take off work and then work a reduced schedule for a time, as well as to really ready myself mentally for what was to come. By the time Jan 12 rolled around, I was ready. Of course in the immediate aftermath I wondered what the heck I had done to myself, but in the last couple of weeks I started to feel really GOOD for the first time in a long time. Now I just need to get through take down in about five weeks and hopefully put all this behind me.
The time you have UC matters less than how you respond to the available medications and how limited your symptoms are making your life.
Meesh