Going to college with UC

Hey, kittyannkat

You're definitely not the only one that has to deal with college + UC. Which can be a LOT. It definitely is difficult to do well with both UC and classes, especially at this awful time of the semester. I stress a lot about school, and UC only adds to my worries sometimes. I would say the most difficult thing for me, though, is to maintain a decent diet when your options are on a meal plan. I end up eating the same things every day, and I often go to the grocery store and spend tons of money buying things I should eat. It's frustrating and definitely not cost effective to be paying for both. I found out I had UC not that long ago, and before that I thought I was just a crazy person - knowing where a bathroom is has been a must. I am a junior now in school and very comfortable with finding my way around campus. I keep a very regulated schedule on where I am. I haven't told many people about my UC, only my roommates- and that seems to help. I try and joke about it. Before an exam, I dont know whether its test anxiety or UC , but I literally have to run to the bathroom about 6 times. Everybody these days has some kind of problem. I'm sorry you're struggling right now, but you are definitely not alone. Just find a nice little spot in the library with some tea and a bathroom close by. and rock on.

Having an extra thing to juggle with a full course load is only making you a stronger student and person- you are going to excel above your peers in the end, and you will reach success!

MNL

kittyannkat! I had the same thing happen to me! I'm a freshman dance major at Ohio State and about a month before I left for school, I had a bad flare up and was diagnosed with UC. I lost 20 lbs in 3 weeks and had lost so much muscle and strength. I had to completely change my diet to low residue and give up some of my favorite things for a while (no coffee :'-[ ) but now I have almost regained all of my weight and strength back and can eat some of the things I had to lay off of for my first quarter of college. It's been tough, balancing going to school, managing my condition, socializing, and dancing all day. Losing that weight and gaining it back, constantly thinking about food (what's safe and what isn't), after a while I felt mentally and emotionally consumed by it. Plus looking at myself in a leotard all day has strange effects on my body image WITHOUT UC. But the only times I've had problems with my UC while at school have been when I lower my medication's dosage. And I get what you mean about the cold! Immediately as I step inside I go straight to the restroom.Other than that, it's been sort of a mental game. What's healthy for my body and our UC bodies is different than what is healthy for everyone else. I would say get to know your dorm's surrounding cafeterias and restaurants well so you know where you can always get a healthy and safe meal. I guess I'm not really giving you much advice but more of telling you a little of my story haha. When I was diagnosed my mom and I went out and got several books on UC and IBD. I started a food diary to keep track of what I was eating and my symptoms. Unfortunately I got carried away and it became more about being skinny than being healthy. That's of course when I started to gain weight, because one food group that isn't taken away from UC people is desserts. Because I felt deprived as a person with UC, I began emotionally eating with desserts daily, then exercising compulsively, then around and around we go. Before I even realized it (and all the delicious foods at Thanksgiving didn't help), I had gone from being a borderline anorexic to a binge eater and exerciser. Now I'm trying to sort all of that body image stuff out mentally, but it's hard when what I wake up and work on every day is my body. It's also hard being away from home, and right before we leave our families and friends, our support systems for 18 years, we have to deal with this too?! Now that I've told you much of my somewhat embarrassing but honest tale, I guess my advice to you, based on what I've experienced, is stick to a low residue diet when you're feeling unwell. As you feel better, possibly expand your diet's vocabulary. Make sure you're getting enough servings from each food group so you're not malnourished. Don't go overboard on the desserts, they're overrated and too high in sugar and calories anyways. Don't lose sight of yourself or who you were before you were diagnosed. You may have a disease, but it's not who you are. You could benefit from a lifestyle change maybe, but UC isn't you. YOU are you! I like to think of UC as having sensitive skin on the inside of your body. So you don't eat certain things, or you modify the portion size of some things. You can still eat out with friends! If they are sympathetic, they won't mind if you eat a little slower, a little less, or you order the same things everywhere you go. For weeks the only way I could tolerate vegetables was in soup form. Now I can eat small salads! But each body and each condition of UC is different, so LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. You and I might have similar symptoms at times, but we have completely different bodies that can tolerate completely different things. That's probably the best thing I can tell you, listen to your body. It will change, your health will change, so roll with the punches. If you lose or gain weight, if your stomach strengthens or weakens, it won't be that way forever, so be open to trying a different approach to your health and lifestyle if you think it could help. Also, read UC and IBD books, all different ones too because they all offer similar advice but different information that you could benefit from. Doctors and nutritionists can be helpful, but they're not living in your body, so educate yourself as much as possible. I can recommend a few books if you'd like, or if you have suggestions I'd love to hear them! What else... Eat smaller, more frequent meals in the day so when you do eat a meal (and it's potentially a painful one for you), your body won't be completely vulnerable. Starches are always a safe way into a meal, especially after a flare up. I could go on longer, but I don't know if it would help you any. Have I helped you at all?

I have a daughter, a junior in high school, who has UC. She was diagnosed 3 years ago. She's such a hard worker and it upsets me so much to see her in pain and not able to help in any way. I wanted to shared with you that I so appreciate the comments and stories posted here as I try to support her especially with college just a year away. She wants to go back east to school but I'm feeling she should be closer to home in the Midwest as flares ups re inevitable.

Good luck to everyone and please keep sharing.