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Developing depression with UC

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Posted 7/12/2013 2:45 PM (GMT 0)
Hey guys,

Just posting to see what you guys do to deal with depression and UC

I've had Uc for about 2 years now, I'm only 21 and i already feel like I'm over everything about UC,
taking the medication every day, knowing in the back of your mind that you're going to get sick soon..
Its really toyed with my mind..
I know a lot of people have had it way longer than me... and I have to toughen up and deal with it, but its taken so much out of me. At this age i feel like an outcast with my social life as well, every time you try explain it to people the think its nothing but its impacted me soooo much..
Posted 7/12/2013 2:56 PM (GMT 0)
Mostly, you need to live your life and forget about uc and not let it take over it.

  • When the depression/anxiety gets to you then find an escape which can be anything from reading a good book, exercising (going for a walk in the park with the dog, a jog, or working out at the gym), meditation or yoga, to any number of things that make you feel good and relaxed.
  • Try and arm yourself with facts which will help to lessen the worries you face with your uc (what are the odds I might someday need surgery; for most it is pretty low, etc.). As it's human nature to assume the worse in every situation.
  • Try everything you can to get the stress out of your life, and reduce your own reaction to stress when it happens (let things go easier, don't fixate on and try to control the unpredictable and uncontrollable elements of your life you face).
  • Use HealingWell here to vent when things get to you, most of us do it and it is good to know others understand what you're going through.
  • Depending on what you are going through at the moment, you can always seek out counseling or anti anxiety/depression meds as they work for some.

Good luck, it isn't an easy quest or anything you can change quickly like turning on a light-switch. Rather it is something you work at gradually and see improvement over time.
Posted 7/12/2013 3:16 PM (GMT 0)
You're not alone here! People ask me why I went to work after University instead of going travelling... It's kinda embarrassing to tell them the truth(I'm scared of pooping myself in the middle of nowhere). Hopefully you have a few close friends you can tell, it will make everything much easier.

GL!
Posted 7/12/2013 4:52 PM (GMT 0)
I agree with @iPoop that ever since finding HealingWell & the community of individuals who have UC it's really helped me considerably. I now have a place to go to where I can vent, ask questions, educate myself, and just get advice from people in the same situation.
Posted 7/12/2013 5:39 PM (GMT 0)
for me, if my body feels like crap, my mind feels like crap -

i'm a happy guy when I can do what I want w/o the uc fear messing with my head -

I've never been able to overcome that fact - I just accept it for what it is -

I can't imagine having to deal with this at such a young age - my heart goes out to you -

 

Posted 7/12/2013 8:54 PM (GMT 0)
I'm about the same age as you and was just dx. a month ago. Sure I cried, yeah I wonder what it'll be like when I'm ready to have kids, but like the others said you can't let it control your life. Or we can't I should say. Some of the feelings and emotions you are having are probably due to the medications and I understand just having this awful disease gets you down. But, I agree with everything ipoop said. I'm going to even use his suggestions foe myself. Because like I said you're not alone. You are alive and can walk and talk. Think of those who you see on tv who have lost their legs in war. That's one thing I always think about is how even though they've lost something so vital and apart of their bodies, they are still smiling.

Hope this helps a little!

Emily
Posted 7/12/2013 9:24 PM (GMT 0)
Hey I'm 21 too! I know this sounds cheesy and cliched but when my UC gets me down I just remember how many gifts in life I've been given and remind myself that if I were offered another roll of the dice, I would not take it!! Nothing I think or do can make UC suck any less but I find that when I keep perspective and look at the big picture, I'm more able to accept UC as one of those dark spills of bad luck in a vast ocean of good luck.

It also comforts me to read J-Pouch reports, which generally have very triumphant endings, and to remember that there's a way to tap out if I ever really need to. (not that J-Pouch isn't hard, but for most people it's nothing compared to severe UC)

Post Edited (Lacaille) : 7/12/2013 3:28:01 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 7/12/2013 9:28 PM (GMT 0)
My grandma died of leukemia two months ago. At the Institute of Haematology where she had been treated i always saw many young people in their early twenties, dying of leukemia, they would give everything to have our uc problems. I think we should have distance to everything, i believe colitis may go away one day unexpectadly just as it came
Posted 7/12/2013 10:09 PM (GMT 0)
I already had depression and social anxiety for years before developing UC, and my UC made it worse. The best thing to do is just find activities you enjoy and can do and do then and find people who care about you. Especially this forum, everyone here can give you advice and understands what you're going through, which is incredibly helpful in times when you feel lonely.
Posted 7/13/2013 10:23 AM (GMT 0)
I was only diagnosed at 24, and yes i felt and still feel very limited by this condition. I planned to have a second child very soon after the first but instead it's been more than two years since my son was born and havent even ttc yet, bc of the frequent flares. I want to travel and visit the world but i can't with the unpredictability of this disease. My work has been affected too.
At social events im always the person asking whether this or that contains gluten. And mostly have to bring my own dessert bc all desserts contain gluten.
There is no spontaneity in life anymore, i have to plan for everything.
Posted 7/13/2013 2:14 PM (GMT 0)
I can relate to this post. I enjoyed reading everyone's responses, they were pretty positive and nice to read. I am young as well, diagnosed at 23. It's way hard for sure. But yeah, I agree with everyone here :). One thing that has helped me is calm yoga practice. That puts my mind in a better place. And just venting when I need to and trying to do the best I can.

Going outside too. Something about being outside calms my mind. You're not alone though, we are all in it together
Posted 7/13/2013 3:24 PM (GMT 0)
Seems like there are a lot of people in their twenties on this forum. I realize that is one of the most common age groups for this disease but has anyone ever figured out why? It seems to be younger people, people in their twenties, and then people on my age group (I'm 56). Somewhere in there is a clue.
Posted 7/13/2013 8:00 PM (GMT 0)
Tell us the clue!
q
Posted 7/14/2013 1:16 AM (GMT 0)
When you get down to the root cause of the disease there must be a reason why certain age groups seem much more prone to come down with UC. Somewhere in there is a clue but darned if I know what it is. These are the kinds of clues that can lead to the cause and cure of UC but nobody ever seems to be working on this. They're all way too busy trying to work on finding new treatments to treat the inflammation instead of trying to figure out the root cause which starts the ball rolling. Maybe somehow there is a connection to age, smoking, and or pregnancy. Maybe even there is a change in diet when you are in your twenties. Who knows?
Posted 7/14/2013 1:52 AM (GMT 0)
" They're all way too busy trying to work on finding new treatments to treat the inflammation instead of trying to figure out the root cause which starts the ball rolling."

just about the time I think you've made the most idiotic statement, here comes one to top it -

 

Posted 7/14/2013 2:10 AM (GMT 0)
I find that Vodka helps. Really alcohol causes me no issues with my UC
Posted 7/14/2013 5:16 PM (GMT 0)

soystud said...
" They're all way too busy trying to work on finding new treatments to treat the inflammation instead of trying to figure out the root cause which starts the ball rolling."

just about the time I think you've made the most idiotic statement, here comes one to top it -

Explain how it's idiotic? More to the point, explain how it's wrong.

I find it hard to see how anybody could wildly disagree with that, tbh. The GI that I saw for my second opinion about a year ago said pretty much exactly the same thing. We (me and my dad) asked him if he thought there were any cures for Crohn's on the near horizon. He thought not, and then went on to say that nearly all of the effort in research had gone towards researching new drugs rather than on looking for the root cause of Crohn's. He suggested that it might have been more fruitful to look for a root cause.

Obviously I can't give you what he said verbatim, but it stayed with me that a senior GI doc thought that. Not seen anything since then to make me think that what he said was wrong.
Posted 7/14/2013 5:45 PM (GMT 0)
hey dont worry about your age I was 21 too when got this awesome disease but I never let it control my life I am 25 now and graduated faculty of law with great success all I am saying is UC cant stop your soul you can achieve anything you want
Posted 7/14/2013 6:10 PM (GMT 0)
gary...I agree with soystud but to the point that your statement is extremely naïve!
You must be living on another planet to believe that there isn't research HOPING TO FIND A CURE! OMG...you best get real about how you're thinking.

Babies get UC, the elderly get UC, middle aged, teens, etc.

I was diagnosed at age 34, but probably had it since age 31...does that count in your theory?

q
Posted 7/14/2013 6:22 PM (GMT 0)
Sami...yes, depression can certainly get us...especially when we have a chronic disease to deal with. It doesn't matter how long one has UC, our lives change because of it.

I've had depression long before having UC...it's a strong "quality" in my family, so it's been a constant companion forever. There are medications that can help, Effexor XR has been good for me (at least to allow me footing to move forward). Therapy has been my lifesaver.

Each of our lives is subjective to our families, environment, friends, how we think and cope...the list goes on. When we're stuck, we need to find the tools and gain the options so that we have some control in functioning.

It's a very complicated process, but it should be determined (with the help of a professional?) what your needs are to help you sort out your issues and gain that control so that you're accepting to live with UC and not dread it.

It's truly your perspective, and being 21 is a difficult time in life anyway. You've got a bit of a heavier load than many....you do need to set up a good support system of friends and family who don't hinder your moving forward.

q
Posted 7/14/2013 6:29 PM (GMT 0)
So where is all this research for a cure, because I'm not seeing it.

I'm only seeing new and more pointless drugs on the horizon. Literally no prospect of a cure anywhere. Age is irrelevant.
Posted 7/14/2013 6:40 PM (GMT 0)
I, for one, don't believe there will ever be a cure, so it matters not to me. But for each reason they've found a possible cause, that can lead to the "cure"....

If it is genetic...what would the cure be in your mind? Eventually....genetic testing, capping certain genes, etc?

We're human....we're flawed....and our environment sucks in the way that the exposures to many possible triggers to uncap the genes will be impossible to control.

There are a gazillion diseases to cure....in the meantime, I'm grateful for the medications that allow me to function. If they don't continue to work, then at least my colon can be removed and I can continue to function.

Something is better than nothing...no? In this day and age....I'm grateful for toilets and toilet paper.

q
Posted 7/14/2013 7:05 PM (GMT 0)
Far be it from me to whiteknight on the internet, and I'm sure gary can look after himself, but I was still taken aback by the personal attacks on him. Particularly as they seemed to come out of the blue, with no obvious provocating cause other than you disagreed with him.

It's my belief that not only is there no a cure on the horizon, there has been little interest in seeking a cure from almost every quarter, apart from the anti-MAP enthusiasts (Borody in Australia, for example) Much as I wish them well, I do not see looking for a bacterial cause for IBD as going anywhere significant any time soon.

Treatment for IBD has barely advanced in 50 years: Pred, meds and surgery. The biologics were not the promised land that everyone was hoping for and tend to stop working eventually. The surgery rate for IBD has not gone down in the past decade.

So nah, I'm not grateful. I'm mad that there aren't better treatments/drugs after all this supposed research. Even the j-pouch originated in the 70s so that's at least 40 years ago now. Meanwhile, I have a permanent stoma based on a 60-year-old surgical technique.
Posted 7/14/2013 7:48 PM (GMT 0)
I understand your perspective being in your situation. I understand Gary's as well.

Unless we can get to the point of Star Trek to have what ails us fixed with magic beams, I doubt any progress will impress you.

So what if things are based on old technique...some things that are "new" don't hold a candle to techniques from days gone by.

There's only so much that one can do with an ailing or completely damaged colon....and don't forget that much of our progress or decline can be based on our own ignorance to seek help or our doctors who test or treat us.

My "then" doctor was sure it was hemmies...never heard of bloody diarrhea up to 20 times a day as a symptom, Hhowever. Stool testing wasn't even on her agenda when symptoms of diarrhea presented almost 3 years before that. Maybe that could have been my cure with the initial onslaught if it was a bacterial infection?

Who knows...can't go back or ever prove it. But I do know genetics of my father and sister play a role in the Ankylosing Spondylitis aspect, and that I believe my mom (smoker) could have had UC based on her symptoms. The only way I wouldn't have had what I do is to not be born...which would have been OK too.

Do I struggle....everyday with something. I certainly don't want anything else, so I'll stick with what's working at least for now.

q
Posted 7/14/2013 8:51 PM (GMT 0)
First of all I don't believe I said that nobody anywhere at all was trying to find the cause of the disease but a vast majority of most of the research seems to all be focused on treating the inflammation. They seem to be of the opinion of let's try finding new drugs to treat the inflammation. I guess the theory is if you treat the inflammation then you will be treating the UC but the end result of that is the root cause of the disease is never cured and you have to treat the inflammation for the rest of your life. I mean just look at all of the "new" treatments and drugs that have come out over the decades. Every single one is a new way to treat the inflammation and every single one requires you to take meds for the rest of your life or face another flare. Now I do think it is a little too strong to say that the pharmaceutical and medical industries are doing this on purpose because they don't want a cure. I really don't believe that but we really don't seem to be getting anywhere other than newer and newer drugs to treat inflammation. A lot of time gets used up in these trials, research, etc. and the end results always seem to prove that much of this time gets invested in inflammation research only.

I hate to say this but I had to put Soystud on my ignore list a couple of weeks ago, of which he is the only one on the list. This is a website where everyone is free to post his or her opinions and I try my very best to not criticize another poster's opinion even though my advice or thoughts may be completely opposite. Maybe I haven't always been successful at that but Soystud just seems to like using me for a punching bag every opportunity he gets and, to be honest, I really don't care and it has been a lot more enjoyable to be a part of this discussion group without having to read his constant insults. I don't believe my opinions are any better or worse than anyone else's but are meant to be a part of the group, just like everyone else.
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