I was doing so well, and now this!

I started the SCD in July, started college in September, and began cheating on said diet probably around mid-October. Not enough to cause problems, just enough to help with the stress I was going through. Usually it was a pizza from the school deli, but I've quit those, because even though they smell good, I've had better pizza. So I moved from that to the slices from the Papa Johns on the main campus. I only had it once every couple weeks; I was trying to be good, I really was. I had some Oreos around Halloween, and they actually didn't cause any problems at all, that I could find. Either way, I am going through a lot of stress right now, with three lates to finish, plus two final projects, one of which is due tomorrow and I haven't even really started, plus a group project, where I'm going to have to get up in front of 20+ people and talk, and I woke up yesterday to blood in the toilet. At first I wondered if maybe it was just the red dye from the Christmas oreos I'd had the night before, since my side didn't hurt or anything, but it happened again this morning and it smelled like blood, plus now my side is starting to feel funny. I'm thinking it didn't hurt yesterday because I took a Lomotil so I could get to school on time. I've actually been feeling dizzy for almost a week, plus I had to work all of this past weekend, Thursday-Sunday, with an eight hour shift on Friday because they asked me to stay over.

I didn't utilize the disability services at school, and I'm beginning to wish I had. I did have my GI send in a form, but I didn't finish the process because no body told me I had to, and by the time I'd figured it out, I didn't think that I'd actually need to have extensions or extra time for exams and whatnot. Plus I don't like to draw attention to myself, and just wanted to get though this by myself, without any help. My professors don't know about my UC; I told two of them, but neither of them knew what it was, and I didn't feel like going into all the wonderful details, especially when I don't really know how to explain it. My final exams are next Thursday, but I'm beginning to think I may not make it that far.

Go talk to your student adviser TODAY and tell them exactly what you just wrote here.

"I didn't utilize the disability services at school, and I'm beginning to wish I had. I did have my GI send in a form, but I didn't finish the process because no body told me I had to, and by the time I'd figured it out, I didn't think that I'd actually need to have extensions or extra time for exams and whatnot. Plus I don't like to draw attention to myself, and just wanted to get though this by myself, without any help. "

They can help you.

I only have a week and a half of school left, and I can't see my advisor without an appointment, and she doesn't have any openings. I looked. I emailed her, though it wasn't about my UC, it was to ask what would happen with my financial aid and timeline if I took a quarter off, because I was having stress-related health issues. She hasn't answered me yet. What's the point of telling people if they don't know what it is and probably don't care?

You really should be honest about what is going on with you, without going into too much detail if it makes you uncomfortable. It's more important that they are aware that you have a chronic, life-long illness and that you may need to take time off every now and again. The point in telling people is so that 1.) they don't assume you're faking it and 2.) so they know how to handle your situation properly (and so YOU have some more control of things when in a flare).

I know it stinks contacting people and trying to get the ball rolling on stuff, but you need to get this under control before it gets worse. If you're afraid of forgetting something, write it down before you call so you'll remember. But please, don't just sit on this hoping it will just go away. You have to take action.