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Nov. 24, 2004 A group of diseases, known as IBD's, or Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, contains two mainstream illnessess, Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis. This article will focus specifically on Ulcerative Colitis and how it can start, differing treatments, or lack of, and the surgery that has come to change the lives of so many young people. As a sufferer of Ulcerative Colitis, who at the age of 8, didn't understand why her stomach hurt so badly all the time, felt swollen and was oft accompanied by fever, Ulcerative Colitis at first is a big scary word. I had boughts with stress playing a key role in exacerbating the degree of pain, and symptoms of this painful illness. Being a young teenager girl and having to try and tell your parents that you're sick and yet you're embarrassed to tell them what symptoms you have, Ulcerative Colitis is a subject that needs to be discussed for future generations so they don't have to be afraid, or go through as much emotional or physical pain. I approached my father, trying to tell him, "Dad, there's something wrong and I'm sick." "What do you mean sick?" he didn't look up from the newspaper. I stammered, "I'm bleeding when I..." and I had difficulty with the words. I can't explain why except that I was young...would a brain tumor or hole in my heart have been any easier? Simply, no...but learning as I and my family did, Ulcerative Colitis is a disease affecting the large intestine, and you lose cells too quickly, thus getting "bald patches," and bleeding internally. Being a kid, I was afraid I had Cancer! What else could it be? I had never heard of such a thing and was terrified. My father simply thought I didn't know what was I trying so hard to convey and yelled at my stepmom to "teach her the facts of life." Finally, a gastroenterologist, and I had an appointment and that man saved my life. He diagnosed me with this Colitis, and explained why it seemed to come and go, as stress caused it to kick in hard, and my lack of eating - caused by the pain of trying to digest anything had made me a voluntary anorexic - he explained that no pill, no shot and no amount of wishing would make it go away. Prednisone and Azulfidine are commonly used to treat the severe internal inflammation and unfortunately often have severe side effects. (i.e. your bones can go soft, you can have kidney failure, go blind, and/or the large intestine, which is the organ affected directly by the disease, can rupture, or the illness can turn to Cancer, especially after you've had it in a moderate to severe form for around 8 years.) I made it until I was 22, and although I had had a couple of close calls with being hospitalized for both blood loss and malnutrition, was now at the mark where I could rupture or develop an even worse condition: Cancer. However, a new technique, called "The Pull Thru," operation was pioneered and I happened to get one of the surgeon's who had helped finalize its development as my doctor. However, it was graphically painful, but saved my life. The Pull Thru, requires complete removal of the diseased organ, or large intestine - even if all 6 feet of it don't show signs of disease, because if you just take the diseased part, it can come back and you would have to go under the knife, again. The large intestine is removed, and the small intestine, amazingly, ends up doing the work of both. It's a lot of sewing, but you take a few feet of the small intestine, and cut it on one side in a line, leave the end intact and form a "pouch," and sew that up. Then reattach it to the rectal area, and allow it to heal by using a colostomy for around 6 weeks. It is not a light- hearted surgery; my first one took about 9 hours. (I was happy I didn't need any blood transfusions with the possibiities of Hepatitis and AIDS, so waking up after 9 hours was okay with me.) I had to live like that for 6 weeks, and no solids, was in the hospital, had to remain on the prednisone and antibiotics to fight infection, as well as pain meds. However, that disease was plucked from my body. No more would I worry about rupturing or Cancer at a young age of the large intestine. Also, as graphic is it may seem, I grew to realize the shame and embarrassment I was feeling was only because I was taught that. My illness was just as real, and needed to be cared for, and not made fun of because it involved a part of the body used in crude humor and crass commentary. It takes some will to walk the next day, and is the most painful thing I've ever experienced. (Wierd thought to have 6 feet removed from you when you're not even that tall.) I spent months slowly walking, and standing up as straight as I could so I didn't heal crooked. As scar tissue formed inside, it hurt sometimes so much I could scarce speak, and felt like ice picks were going through my tummy. Today, I must take loperamide everyday and have since the operation, to help with the loss of my large intestine. However, I can eat, just not lots, and no spice and I am Colitis free. (also sensitive to anti-inflammatories.) So the next time you see an ad trying to raise awareness about IBD's, you'll know a bit more about one of them and how one young person faced that challenge. Because after the first operation, I had to go back in 6 weeks and have part two, where they close the colostomy and see that everything's working okay. (I was so scared.) My insides felt as if they'd been rearranged and put back together, but I'd been given a second chance at life. Thus, Ulcerative Colitis is a serious diagnosis, but there is hope and I volunteered to be a case study as I was one of the fastest recovering. (In the hopes my pain would help those who migh come behind me.) My surgeon bent down next to my bed when I woke up after 9 hours and I fearfully whispered in my dry voice, "No blood?" (transfusion; I didn't want one.) He was gentle, "No blood...and no more Ulcerative Colitis, ever again." Thank you, Dr. David McFarland, Surgeon, Austin, Texas for your years of hard work. I'm trying to do a lot with the second life given to me. ------------ About the author: Phoenix Morric is a published poet, working on first novel and has some ezine articles/reviews up to peruse. Currently she is working on her first novel and shopping for an agent. All queries, comments, please direct to: PMorric88@msn.com. Serious only, please. http://profiles.myspace.com/users/7934995 is also a site with my poetry and an interview of The Indigo Girls I recently did in July. Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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