Ulcerative Colitis

How it began…

You are a 24-year old college student who got ulcerative colitis in your last year of high school.

Hopes of playing basketball… crushed. You had to drop off the varsity team, and you lost your college scholarship.

But you got well, finished high school, and went to a local community college instead. Bouncing back physically with medication and even emotionally, you felt like you were ready to conquer school.

One Sunday after too much partying with your girlfriends the night before, you woke up to bloody diarrhea. It’s been a year and one hospital stay since then.

The IV steroids worked. The bleeding stopped.

Your disease is back under control.

But you missed so many days of school. Your grades dropped.

You needed to speak to every professor, but you just couldn’t have one more conversation.

“You see, I have this disease…”

That conversation certainly sent the last guy you dated running.

Feeling defective, alone…

You’re exhausted, emotionally and physically.

The doctors say you’re doing great. Yeah, right. You feel depressed, wondering how long “great” will last this time.

The only thing that can get you through the day is the opiates you got in the hospital. They make the pain go away.

Needing more than what was prescribed, you started taking pills from your parent’s bathroom medicine cabinet. You’re grateful that mom had dental work done a month ago and kept her extra pills.

You know that you have a problem.

Lying to the doctor to get more pain pills. And then lying again to get even more.

But you need the pills to get through each day.

The doctors said your disease is under control, and you shouldn’t be in pain.

“But I AM in pain. Does no one understand?”

I understand that your pain is real.

I want to help you.

There is pain that comes from the body, and pain that comes from the brain. Both hurt.

I will teach you to understand where your pain is coming from, so we can decide on the best and most effective treatments. When the treatment targets the source of the pain, it is far more effective, reducing your need for pills.

Anxiety and depression raise pain perception. That means that if you’re anxious or depressed, you will feel more pain, regardless of where it is coming from. I will teach you how to use your mind to calm your body and lessen your pain.

I will help you get your life under control again.

You can do this! Contact me today: (310) 552-2033.