Posted by Hannah Malerman on March 04, 2021
My name is Hannah, and I am a sophomore in high school. In August of 2020, I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. Within a couple weeks of that diagnosis, I had my colon removed. After that I had an ostomy for about four months before having my j-pouch surgery in December. One interesting thing that most people don't know about me is that I have moderate hearing loss in my right ear.
One of my greatest struggles having UC is constantly adjusting to find what works best for my body. Sometimes it is cutting out certain foods from my diet or adding new ones that we hope will help me feel better. The whole process can be tiring and frustrating.
My family and I constantly talk through options that will help me to adjust to this new normal. I have read some articles to get additional advice, we have talked to my doctors, and I have talked to some of my peers who also have ulcerative colitis. I have learned to try to look for the good in all things even when everything might seem to be going wrong.
The PAC has been extremely helpful and supportive, answering my questions or even just being people I can talk to. I’m hoping the PAC can connect me with people who I can, in turn, help. One goal I have is to help people cultivate a positive attitude while going through similar, challenging experiences like what I went through. Another goal is to learn from others and their experience with ulcerative colitis.
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