How I lost and found myself after being diagnosed with UC

Hi everyone! Let me introduce myself, my name is Bella, and I am 24 years old. I was diagnosed with UC in 2007 right on my 19th birthday.  I went from being a healthy, happy, bubbly, energetic, athlete college student, to being suddenly very ill basically over night.

At first the medications helped, and I thought ok great, I just have to take some medication and I will be fine.  But 6 months later after a trip to Russia I was sick again and the medications weren’t helping.  I went through a lot of trials and tribulations.  I would try something, it would help briefly, and then it wouldn’t.  It felt crazy to me, and I could not, and would not believe this was my life!  It felt as if I was on a continuous physical and emotional rollercoaster.  I was very thin, weak, ill, and scared.  I was depressed, and just wasn’t myself.  I hid from the world, I didn’t want anyone to see me, I didn’t even want to see myself!   So I pushed everyone I could away. I felt like my life, dreams, goals, and aspirations were slipping [...] continue the story