Leah Hodgekins is a 23 year old mother who must deal daily with a painful condition known as Ulcerative Colitis. Her life changed on March 15, 2006. Leah awoke with painful abdominal cramps. She went to the restroom and discovered, to her horror, that she had bloody diarrhea. She also noticed that she had 2 sores in her mouth when she brushed her teeth.
She woke her husband up and he suggested that maybe she should go to see the doctor. She called her doctor’s office and got an appointment for the following day.
At her doctor’s appointment, Leah was surprised when her doctor told her that she would need more tests to determine the exact cause of her bloody diarrhea. He ordered a Colonoscopy and some blood tests. She had the blood tests done that day and she had the Colonoscopy done on March 20 and soon received a call from her doctor.
“I remember that call like it happened yesterday. The doctor said that I needed to come into his office right away with my husband. I was scared to death.” That is how Leah explained the call from her doctor.
Once at the doctor’s office, he told Leah that she had a form of Ulcerative Colitis called Proctosigmoiditis. He explained that while this condition can be treated with medication, the only cure is surgery. Leah opted for the medication.
While she worked with her doctor to find a plan that worked for her, Leah quit her job because of her frequent frantic trips to the bathroom. She was embarrassed by her lack of control and was tired of making up excuses for her actions.
She had to totally change her diet. Leah told me that her condition has changed her eating habits. My husband and I would eat out often and I like Mexican food. I cannot eat anything spicy anymore and we do not eat out that often because of the difficulty finding items that I can eat. My diet is really bland now. I cannot eat raw fruits and vegetables. I have to be careful when I do eat cooked fruits and vegetables so that I do not eat too much. I also have to limit sweets” she says.
Because of the extreme dietary restrictions, she has to take vitamins and is at risk for anemia. In addition to the vitamins, she takes an anti-diarrhea medication to help slow down to diarrhea to decrease the risk of dehydration, which is fairly common.
The daily things in her life were dramatically changed too. She tells me “I can remember times when I would have to feed my daughter in the bathroom because of the diarrhea. There was nobody else here who could help me and sometimes I was in the bathroom for 30 minutes or longer” says Leah.
Because of the stress of trying to cope with the disease, Leah began smoking. Shortly after she began, she noticed that her trips to the bathroom were becoming less frequent and less frantic. Leah thought it was odd and called her doctor. She said, “I called my doctor and told him about the change. He was a little skeptical but he then told me that it has been noted in the past that the nicotine in cigarettes sometimes helps. I was almost as shocked as when he told me that I had UC.”
Leah says that she has stopped using prescription medications completely. She says she is now taking probiotics, prebiotics and a combination of Aloe Vera, zinc and fish oils to help. “I have found more relief with this method than I did with the prescriptions. I know that this approach will not work for everyone but, it works for me” Leah tells me.
She says that although she is feeling better now, she does want to stop smoking. Because of this desire, she is working with her doctor to have an ileoanal anastomosis. She says that this is a surgery that will remove the diseased part of the colon and the inner lining of her rectum. She explains, “I feel comfortable with having this surgery because I will not have to have an external bag to collect my poop and I can stop smoking.”
Leah is scheduled to have surgery in March of 2008. She says “once I have the surgery, I can close the most painful and stressful chapter of my life and move on to enjoy the things that most people take for granted.”
Like Leah, most people who have any form of UC find that they are severely restricted. Their whole life changes and the lives of those around them change. While the things that helped Leah find relief may not be for everyone she says that she “hopes everyone with UC can find comfort and inspiration in my journey.”
