This is my story. Criticism is not needed for I know my own mistakes but I am Me and I'm human. This is essentially my diagnosis story but feel free to read and comment! I speak the truth. With every work.
You see, I grew up in the 'perfect' family in the eyes of others. We didn't have a ton of money but it wa the four of us. My mom and dad, my younger brother Sam and I, and our golden retriever Kaley. My brother and I were Blonde with blue eyes and I had porcelain skin and freckles while he was tanner and very talkative. My parents both had brown hair and blue eyes and looking at us, we looked happy. Behind closed doors, my mother was great but my father wasn't. He was and still is an alcoholic who won't admit his problems, a cheater, and a frivolous spender. After their divorce, my mom became depressed and my dad moved on to his tiny girlfriend a Emily. That's just some background information on me and my family.
Everything really started when I was five. One day, after kindergarten I had come home just like all the other kids. But when I went to the bathroom, I saw blood. Being five, I didn't understand the severity of the situation and kept it to myself. For awhile, my stomach would hurt and I would bleed when I went to the bathroom. A few months later, my mom had asked me a question and I ended up telling her the truth.
I saw many doctors trying to figure out what was wrong with me without using any procedures or exploratory surgeries. I was put on laxatives until I was ten. They thought I was constipated or had to much dairy in my system even though I never drank milk. I only drank water and hardly ate cheese so it didn't make sense. As a 5-10 year old, it's hard to drink drinks with a cup of laxatives and try to act normal around your friends.
When I was ten, my mom took me to a gastroenterologist who preformed a colonoscopy on me and diagnosed me with Ulcerative Colitis- a chronic (life long) disease where ulcers or canker sores colon making me feel sick. I was put on medication o keep my symptoms under control and to get off the dang laxatives. I was really confused on what this meant for me, my life and the future but it hasn't changed much. I still went to class ever day, played sports like the other kids, and had sleepovers with my friends.
Now, I'm fifteen years old. My original treatment didn't work, it hardly ever did. I was put on a different medication every six months due to the previous one wearing off. I would be put on steroids and enemas to try to calm down my system for awhile when we were trying to figure it out. My last medication was a chemotherapeutic drug and Now, I get infusions called remicade every six weeks to give me medicine directly.
My disease was invisible to everyone around me which made keeping it a secret easy until people asked why I took fifteen pills a day, why I had bruises on my arms (from infusions or bloodwork) or why I wasn't at school but I always had excuses. MY family has been a great support system. As well as my friends.
Nobody ever knew that I had a disease. Yes it was hard, but I managed. I still have days where I can't make it to school encause of the pain or inability to sit for ten minutes without needing to have diarrhea. I've been sick for ten years now and it's never stopped me from doing what I love. I'm a cheerleader, kick boxer, and an annoying older sibling to my younger brother.
I have always been the happiest person of the group and I'm proud of it. I know what I want to do in the future and haven't let my disease define me . I encourage you to do the same if your ever in a similar situation. Letting something like a disease define you, gives it the right to take over your life. Take control over it and be who you want to be, not who it makes you.
