直到我经历了全结肠切除术,收到了造口术,我的心理健康是真的,真的,真的挑战。压力在溃疡性结肠炎中扮演一个主要因素。我可以承认我真的不处理压力最好的。尤其是在早些时候我被诊断。我真的不明白我的疾病。我没有真正理解诊断。我只是觉得如果我把药片,医生给我治疗,我将感觉更好。好吧,我不是告诉这个病会影响你在很多方面。我对一切压力,当我压力,它带来了耀斑。我绝对必须学习多年来试试,你知道,我找到方法帮助那么认真地对待一切。 You know, my husband would always tell me, like, your health is the most important. Like, if it’s not that serious, try not to worry about it. I mean, we’re all stressed. Nothing’s going to be perfect, but just try to figure out ways to manage the stress. For me, I try to meditate. I found that that really helps to put me in a better mental space. You know, maybe playing some music in the background. I like my diffuser with my essential oils. Helps to kind of calm my spirit down. Journaling is something that has really, really helped me through my UC journey, and it also helps just as far as going back to your doctor when you have those appointments. If you journal and get everything that you want off of you. Another thing, too, as far as social life - over the years, I was not able to go out to enjoy a time with friends. I had anxiety about going out in public because I didn’t know if I was going to make it to the restroom. Every time someone was having something, I did not want to leave my house. I literally was a prisoner within my own home for years. So, the impact that UC has on mental health is something that I feel like does not get talked about at all. It wasn’t until I went through my total colectomy and received the ostomy where my mental health was really really, really challenged at that time. And if I’m going to be honest, I did not know how to deal with it. I was often very, very mad. I was not the best wife or mother during that time because I just felt so sorry for myself. Why did I have to have this surgery? Why do I have a hole in my stomach? I’m trying to change my ostomy bag, but it keeps leaking. Literally one day I remember changing it like 20 times a day and it got to the point where I couldn’t get a good seal. So I just laid in the bed and put some towels under me. I just let it leak. Being diagnosed with chronic disease is more than just taking your medication to relieve your symptoms. Seeking therapy, and I feel like if your health care team kind of discusses this because as a patient you may not be in the right mindset because I know I wasn’t in the right mindset. So if I had someone from my health care team just to mention, hey, what about seeing, you know, a therapist in regards to talking about what you’re going through or just asking those questions to ask me how I’m feeling. It’s challenging, but I’m just trying to learn it over time. And I know it may take time, but I definitely think that focusing on your mental health just as much as you focus on your symptoms and trying to treat your diagnosis, you should also focus on the quality of your mental health too.
