On Screen:

Wondering how others reacted to their UC diagnosis?
We’ve Been There

On Screen:

Gary
Moderate to Severe Ulcerative Colitis (UC) Patient

Gary:
Well, when I was first diagnosed, it ah...they told me that... it was a disease that I was gonna have the rest of my life. I wasn’t sure how to accept that, because I wasn’t having that much problem with it, until later on, when it progressed. 

On Screen:

David
Moderate to Severe Ulcerative Colitis Patient

David:
I think when you have a disease that’s chronic like ulcerative colitis, it’s important to own the disease. It’s important to have a great relationship with your GI, to know your medication options inside and out.

Gary:
Well, understand that it’s with you for the rest of your life, and that you need to accept it, ‘cause if you don’t it’s gonna control your life.

On Screen:

Erin
Moderate to Severe Ulcerative Colitis Patient

Interviewer (off screen):
How did your doctor help you better understand UC?

Erin:
He described it as something that I would always live with, and something that would be pretty unpredictable. But that really helped me communicate with my doctor and helped to better understand what was going on and to see what might work and what might not work.

David:
I started to get a lot more knowledgeable about UC as an adult, when I started asking questions from my doctor and starting to understand how to manage my disease, what my medication options were....Becoming more well educated about UC was driven a lot by my relationship with my gastroenterologist.

Interviewer (off screen):
How did you talk about how UC can get worse over time with your doctor?

Erin:
I’ve read that UC can get worse over time. So he gave me several brochures and information...and then really let me do the research on what I would want, and what would be best for my situation.

On Screen:

Bill
Moderate to Severe Ulcerative Colitis Patient

Bill:
You know, my…ahh…my experience with UC was progressive. The, the flares kept getting worse and worse, longer and longer...you know whether you’re winning or you’re losing, and it became clear to me that I was losing.

On Screen:

Sarah
Moderate to Severe Ulcerative Colitis Patient

Sarah:
It was one of those things where it was not getting better for so long...it was something where it just continued to get worse. So it taught me how to speak up for myself and take a stand, and educate myself in regards to what’s going on with my illness.

Interviewer (from off screen):
What advice do you have for others who are just getting their diagnosis?

David:
My first recommendation for someone who has been newly diagnosed with UC is to find a doctor that you trust, a doctor that cares about you, and a doctor that you are going to also invest in from a relationship standpoint.

Gary:
Then you need to be proactive and then you need to take control, and let your doctor know how you really feel.

Erin:
For people who are recently diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, I’m sure that you feel helpless. And you don’t know where to turn to. But I would say to hold on to hope and to don’t give up and to just keep trying. And you might be able to find something that works for you.

On Screen:

Find out what else these patients shared about their experiences.
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