When I was first diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, a common colon disease, I had no idea what it was. It wasn’t until several tests and explanations from multiple doctors that my parents and I started to understand the extent of the problem. Although it didn’t seem like it would be a big deal, it quickly took over my entire life. Dealing with the condition meant chronic pain, medication, and many more doctors’ visits. Fortunately, my case wasn’t too severe. A few months after the diagnosis, the disease was manageable and I was able to live my riveting 14-year-old life. Two years later, I had relapsed for the fourth time and stuck in a brightly-colored hospital room once again. The three weeks I spent there proved to be even more difficult than the initial struggle. Through my anxiety-ridden thoughts and the never-ending tubes and needles, I felt powerless and was unable to imagine myself seamlessly entering my junior year of high school. While the specialists were trying to figure out what was wrong with me, I was …show more content…
While this was expected, my emotional and mental health also took a toll. I was drained and overwhelmed after the continual spew of information from the doctors. The feelings of sickness and worry was making it hard to do much of anything, especially when at school. It was evident that constantly thinking about the problems that could arise was not helping me complete everything that had to be done. My life continued to spiral as I struggled to keep up with my physical and emotional health on top of the mountain of work expected from me. Finish this. I still have to miss school or activities to spend the day at a medical center to receive medication. Throughout my hospital stays, doctor visits, and sick stay-at-home-days, it was immensely difficult for me to be positive and optimistic for the