Okay, Reddit Is Not So Bad

First, I cannot believe I am writing this post. Second, bear with me, as I will get to some colitis information.

When first diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, I dived deep into the pool of this autoimmune disease that I'd never heard of before. Back in the old days, I would have spent hours in the local library searching for every book that touched on UC. But, as this is not the old days, I turned to the internet. 

Using different terms put into search engines, I scoured the resulting articles. I searched for websites, blogs, and forums. I learned, I gathered, I absorbed.

However, there was one forum that I stayed miles away from . . . Reddit.

I'd heard all kinds of bad things about this popular site. Trolling, swearing, meanness, negativity, and the nefarious threads of one kind or another, just to name a few. I believed, to partially quote Obi-Wan in the first Star Wars movie, "You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villany" . . . than Reddit.

You see, I am not into social media. I've never had a Facebook page or Instagram account or any other social account. It was ten years after everyone else started texting before I sent my first one. Reddit seemed liked just another one of those scary social sites to stay away from. 

But then I started a new hobby and had no idea what I was doing. Once again, I searched the internet. I often saw links to Reddit, but thought, "Well, I'm not going there." After awhile, I saw some information that I really needed, but it was on a Reddit thread. In desperation for that information, I caved.

I learned so much from that Reddit thread! Things that would have saved me money, time, and frustration on my new hobby project. Why did I not look at that thread sooner?

Then it occurred to me that there might be a thread for ulcerative colitis. And yep, there is one.

The colitis thread is a small community. But the people on it are sincere in their desire for help, information, or to share their personal experiences and knowledge. Some people do simple posts when they reach remission to give hope and let others know that things will get better. Some just need to rant. Some are newly diagnosed and some have had UC for years. And, like the thread related to my hobby, I learned a lot. 

So . . . I am actually recommending something on Reddit, the ulcerative colitis Reddit thread. And that's why I can't believe I am writing this post!

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© Colitis Senioritis 2024

 

Update January 2024: Reaching For 3.0!

During this past month, I have had far more days of 3.5 to 4.0 Bristol stool chart stool than non 4.0 days. That is quite exciting. Will it continue? Will I get to a continuous, normal 3.0? Stay tuned! (Or not. Poop watch is gross.)

It seems odd that it has taken the Rinvoq this long (ten months!) for my body to start seeing improvements. It IS the only maintenance medication that kept me from going backwards without being on steroids. But for most people, they see improvement in symptoms fairly soon. Not so with me.

Because of the timing, part of me wonders if it really is the Rinvoq that is helping, or is it something else? It can't be my diet or stress, as those haven't changed at all. 

I'm still really tired. An hour after getting up I feel like crawling back in bed and sleeping for ten hours. I can't do a whole lot during the day right now, but I do try to get at least one thing done. (Animals that hibernate are the smartest animals on the planet, sleeping through winter!) Seriously though, I've read about others with IBD or other autoimmune conditions whose fatigue sounds far worse than mine, so I'm grateful for what energy I have, small as it is.

I did have a bout of dizziness that lasted for about six hours. If I stayed still, I was fine, but the slightest movement caused dizziness. I started taking high blood pressure pills five months ago, but not sure if they're working.

But that's the problem. The attack of dizziness, is it related to my UC? High blood pressure? Or something else? 

Well, the Rinvoq seems to finally be working, so we'll dwell on that for this month. :)

Next update: February 2024, A Cold Coming On

Previous update: December, 2023, Back Up Again, Inch by Inch