A Very Rough Couple Weeks

Without jumping into too much detail too fast, two weekends ago "Charleston" was given some not-so-good-news after he was emitted to the hospital for several days....


It began at CMC Main here in Charlotte where "Charlestons" family and I tried our hardest to ease the pain and be every bit of support that we could for the man of my dreams as he went through some heavy hearted happenings. To give “Charleston” some privacy I won’t go into specifics of what led him to this position but after several doctor visits and a promptly scheduled colonoscopy on Friday the 9th, he ended up in the hospital hooked up to IV’s of antibiots, inflammatory medications and fluids. Long story short, after multiple blood tests and several biopsy’s, “Charleston” was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis which is an inflammatory bowel disease.

It is a chronic inflammation of the large intestine (colon). Ulcerative colitis causes ulcers in the lining of the rectum and colon. The ulcers form where inflammation has killed the cells that usually line the colon. I could go on and on about the causes of ulcerative colitis, the symptoms, the best outcomes, the worst outcomes, and the treatments but, there are so many useful resources on the Internet that I don’t even want to go into all of that. That was not my purpose here.

Resources (if you care to know more):

http://www.medicinenet.com/ulcerative_colitis/article.htm

http://www.webmd.com/ibd-crohns-disease/ulcerative-colitis/ulcerative-colitis-topic-overview

While I sat in “Charleston’s” hospital room, many emotions surfaced over this four day period. So many things became a reality and life became REAL. It became 100% apparent that I truly love this man; although I knew deep down and on the surface I already did. After receiving his diagnosis, my heart and mind immediately jumped into caretaker mode. I will do anything and everything in my power to make his life normal, provide for him in whatever ways he needs and, be his supporter and fan through every stage of this issue in his life. I couldn’t leave his side; I didn’t want to and I never do. He is part of the life plan God made for me and I want him healthy and to never have to worry. I love him, with all my heart.

For the last week or so I have really been at a loss for words. With this event, it has showed me so many things in my life that I need to change and has proved to me that I need to be more thankful everyday for what I have. First and foremost, that being “Charleston.”

Why does it take a life altering event to show us these things?

I am sure in the future this will not be the only post about ulcerative colitis as I will be in the journey to help "Charleston" through the learning curves this diagnosis brings. I also feel it necessary to educated our friends and family so they too are informative and able to help him cope with this never-welcomed news.