I finally had an appointment at a sleep clinic and it went surprisingly well. It was just a consultation but I really loved this new doctor. I felt like he completely understood all aspects of my situation, really looked at me as an entire person and seemed to genuinly care about all that I have been through. Both him and his nurse seemed to have a very good understanding of ulcerative colitis including the complications and other systematic issues the disease may cause.

This doctor asked smart questions, really listened and I could tell he trusted what I had to say when I spoke about medical things. Given that I had already been to see a sleep doctor and talked to many other physicians about all of my sleeping troubles, I didn’t really expect to find anything “new” at this appointment.

But it was different than any other appointment I had been to. Right from the start he told me he thought I had a very complicated case (for the reasons we all know) but then proceeded to tell me some other things he thought may be going on. These were things that never once crossed my mind. This doctor tied so many of my symptoms together: ulcerative colitis, ileostomy, my sleeping issues, migraines, anxiety/PTSD, etc.

Without going into too much detail about my appointment, I feel like I have a good game plan now. He referred me to another type of doctor to be evaluated further. He even included a note so this new specialist would already be up to speed by the time I was in his office. In the meantime, I am going to try crushing certain medications to see if they are more effective given my fast transit time. I feel comfortable with the medication he prescribed and the last couple of days I definitely slept better than I had (knock on wood!)

I have to admit that I was about ready to cancel the appointment a few days prior. I just thought that there was nothing anyone could really do because I had seen so many doctors before and tried so many things with either no success or disastrous consequences. I didn’t want to bother and be left feeling even more disappointment that no one was able to help me.

This appointment gave me  a lot of hope. It not only made me feel hopeful that I won’t spend the rest of my life in this vicious sleep cycle, but it made me feel like there are people in the medical world who can help you. It may take a while to find them but they are out there. There are doctors who are compassionate. There are doctors who look at you like a patient and not just a statistic. And there is help.

As long as you don’t give up, things can always be fixed in one way or another. Just never stop trying and fighting for what you know you deserve… especially when it comes to your health.