This past week, my UC took a turn for the worse. I was admitted to the hospital on Friday morning, after losing 6 pounds in four days, having bloody diarrhea for over a week (sometimes as frequent as 30 times a day) and getting very little sleep. I literally had to be carried down my stairs by my older brother... It was bad.

At the hospital, I was pumped with two bags of IV fluids pretty quickly and started steroid medication through IV as well.

Now, four days, a clear liquid diet progressing to low residue diet, about 8 bags of IV fluids, pills and steroids later I am really seeing results. Not only in the sense that I feel remarkably better, but that I really see now the significance of some of he little things in life. I think that I made a list of about 80 things that I wanted to eat when I was on the clear liquid diet. I realized how nice it is to be able to go outside and walk around while stuffed up in a hospital. A smile and nice conversation with the nurse, doctor, family member, friend or the cleaning service became something to look forward to each day. Being pain free (or less so) proved to make remarkable differences in mood and ability to manage tasks became evident with each day.

Its cliché, I know, to say that going to the hospital is a wake up call. But it really is! I am going to try really hard to value he little things in life and not just look at the big picture all the time. I want to slow down and enjoy more around me, instead of just the final products.

Alright, that's enough philosophical stuff from me! Thanks for listening...!