My name is Derran and I live in the UK

I was diagnosed with Ulcerative colitis shortly after i turned 18, I'd only just started to come out of my shell and go out and talk to people, before i got ill i was very fit and active. I was just about to start work when i was diagnosed and luckily the meds i was put on (predisilone) helped at first, I was enjoying my job and earning money, But then my health started to decline, you see, where i was working was about 6 miles from where i lived at the time and i had no other means of getting to work other than cycle so i woke up in the early hours of the morning to cycle to work.

Now you'd think that me getting a lot of exercise would mean my health and overall fitness would only get better, you would be wrong. My health began to decline rapidly to the point where i once collapsed on a verge on my way to work, this was only the beginning. I got signed off work for one week after i finally went to the doctors for help, the doctor was surprised I was working with the way my health was. After that week i just stopped going into work, the combination of my physical and mental health declining was too much for me to handle and i just gave up.

This started to cause arguments between me and my step-dad because he didn't really understand that i was ill and had it in his head that i was faking it. eventually I had to move out of my parents house and move into a homeless hostel where i still am at 20 years old.

I'm still coming to terms with this disease, I haven't been able to hold down a job since and i've recently applied for P.I.P which im hoping i get because im struggling to live off £114 a fortnight.

free to answer questions