Hi,
I’m Charlotte, I am 32, and was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis at the age of 23 having been ill from the age of 21. I have been married for nearly ten years so my husband has seen me through and supported me throughout my entire illness. We have two boys aged 5 and 3.
I had what was initially diagnosed as moderate distal colitis with fairly minimal presentation, however I suffered severe symptoms which at the time I was told were more in keeping with severe pan colitis. After no remission in ten years and having now exhausted every known medical therapy available in 2008 I elected for surgery – total colectomy with ileo anal astamosis (removal of entire colon and J-Pouch formation). It was in fact discovered through surgery that I had more inflammation on the outside of my bowel, hence severe symptoms – the damn disease was trying to hide 🙂 I had a temporary ileostomy for seven months which was reversed (taken down) in January this year, 2009. It has now been a couple of months and all is well with my new pouch and my UC is cured!! :-DD
The title of my blog is due to the fact that in January 2007 (during a good spell on Cyclosporin) I walked into a Modern Jive Class, on my own, to find a new hobby, new friends and new fitness. In the last two years I have achieved all three and much more despite my UC. In August 2007 I finally convinced my husband to dance and we now predominantly dance West Coast Swing but are absolutely addicted to dance and could not imagine our lives with out it. Dancing makes me want to get up and get on regardless and despite of my UC/surgeries – I highly recommend it in any form.
I write this blog as I find it easier to get my thoughts out ‘on paper’ so to speak. I also wanted to record my experiences in the hope that someone else might read it and find something helpful or supportive. It is a lonely business being ill and Ulcerative Colitis is not the easiest illness to talk about.
I hope you enjoy my moans and groans :-p
Charlotte x
Jiving on Regardless 
Hi, I think your blog is terrific — I would like to feature you on Wellsphere. Would you drop me an email?
Cheers, Geoff
—
Geoffrey W. Rutledge, MD, PhD
http://www.wellsphere.com
medblog.wellsphere.com
Hi,
We are thrilled to share with you that we’ve just announced the release of our new Wellsphere.com to the world, and we’d love to invite you to join us in making health knowledge personal (there’s no cost and no extra work for you). We remain very interested in connecting you and your blog to our more than 2 million monthly visitors because we feel that your writing can really make a positive impact on their lives. We’d love to add a link to your blog in our Notable WellSites section, and/or to invite you to join our world leading Health Blogger Network of more than 1,200 of the web’s leading health bloggers.
Today, we are announcing the new Wellsphere.com release to a select group of health bloggers. This release marks the launching of the next generation of online health by making health knowledge personal — and it’s writers like you that help make this possible. Together, we will revolutionize the way people find health information, answers and support, and improve the lives of millions of people around the world.
Our invitation-only Health Blogger Network has quickly become the highest-quality, largest, fastest-growing network on the Internet. Bloggers just like you are enjoying access to Wellsphere’s millions of visitors, greatly expanded readership, and links back to their blog from each and every post. If you’d like to join our Health Blogger Network, simply reply to this email to let us know. Again, there is no cost and no extra work for you – we can automatically republish the blog posts you’ve already written to the appropriate communities and in our groundbreaking WellPages- powered by our Health Knowledge EngineTM.
Here’s what our health bloggers have to say about being part of our network:
“I am honored to become a part of the HealthBlogger Network on Wellsphere. I am excited at the opportunity to share my thoughts on improving health and well being with a wider audience and look forward to promoting healthier lives and healthier living.”
– Kristi Dyer, MD
“Wellsphere offers great promotion and a friendly atmosphere. It allows you to show your talents and share your insight with others.”
– Lisa Robertson,
“Great gobs of good information efficiently delivered to all the people who need it most! I love it”
– Judy Paley, MD
“Joining the HealthBlogger Network was a great move. The traffic to the site has increased, too! It’s well worth getting on board if you can.”
– Jeff A.
You can read more about the Health Bloggers Network at http://www.wellsphere.com/forBloggers.s
Because we’re impressed by your writing, even if you’re not sure about joining our network right away, we can start out by adding a link to your blog in our Notable WellSites section – connecting our millions of visitors to your blog. If you’re interested in joining our Health Bloggers Network, or in being listed as a “Notable Wellsite” on our WellPages and linking to that WellPage in your blogroll, please just reply to this email and let me know.
We have received many requests for a sneak peek at the press release that we’re preparing to send to the media later this week. I’ve pasted a preview copy below. Please feel free to email me back or call me at any time.
Good Health,
Geoffrey Rutledge, MD, PhD
Wellsphere launches next generation health website – Health Knowledge Made Personal!
Wellsphere, the fastest-growing top 10 health website has just launched its groundbreaking solution for finding expert health knowledge and personal support. The new Wellsphere introduces “WellPages,” comprehensive, personalized webpages that connect people with the best health knowledge from experts, doctors, patients and healthy living professionals – providing immediate answers to their specific health questions.
Every WellPage is powered by Wellsphere’s cutting edge, proprietary Health Knowledge EngineTM. Dr. Geoffrey Rutledge, Wellsphere’s Chief Information Officer, a Stanford Computer Science PhD and former Harvard Medical School faculty member, told reporters today that the new Health Knowledge Engine understands people’s everyday health questions, instantly translates them into medical terminology, finds the most relevant, credible knowledge, and presents it all on a single, user-friendly WellPage. “Each WellPage provides users with a comprehensive set of articles carefully selected from leading medical experts, research institutions, healthy living professionals and other trusted health writers so users don’t have to visit multiple websites to find answers to their health questions. WellPages also provide a rich user experience by combining health information with relevant, informative videos and amazing medical images which are not found on any other consumer health site.” said Dr. Rutledge.
Wellsphere has seen tremendous growth in traffic in the last few months to a rate of more than 2 million monthly unique visitors, with more visitors discovering the new website daily. “Listening to users in our supportive online communities, we realized that they are not satisfied with the information about their condition or symptom that generic health websites or encyclopedia provide. What they’re really looking for is a credible, one-stop-shop where they can quickly get a personal perspective on their specific health issues – from medical experts and fellow patients. A 26-year old mother of two recently diagnosed with breast cancer is looking for different kinds of information and support than a 74-year old grandmother facing a seemingly similar diagnosis. We wanted to make sure that each of these individuals could easily find expert medical information that’s relevant to them, as well connect with other patients and health writers with similar experiences” said CEO Ron Gutman.
WellPages offer a comprehensive perspective on millions of health topics by drawing from hundreds of thousands of articles written by Wellsphere’s network of 1,200 rigorously selected health writers and experts who dedicate their writing to helping others improve their lives. Many of the leading medical minds from Stanford, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Yale and other top Medical Institutions are currently sharing their knowledge alongside patients who bravely share their journeys through stories, pictures, videos, and personal discussions. Patients can also connect in any of Wellsphere’s more than 100 new health communities to share advice and support one another.
To experience the new Wellsphere, visit http://www.wellsphere.com.
About Wellsphere
Wellsphere, the fastest growing health technology company, is based in San Mateo, CA. Wellsphere develops web and mobile technologies that help millions of people live healthier, happier lives by providing a free consumer health website at http://www.wellsphere.com, and by building online health platforms for large organizations.
Hi Dr Rutledge,
Please feel free to use my blog address and I wish you ever success with Wellsphere.
Lottie
Hi Charlotte,
I thought the readers of your blog might be interested in the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s March 30th Teleconference, “Breakthroughs in IBD Research: Helping You Today.” More information is below.
Thanks,
Jenn
March 30 Teleconference Addresses Research Breakthroughs
Research in IBD is changing and improving the way Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are diagnosed and treated. Tune into the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s interactive educational webcast/teleconference, “Breakthroughs in IBD Research: Helping You Today,” on Tuesday, March 30, at 1:00 pm EST. National expert and researcher Stephan R. Targan, MD, will discuss recent advances in IBD research and answer audience questions during an interactive question and answer session. Register today at no cost: click here (http://www.ccfa.org/webcasts/research) to register online, or call 877-547-5641, ext. 312.