Flares, denial and acceptance: Jaime’s J-Pouch journey

About this episode

Jaime shares her journey with ulcerative colitis, including her struggles with denial, hospitalizations, and ultimately her decision to undergo J-pouch surgery.

In this episode of the Colitis Unfiltered podcast, I speak with Jaime, who was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at 25 after months of severe symptoms she initially ignored, despite correctly self-diagnosing herself online. What started as abdominal pain, diarrhea, and fatigue quickly escalated into hospitalizations, failed medications, and a body breaking down faster than she could process. Diagnosed in adulthood and thrown into a relentless cycle of flares, steroids, and biologics, Jaime talks about spending over a month in the hospital, being fed through IV, and reaching a point where surgery became the only option left. She opens up about fear, denial, body image, and the emotional weight of facing an ostomy at a young age. Now living with a J-pouch after multiple surgeries, Jaime shares how that decision ultimately saved her life. From learning how to live in her body again to building a family she once feared she couldn’t have, her story is raw, resilient, and deeply hopeful. A powerful reminder that even the hardest IBD journeys can lead to a life rebuilt. For more stories from the bathroom floor, subscribe to the podcast and visit colitisunfiltered.com And do not miss out…

People in this episode

Host: Franck Tabouring

Guest: Jaime

Topics covered

• ulcerative colitis
• J-pouch
• IBD journey
• health struggles
• emotional resilience

Keywords

• ulcerative colitis
• J-pouch
• IBD
• hospitalization
• emotional weight
• body image
• resilience

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Colitis Unfiltered, Amazon

Products: IBD journal

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