This should be an interesting topic...
this is Nathan's(ucreallysucks) wife. I've been having stomach problems off and on since december 2006, and one episode/flare back in 2004 as well. (I've been with Nate since 2002). I actually don't usually have the loose bowel symptoms, I have constipation a lot more often than that, I usually get diarrhea just when something I eat bothers me, and sometimes I get diarrhea and I'll have eaten the same thing as Nate, and he won't get diarrhea from it. But my symptoms are really more stomach pain and upper intestinal pain, either immediately upon eating (even had pain with swallowing for a few weeks) or an hour after eating. I get stomach pain almost all the time, but I don't actually get sick from it.
Anyway, I've done a myriad of testing to figure out what's wrong with me (gallbladder ultrasound, hida scan, endoscopy) and the endoscopy actually found ulcers in my small intestine, which my GI said is usually caused by chron's. I mentioned to him that my husband had uc and the GI goes "well, it's not *supposed* to be contagious" and kind of laughed about it. I'm assuming he was pretty much joking but it does pose an interesting question, I guess.
I actually had the prometheus test done recently (I'm sooooo glad I have insurance because that test was $455) and it came out negative for chrohn's or uc, so I guess we're going to be trying to figure me out for a while yet. Something is causing the ulcers in my intestine but don't know what, I go back January 31 to the GI, I'll update you guys if I find anything else out..