Does this sound like UC?

I have had arthritis pain in several joints, elevated blood pressure, elevated resting pulse rate, dizziness, and fatigue for over a year. The only digestive symptoms I had were occasional reflux and heartburn. The Dr.s kept getting elevated SED but nothing else came back abnormal. They decided it was inflammatory arthritis, and a possible autoimmune disease, but could not pin point a specific one. PCP sent me to a Rheumatologist who without doing new labs (the ones he has were 6 months old) or even a physical examination told me I was fine, lose weight and exercise and I would feel great. I had already lot 40 pounds at that point, from the 80 I gained while pregnant with my twins, and felt worse despite the weight loss.

In March of this year, I began having loose (not watery) stools and excessive gas, I tried changing diet, that did not help, neither did taking anti gas medication. Eating very small amounts of food made me nauseated and bloated feeling. I had a feeling of fullness like I ate too much even though I had only a few bites of food. In April these symptoms continued, and I began having very small ribbon like stools, which were very difficult to pass, almost as if I felt constipated, but the stools were still very soft. This progressed to severe abdominal cramps, gas, and urgency (go now or have an accident). These stools were mixed with bloody looking mucous. Sometimes I feel like I have to go and there is nothing buy blood and mucous, and tons of gas all the time.

I went to my PCP because of these new symptoms and the first time in a year my SED rate was not elevated despite the digestive symptoms. My PCP thinks this is UC and has been all along even though I did not have the digestive symptoms for over a year. She is sending me to a gastroenterologist and I see him in 2 weeks.

Based on your experience, is this a normal way for UC to manifest itself? Or could there be multiple things going on? I am tired of feeling sick and fatigued all of the time. The PCP put me on a Pred pack for a couple of months and I felt the best i have ever felt in months, but won't put me on more until after the visit to the specialist.

It seems there are a lot of ways for UC to begin. I had a pretty severe, sudden onset shortly after I had my son. I've heard stories on here of some people who suspect they had mild symptoms for years before being diagnosed.

Your current symptoms sound very much like an IBD (UC or Crohn's) to me. They only way to really tell, though, is to have a colonoscopy.

It's probably good your PCP wouldn't give you more pred. It has some pretty serious side effects that come from long term use and if you're on it when you have a colonoscopy and you do have UC, it might have the inflammation (that is a key diagnostic factor) under control, resulting in a misdiagnosis.

Let us know what the GI says and welcome to the forum!

It could be an IBD (either crohn's or UC) it's good that you'll be seeing a GI soon and hopefully you'll be able to get a definite answer.

:)

dear Jenn C,
i agree with nososickygirl, that u can have a sigmoidoscopy done to give u a preamptive diagnosis. it could be UC or possibly crohns. IBS doesnt usually present with blood. In medical school they teach that UC has diurnal distribution [adolescents or 50'/60/s, but reality shows it can happen at any age these days}
if ur symptoms are really bad u can always go to the hospital and be seen by GI oncall there who may do a sigmoidoscopy in the hospital, run blood and stool tests & they may also give u meds to control some of ur symptoms.
feel well and get better soon.
let us know how u do

Ghena 31 UC

Yes, the pred scares me, as do any drugs, which is partly why I am scared about being sick.
I just thought that since it worked while I was taking it that the Dr would be clued in to what was happening in my body. It wouldn't make just anyone feel better would it?

I gained 85 pounds with my twins who are now almost 5. I lost 1/2 the weight I gained, but still have 40 to go. I lost 20 but gained it when I went on Pred. I am exercising when I can, and eating healthy and the weight is coming off again, but I don't know if it is the effort, or the sickness that is making me lose weight. I guess as long as I have weight to lose, that losing won't hurt me too much as long as I try to stay well nurished and hydrated.