Day after diagnosed with UC. What do I do? Do I even have UC?

Pre symptoms: 2-3 BM's a week in evenings. <- all my life normal


It started 4 months ago... bloating, no bowel movement for a week, etc. Dr. Thought I was constipated and told me to take a lax.
I did and had movement.
Symptoms continued for a month. Month 2: Got in with a GI which suggested Flagyl and Cipro to try first for 10 days. BM's increased to once daily with funny multi colored browns and strong odor. Still Daily BM's and bloating daily all day. Month 3: bloating decreases by a lot with gas every morning with a BM following in the next 4 hours. (During this time I tried Antibiotics, Probiotics, diet changes, etc with no relief.) I felt miserable daily. I also begin to get sharp rectal pains that felt like a knife stabbing me and I found this happened more so when gas was present. Relief appeared to come for a few hours after each BM and eating appeared to make me feel bloated again. Month 4: I got very sick 3 weeks ago with nausea and diarrhea 4+ times for 2-3 days. ALOT OF MUCUS appeared and some BM's we're only mucus. I went to the ER, got charged $1900 to sit there 2 hours and have a Dr. spend 2min telling me I needed to see my GI not the ER. <----*** I did bring a clean stool sample and refused to leave until they did a stool test. Got an appointment the following day with my GI and had a colo+endo scheduled for the following week. 4 days later ER calls saying my sample grew out and I had a food bacteria usually from under cooked poultry and needed Cipro. Called GI and GI said to not take Cipro til I had my colo. I got back to normal on the weekend, did Prep all day Sunday, had it done on Monday. Photos showed Colitis as suspected. Round of Flagyl and Cipro suggested again til biopsy results came in. 3 days later Biopsy came back normal. <---what does that mean?
Followup scheduled for September 15th.
I've been better and just having daily BM's since the tests. Some days they look normal, but most they are odd multi colored browns with a small amount of mucus.
I went for the followup and I was rushed by the Dr. He wouldn't explain anything. Said I had Colitis and then said I had UC once I asked what exactly it meant. Couldn't tell me why or if it's possible it could just go away on its own. He game me a med that started with an L that is supposed to reduce inflammation and said see you in 8-10 weeks. So I leave feeling depressed and upset that now all in a sudden I have UC after being told my biopsy was normal. I read the side effects of the med such as hypertension, Inflammation of the heart wall and muscle, pancretitis , blody diarrhea, etc and that's worse than what I actually already have.

I started researching UC and I have VERY FEW if any of the symptoms everyone with UC or Chron's talk about. I dont have and never had diarrhea due to my current problem, I dont wake up having to run to the restroom, my stool is always well formed just more bumpy/rough than it once was, some days its softer/harder than others or all around different. I just dont get this problem.
The photos from my scope very much show it's "inflamed" but that's all. My scope photos look nothing like the ones you see when you google images of UC.

Do I get another Dr? Can anyone help? I'm a 24/M and been healthy all my life besides for very severe allergies to everything green outdoors and dust. I just need someone to help and so far I'm paying Dr's over and over for no relief or explanation. I understand the cause of UC is unknown, but Ijust dont believe I have UC or your every day Colitis caused by unknown reasons.


This may be unrelated, but a few days to a week before I got sick I got a whole carton of BAD Deer Park bottled water which smelt and tasted like a fish tank when it was warm. The water had no abnormal taste/smell when it was very cold so I drink about 3 bottles. I then became ill with these problems. I still have the whole carton of water, but cant find a testing facility that can test for EVERYTHING.

Any comments would be very welcome and sorry for the wall of text.


btw past month or so I have this discomfort before I have to use the restroom in my lower left side which is relieved after the BM.

Does everyone with UC have the diarrhea? I dont have it!

Post Edited (JDJ) : 9/16/2009 2:00:53 PM (GMT-6)

Do you have a copy of the pathology report of the biopsies?
No I was rushed out yesterday. They have offered nothing, not even info on how much of my colon was affected.

The only meds you're on are cipro and flagyl?
was on these meds TWICE. not current. He gave me a med yesterday that started with an L (I cant remember the name) for inflammation. I'm not at home or I'd tell u the name.

Have you had more stool samples done?
I had 2. One Pos and 1 Neg for a common food bacteria.

Do you have a regular GI at this time?
Yes.

The fact that you do have invaders in the colon will skew some of the results considering UC is usually diagnosed after all other issues have been exhausted.

I did have invaders at one time maybe long before. not current or at least they cant find any.

It is usually a result of some trigger that engages the autoimmune system into reacting to "whatever" long after the initial invader or whatever has been cleared/dealt with.

You do have to follow up with stool samples to make sure all is clear in that respect. If your symptoms do continue, then it's possible UC is what you have.

Regarding the "clear" biopsy reports...did it not say there was any inflammation? I strongly suggest you get a copy of the report.
Good idea I had no idea I could do this

When do you go back to the GI?
8-10 weeks

Most of us start out in a state of confusion while being diagnosed....takes a while.


I'm 100% sure there's something in that bottled water that caused this I just have no idea how to prove its contaminated besides the horrible smell and taste.

It is hard to tell the different between Chrons and Colitis sometimes. You might be one of those cases. In a future Biopsy they may be able to give you a more accurate diagnosis but right now, they probably don't know. Is the medication Lialda? That is a 5ASA. A lot of the people here use them, self included.

Your symptoms could be UC, Chrons or something else. The biopsy results seem to indicate UC or Chrons. I think with those results you are pretty much in the same boat as the rest of us. You have IBD. It is chronic and goes through phases where it is in remission, mild/controlled or moderate/severe. Some people never experience severe symptoms. I had normal BMs for over a year with just a little tiny bit of blood on the paper. I was convinced I had hemmhroids but my dr insisted on a sigmoidoscopy and found a small patch of inflammation. My symtoms were more mild than yours I think. 2-3 BMs a day is more than normal? for me it is...

I am not a doctor, this is just my opinion.

First, I would make another appt with this doc and have him get to the bottom of this. Do not let him rush you out. Have him make time for you. If he won't do it, find another doctor that will. Personally to me it sounds like you have colitis rather than UC. There is a difference. Uc is lifelong (no cure) while colitis can be cured over time. And like you, I have a feeling it was brought on by something in the food or water. The medication I think you are referring to is Lialda? If you do have colitis and not Uc, this med should still be able to help because it is meant to reduce the inflammation in the colon. But this will be of no use to you unless you can find the cause of the colitis (bug/virus etc) and get rid of it.

Thanks for the post Red. I'm just really worried and disappointed in the attention/concern I've received from every doctor so far.

Man the way you mention finding about your UC is pretty much the same way I found out about mine. I also went to the ER a few times and was stuck with thousands of dollars in bills for being prescribed Vicodin. I too felt like I was getting jabbed from the inside with a knife. Pre UC I was just like you where Id have a bowel movement 3-4 times a week.

Anyway I suggest getting a new GI as well. Your GI should answer all your questions regarding your condition and your colonoscopy. You need information about the meds youre taking, what options you have and the course your GI will take to try to get you in remission. I had a bad GI for 5yrs initially who put me on Prednisone for that entire time. Dont make the same mistake as me.

Thank you all. I'm just trying to get better. I may have UC and I'll have to live with that and cope as you all are having to do, but I haven't gotten answers from doctors on anything. Everything has been called mild Colitis, but he stated UC after I asked him over and over what colitis meant for me.

I'd like to clarify normal for me was 2-3 bowel movements a week not 2-3 stool.

Now with colitis bm's are daily with 2-3 multi-colored (brownish).

Again thank you all and I'll keep you updated on here.

It has been 4 years and I am still having many days in denial. I hope you only have C and not UC I didnt know there was a significant difference until I read your postings.

All the best - support from friends and family is soooo important, I wish I had a circle of people where I lived.