Hello everyone. I'm new here. But not new to UC
I was first diagnosed with it when I was 14 years old, a freshman in highschool. I was bleeding really bad and in alot of pain at the time, but for some reason, I didn't say anything just kept pushing through. Looking back I have no idea how I did that. My mom finally made a doctor's appointment when she realized how sick I looked (thin-I had lost about 20lbs, greeninsh, couldnt even stand for more than a minute or two). I ended up being hospitalized after going through what seemed like a million tests including endless vials of blood taken (why are you taking MORE of my blood?? haha), and endoscopy and a colonoscopy, barium x-ray thing (sorry, it's been a while), countless doctors and interns poking me and asking me lists of questions, and thats only what I can remember after 14 years. I was in the hospital for 3 days and got 2 blood transfusions. Repeat two weeks later. I ended up on prednisone for 6 months and Asacol. Prednisone totally ruined my life at the time. I gained 40 lbs in a matter of months and still have the stretch marks to prove it.
So after being on meds for that long, my doctor (finally!) took me off the pred (slooowwly) and switched me to 6mp. Somewhere soon after this, I had been feeling great for a while with absolutely no symptoms, so I stopped taking all meds.
I went into remission for 6 years. At 21 I had my first flare. It lasted about a month and wasn't too bad. All I took was aloe vera gelcaps.
Fast forward to Summer 08 (now 26). Another flare, this time much worse. It lasted about 2 months and was much more painful, more bleeding, weight loss, etc. I didnt eat much, and took aloe again, plus acidophilus and flax seed oil. It was horrible while it lasted, and I was really scared I was going to get much sicker (kept checking inside the bottom of my eyes for signs of anemia). But once again, it calmed and I was back in remission.
Now, only a little more than a year later, I find myself in the middle of another pretty bad flare. Some days are better than others, but the bad ones are incredibley painful. It's been about a month now, but has only gotten worse in the last couple weeks. My flares always progress the same:
*mucus spots on stool
*spots of blood on stool
*diarhea with a little blood
*more blood (but not every time)
*cramping
*loss of appetite and nausea
Last weekend the cramping was so bad it made my eyes water and caused instant nausea. I've lost about 6lbs in the last two weeks. I'm hopeful though. Before now I had never told anyone about my problem so the only person who knew was my mom. I just told my boyfriend this week, and it was a huge relief! I always wondered how I would handle it if I flared while dating someone. I didnt tell him all the details, or the name of it, but it was still great to let someone know that I really am sick.
I am so glad I found this message board. I've had UC for half my life, and have never talked to anyone about it. It's really comforting to know there are people who literally know exactly what it's like to deal with this.
Thank you for reading:)