New Member.

Hi FutureMD
I just saw your post and had to reply. I too was just diagnosed with UC about 4 weeks ago. I am 28 years old and 25 weeks pregnant. Just like you I was FLIPPING OUT. I was mad that my body turned against me, worried about what my future was going to be like, wondering if I'd ever feel normal, worried about my baby, etc. I scoured the internet and that made things 1,000 times worse. I read all these horrible stories about how terrible people's lives are, etc. But I also realized that while there are people who have a lot of problems with IBD, there are also many people who only have a few incidences in their entire lives. And worrying about the future is not helping me to live my life right now. I realized how much time I was spending looking at this stuff online and couldn't believe how I had let it consume me the way it had.
My medicine is working and I am pretty much feeling normal. For me, my nerves made me feel so much worse. I stopped worrying a ton about what I am eating and I think eating a balanced diet has helped me to get better faster. I also started taking Align probiotics (my dr gave me a sample) and I think that has helped too. Of course in addition to taking my medicine as prescribed. I am currently doing a Rowasa enema every other night and so far I feel like everything that happend 5 weeks ago is just a memory.
So as a newly diagnosed UC'er - my best piece of advice is to stay off the internet as much as possible, take your meds, take a probiotic, and try your best not to worry. I do like to check in here once in awhile because there are some very encouraging people on here. Don't worry about the future - you can't change it anyways and stressing about it will just make everything worse and prevent you from getting better.

you need a higher dosage amount than just canasa....please call the doc and ask to try Rowasa.

q

Experience is the teacher....and what's on the internet certainly encompasses a wide range of possibilities.

rEgarding meds...I certainly cannot be the ONLY one who's controlled flares and symptoms with oral/rectal 5ASA meds and had such success....but that's not what one would read on the internet.

One has to not bounce all over the place, consistency is a good thing, being proactive in treatment and not bowing to all possibilities of cures.

But again, it all takes time and experience to recognise one's pattern of flares, treatment and maintenance.

As well, life always gets in the way....if one is in a very stessful lifestyle, autoimmune disease will always find a way to intervene. Finding a balance and not having too high expectations of perfection goes a long way.

Patience, acceptance and willingness to try different things without putting out all hope and feeling a miserable failure if it's not successful. All or nothing strategies don't work.

q

I bet you will start to feel better very soon - hang in there!! If you are starting to decrease your meds after 2 weeks I bet that is when you will start to notice a difference.