Unusual symptoms?

Hello everyone,

After three years of terrible stomach problems, I've been diagnosed with UC four months ago. The problem is I've been experiencing some symptoms since the very beginning that are not usually used to describe UC . For example, my first symptoms were pain in the upper abdomen, frequent vomiting, stabbing rectal pain, and periods with 3-5 stools per day, almost never diarrhea, and periods of constipation. After that I started having a feeling of fullness under my left rib cage, terrible lower back pain, lower left abdomen pain, and testicular pain. Actually only my left testicle hurt, but it hurt so bad I had trouble sitting. I went to see a urologist who performed an examination and did an ultrasound of my stomach, and found nothing wrong. Then, this summer I started vomiting again, and soon there was blood in my stool. I went to see a surgeon who did an examination, and started treating me for hemorrhoids. When the bleeding didn't stop for almost three weeks, I had a colonoscopy done. Two samples of tissue were taken for biopsy, and I was diagnosed with UC. My doctor said that the bleeding still might be caused by hemorrhoids. I started taking Sulfasalazine 2x500mg + 1x1000mg per day, and a diet recommanded for UC, and after a month of therapy I felt great for the first time in 3 years. Unfortunately, the symptoms are back now. 3-5 stools per day, testicular pain, lower left abdomen pain, and rectal pain. It's not as bad as it used to be, but I'm so tired of pain, doctors, well everything... Oh yeah, I know this may not be the nicest thing, but when I have a bowel movement I can't feel if I'm done or not. It often happens that I have to go to the bathroom right after I've already been, because I can't really tell if I'm done. Does that happen to anyone else? Does anyone else experience testicular pain and vomiting? I believe that stress was a trigger for my disease, and right now it's giving me even more stress. I don't want to sound like I complain too much, but I could really use some advice by somebody who understands what I'm going through. Colectomy is my worst fear. How does one become a candidate for that? :( I am a 28 year old male, smoker, no other history of disease, and no UC in the family.

Welcome to the forum. I agree with Sherry. Rectal meds will help with the pain and bleeding if its not caused by hemmies and the bentyl for the pain. Other people have experienced vomitting however I am not one of them so I can't give you advice regarding that. You have a ways to go before even thinking about Colectomy so don't even start worrying about that. I would definetely call your doctor and get some rectal meds asap.

Dach,

The testicular pain is likely related to spasms in the distal colon. Not surprising when the diagnosis is ulcerative colitis, eh? The pain is referred. I had these symptoms prior to the time that my disease became evident. Other of your symptoms, the "fullness" could be attributable to intestinal gas. The sense that you can't tell whether you're finished a bowel movement is almost certainly a consequence of inflammation. But most important, you have a determination that you have ulcerative colitis.

First, don't panic, you're a long way from a colectomy. I'm a little surprised that sulfasalazine has been recommended for you and not one of the 5ASAs. Sulfasalazine is an anachronism and is rarely prescribed for ulcerative colitis going in these days. It has a much greater potential of causing side effects than the 5ASAs. And just so you are absolutely clear on this, stress doesn't cause ulcerative colitis. The symptoms of ulcerative colitis may make you feel anxious and can be exacerbated by stress but they are not caused by it, period.

I think you need to be under the care of a board certified gastroenterologist on at least 3600mg of Asacol and probably either a mesalamine suppository or enema depending on how extensive the inflammation and bleeding are. Did your physician tell you how extensive it was? I suspect that you have pancolitis, not merely distal disease. Here's a url that will offer you some perspective:

http://www.clevelandclinicmeded.com/medicalpubs/diseasemanagement/gastroenterology/inflammatory-bowel-disease/

     Sounds like inflammation in the rectum too.  I had UP and everytime I went to the toilet it never felt like I quite emptied...very uncomfortable.

Welcome to the forum Dach,

I had the feeling of fullness and pain under my rib cage along with the vomiting before I was diagnosed.. After many rounds of blood work my GI doc saw that there was also some sort of infection in my stomach to go along with the UC... antibiotics made all of those symptoms go away in a couple of weeks...

I think you need a GI doctor pronto... let them do fresh blood work and start from there...
Also, I am a big promoter of supplements... you can read my signature and see what all I know helps me... A lot of us on here take supplements... and the pain that you have will hopefully go away when you get your flare under control. :)

And as Capt Ca-Ca said, don't panic... you have many other treatments that you can try before worrying about the surgery route...

Panic will lead to more stress, which will lead to more symptoms and pain...
This is all still fairly new to you and probably alittle overwhelming, but sit back, take a breath and read this forum... you will get alot of encouragement and understanding here, whinners welcome! And you will also find some great ideas to try...

Hey dude, you sound just like me man.

I have this goddarn neverending pain, and I always come here and post when I have it lol.

Hmm, Yeah I have on average, 4-6 BMs a day, with 1-2 at night/mid-early morning

They are formed, but they hurt, but I can get a partial sense of doneness, not fully though, never have for 6 years.

I get random bits of blood from time to time as well, but its never the whole toilet, just on wiping or bits and pieces of it in the stool.

Maxxed out on oral and rectal mesalamines currently.