How long have you had UC?

I was diagnosed 23+ years ago. I strongly suspect I had it for over 2 years before that, after the assult of whatever caused the severe diarrhea/weight loss initially.

I was diagnosed at age 34
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1980 I was 32,been in same flare since 1986. Gave up on doc's around 1983,

really gave up on GI doc's in 2000 when my son lost his colon.

Although believe modern surgery is a  miracle.
Old Mike

Post Edited (Old Mike) : 8/18/2012 5:33:51 AM (GMT-6)

i feel like i've had IBD for a while but wasn't diagnosed until i was 17- so almost 6 years ago. i suffered from severe IBS with constipation most of my life and basically lived off of laxatives. if that didn't contribute to my diagnosis, then i'm positive a case of shigella did.

It's my 10th anniversary this year.

I have had UC for 19 years. I was diagnosed when my daughter was a little over 1 year old.

I was diagnosed with UC back in 1961. I had just turned 16. I am now 66. So I have had UC for fifty years. I do well now and for some reason my UC became less severe when I hit menopause. In 1961, it took them two weeks to even diagnose, with several barium enemas, no colonoscopies then. I spent a month in the hospital, and had six blood transfusions. The only med that worked for me as there were very few options back then was cortisone, later to be called prednisone. I was on 80 mg, had full blown moonface. Back then they told my parents they were not sure what the long term effects of steroids would be but I did not care. I so wanted to be able to be "normal." The journey at times was hard as my worse years were between 16 and 36 years old. But I was able to go to college, teach, and live a successful life. What I did not have was a support group. Up until I was in my late thirties, I never met/knew one person with IBD. Then I worked with a colleague who had a sister with Crohn's. We were co teaching a college course and I had to cover for him when he had to leave to transport his sister to the hospital.
And then sometime in the last decade I found healingwell.com. I don't post so often since I am more or less in remission for much of the time now (I still get occasional flares but they are less severe and shorter in duration). But I still get a colonoscopy yearly as the colon cancer risk goes up each decade with the disease. Just had my last one in March and it was good. I am thankful for those with IBD to have this place but I still wish there was more public awareness and support for those who suffer with this disease.
For those of you who are young and dealing with this, ask me any questions any time. I want to be someone who can attest to the fact that you can live and enjoy life even while dealing with such a, at times, debilitating disease.

I am a newer one it seems, I've been dealing with UC for 6-7 years. I've always had a sensitive stomach but it was never a problem until the blood started about 6 years ago.

Officially diagnosed 7 years ago but was having symptoms at least 1 year before that. I have always had IBS since I was high school age.

20 years for me (diagnosed in '92 - age 22 years)....I never even had an inkling of idea that I was going to get it. I was regular, never had a bad "tummy" but after the birth of my son, bam! Hello Uc!

I am a 43 year old female. The short answer is 31 years. At age 12 I had a a bout of mucus and blood stools. Doctor didn't know what it was and ordered me to drink buttermilk which I could only stomach for 2 days. After a week the mucus and blood went away. I didn't think anymore about it until the age of 19. It started again but this time the symptoms didn't go away. Became very sick and was hospitalized and diagnosed. I have had the same GI doctor now for 24 years. Colonoscopy's every two years for awhile and now yearly.

I recently (and it has truly been a godsend) came across this forum. I cannot believe I was so oblivious to a lot of the knowledge out there. The last few years I noticed my hair thinning and that is how I came across this forum. I truly thought it was stress as I had just left my 2 term Mayor position. I had no idea it was the Lialda. I read everything I could on every subject here. Wow. I have been so lucky. Diet never seemed to affect me. Mine was all stress related. I started out on sulfasalazine, then Asacol, then Lialda, then Rowosa and now just cort enemas. Currently on prednisone due to a flare last week that I just couldn't shake. I have lost about half the thickness of my hair but luckily had a big mop on top so really no one has noticed but me. DR said it was a rare side effect of prolonged use of steroids.......rare. After educating myself here I have found that not to be true. Also, I was under the impression that maybe one day I may have to get a bad part of my intestine cut out because of the disease. I was way off there. When the doc talked of surgery I had no idea he meant the whole thing. I do not want surgery. My dr never spoke of probiotics or offered them. In the last week I have gone gluten and lactose free, ordered slippery elm (because of what I read here...and can you believe my nurse had never heard of it?) and will start taking the script probiotic this eve.

I can't express my thanks enough to this forum. In the past I had always thought this was a nuisance that bothered me from time to time. Now I am tackling it as the serious disease that it is.

Diagnoses October 1998 at the age of 25

Little over 5 years--symptoms started at the end of high school and diagnosed a couple weeks before starting college.