What is the best way to explain UC to someone?

Sometimes I have trouble talking about my UC because I'm too embarrassed to explain it. Usually it's okay with teachers because I can say I have Colitis and they'll know what it is, my Social Studies teacher even told me his brothers has it, but most people my own age don't know.

The first person I told about it after being diagnosed was a friend I was close to, and she didn't know what a colon was or what inflammed means, and then she asked how the tested for Colitis and I didn't really want to explain what a colonoscopy was so I just said using blood tests.

Anyways, usually I just tell people I have a digestive disorder that causes stomach pains but I'm afraid to go into the actual details. Is there a nice way to explain to people without shocking them?

I just tell them that I have chronic diarrhea. If they want to know more I tell them Mr Colon is constantly inflamed.

When I can't eat something I tell them I have food intolerances.

I just say chronic inflammation in the large intestine.

I also stay away from the more gruesome details, when people ask I generally don't think they are looking for a detailed explanation.

I just say autoimmune condition and GI. If they can't figure it out from that, oh well.

I think younger people are more likely to understand the term large intestine than colon. I would say something like "My body attacks my large intestine. It's like having food poisoning all the time." (good one handfulofrain). especially because then people will be like "Do you throw up?" and then you say "no..." and then they know you mean diarrhea, but, like, it's not your fault for being gross because they asked.

Most people, even teenagers, can relate to food poisoning. For a colonoscopy you could say that they use a camera to look inside your large intestine. I am all for telling the unvarnished truth but teenagers are immature a-holes, if you mention your butt they're just going to laugh instead of being sympathetic (some people my age are this way too )

I had this problem a few days ago. I met up with a friend from college who knew me when I was healthy. I had told him before we hung out on Tuesday that I had UC and was sick a lot, but that's kind of how we left it. he wanted to go out for frozen yogurt so I said i'd go with him but couldn't get anything. when we were there, he was NON-STOP pestering me about trying some and how he would treat me. i'm like "this wont be a treat. trust me. i'm lactose intolerant." I figured that would shut him up but no, he kept going on and on. I didn't wanna be mean since he'd come over an hour away to see me, but come on man! why do people try to force others to eat things? is it just me or is that weird, disrespectful, controlling, and psychotic?

anyway, I had some blue daquari flavored (tasted like butt sugar) and have felt like crap ever since.

I didn't wanna go into details about my disease, but I should've just said to his face- "just know I will be thinking of you the next few days (and probably forever) in a very negative way."

I guess I got mean in my old age. When people pester me to eat something that doesn't agree with me (and they know i have UC)especially while flaring I tell them "sure I can try it, but I will literally be peeing blood out of my butt for days if i do!" That usually stops them.

I have no patience for people that try to push food on me lol

But usually I just tell people that I have an auto immune condition that attacks my large intestine. And to imagine having a stomach virus for months on end. That I have one continuous ulcer and I'm just not well and some foods just don't agree with me. If they want to know more I tell them.

Lol I just tell them straight up. I am less and less self conscious about it as I go because it's just part of me you know. I don't really care if people were to judge me for it.

I can relate to the food thing it drives me mad when people don't get why I'm not gonna eat something. A lot of the time I say I'm allergic lol. But yeah, If they aren't a close friend etc I say I have allergies to foods if they are close I tell them straight. Sometimes ill tell ppl I meet who seem mature enough to hear it lol

Milky- that is crazy you have to explain why you don't want cheese lol. It's like, so what if you don't like it, why does it need to matter to anyone else. I, for instance, cannot eat peanut butter no matter what. And people always are like "how do you live without it" I'm like "I can't stand it" lol. I love peanut butter but my gut freaking hates it. I get crazy pain from it so I don't care if people think I'm crazy for avoiding it. Lol 😊

Am I just a shut-in or am I the only one who's never had this dilemma? Literally never once had to explain Crohn's to anybody. Now I think about it I'm probably just a shut-in, though.

In my experience, people don't give a carrot about health problems that aren't theirs or their children's. I'd gladly tell people what Crohn's or UC is if they asked me, so send your nosy friends my way and I'll enlighten them.

quincy said...

I also say..."my butt rules my life. If it's happy, I'm good.

That's so true. You can literally look in my face when I come out of my bathroom and see how it was. When I smile I had a good bm, when I'm close to crying it was bad and bloody.

While I don't have the UC dx I struggle in similar ways, I've learned over 14+ years to provide one simple sentence to attempt an explanation why I use a bathroom a lot or have to eat/not eat a certain way.

For me I say: I had a colon resection due to cancer and now need to use a bathroom, many times a day.

And then I smile.

Come up with a short explanation for the first part of my sentence to fit your description and finish your sentence similar to mine.

As soon as I say my brief explanation, either a light bulb comes on or at the very least it flickers a few times but the people who say - can't you just take a pill for that - I just smile once again and say either - well don't you think in 14 years time I'd have thought of that? Or I say - been there, done that. My situation is as it is. In my case if I say - at least I survived cancer, that shuts them up each and every time.

The normal colon folks do not really want to understand what any of us go thru - be it Chron's, Colitis, IBS, someone with an ostomy. They want to hear - oh yes, I poop once a day like you do.

Sometimes I do lie and as a general rule and my personal principles go, I am 99.9% honest but if someone is really bugging me about my situation, I just minimize it. Because I'll NEVER get them to understand in a million years.

Oh here's one more way shut people up - I grab my abdomen and say - yeah, my life is anything but normal. There was only one person I wished my health situation upon and he's dead now, Bin Laden. Wow, the times I've said that, no one uttered a word but only nodded their heads.

I give up on those with normal colons. Truly I have given up. But I didn't arrive at this position right away, years 1 thru probably 5 or 6 post-cancer I tried to enlighten people and was on a personal crusade to get people to have colonoscopies (last count I was personally responsible for having 14 friends/neighbors have procedures). Now I just don't pester anyone, why? I hate when they pester me to be more normal.

Sometimes I say - you just go be normal and I'll go deal with my health the best way I know how to.

Well, there's a lengthy reply and part rant. Guess I have pent up feelings towards those with normal colons!

I tell them straight up, in steps.

"I have colitis."
"What's that?"
"Chronic inflamed colon."
"What's that?"
"It means I have to go to the bathroom all the time and don't know when it's going to hit. And there's cramps and other worse stuff."
"What?"
"Just Google it."