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Ulcerative Colitis at 22!

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Posted 7/24/2013 10:55 PM (GMT 0)
Hello everyone I was recently diagnosed with UC a month ago at the age of 22. My life pretty much revolved around the gym and school. I weighed 170 pounds before having to make a trip to the hospital a night after binge drinking with the symptoms.( I know stupid but I'm in college) The hospital trip was not originally for my symptoms but actually for dehydration that I thought was caused by alcohol. It was when I was there that I decided to tell them about the other things happening with my body. I was living with the UC for about 3 months and that day was the first time I actually tried to consult a doctor about the bloody stools, etc...The GI doctor decided to keep me overnight and perform a colonoscopy the next morning. For anyone reading this that hasn't had a colonoscopy you are extremely lucky because the crap you have to drink before hand is TERRIBLE. Lol. Anyways from the colonoscopy the GI doctor saw some of the colitis and diagnosed me with a mild form of UC. I have no family history of this disease so I was curious of how this could happen. The doctor said that my UC was actually caused by too much protein intake!! It was a shocker and now I'm upset with myself for not maintaining a healthy diet that could digest the amount of protein I was putting into my body. I've recently been taking a low dose of uceris that really hasn't helped my flare up. Its lowered my bathroom use but I still have bloody stools. My weight has also gone down to around 157. UC really is tough on a person mentally and I have new found respect of people living with this. Now I'm apart of the team. Anyways I have a few questions that hopefully some of you could answer for me.
I currently take a small dose of adderall every now and then for my school work. The doctor said it was safe to take with uceris but I'm wandering if its hindering my bodies ability to ease the flare up?
Also, can UC get worse as you age?

Thank you for reading,
Luke

Post Edited (Luke1791) : 7/24/2013 4:59:15 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 7/24/2013 11:03 PM (GMT 0)
UC gets worse on a lot of things. Stress is one of them. When i was 15 i was also diagnosed with mild colitis. I am turning 18 in two months and up to my descending colon i have severe colitis. the rest of my colon is mild to moderate.
Posted 7/24/2013 11:06 PM (GMT 0)
have you tried taking a break from drinking?

a couple of drinks on a night out would even still be fine, but binge drinking in the middle of a bad flare probably isn't going to help you much...
Posted 7/24/2013 11:10 PM (GMT 0)
Welcome to the forum!

I started having UC symptoms at age 19, and got my diagnosis when I turned 21. The disease actually starts most often between the ages of 15 and 25, so you're not an unusual case. Most folks on this forum have had a colonoscopy or a flex sig, so you're not alone. I hate doing prep for colonoscopies!

I'm surprised that your doctor told you that your UC was caused by eating too much protein. Most of us have no idea how our UC started, or we have clues but nothing definitive.

Are you seeing a GI specialist? If you give us an idea of where you live/go to school, I'm sure people will have recommendations. You need a GI who specializes in UC.

I'm surprised that you're only on Uceris. Many folks are started on some form of mesalamine, which is a topical anti-inflammatory (that is most often taken in pill form--the pill coating doesn't dissolve until the large intestine). Asacol HD, Delzicol, Lialda, Colazal, and Aspiro are all versions of the pill form, and Canasa and Rowasa are the suppository and enema forms. For many people, this class of drugs is extremely effective, and they have very few side effects.

For now, focus on resting, staying hydrated, and eating foods that don't make you feel worse. Liquids are better than solids, but bland solid food is good, too. When I was dealing with this at school, I ate mostly white rice and drank a lot of apple juice.

From what I've been told, UC often gets less severe as you get older, but my UC has mostly gotten harder to manage every time it flares up. My advice? Don't stop taking medication. I stopped taking Asacol (SUPER easy maintenance med, no side effects) and if I hadn't, I might not have flared up so badly after getting into remission.
Posted 7/24/2013 11:42 PM (GMT 0)
You will definitely find out if you stay on this forum awhile, everyone is completely different. Mine started out really severe and now it's extremely mild. Stay healthy and don't worry about worse case scenarios.
Posted 7/25/2013 12:10 AM (GMT 0)
Talk to your DR about mesalamine enemas and an oral mesalamine. And learn about where your colon is inflamed, too. Welcome to the forum!
Posted 7/25/2013 12:16 AM (GMT 0)

handfulofrain said...
have you tried taking a break from drinking?

a couple of drinks on a night out would even still be fine, but binge drinking in the middle of a bad flare probably isn't going to help you much...

I actually haven't drank a drop of alcohol since my diagnosis!
Posted 7/25/2013 12:19 AM (GMT 0)
I have never heard of UC being caused by eating too much protein. I have to respectfully say that your doctor has been snorting a little too much coke. If I were you I would search the internet to see if you can find any evidence of UC being caused by eating too much protein. I doubt you will find anything anywhere. It's hard to make progress on this disease as it is without having to start off with totally false information.
Posted 7/25/2013 12:20 AM (GMT 0)
I live in Denton, TX and I am currently seeing a GI specialist. The colonoscopy revealed that I only have inflammation on the left side of my colon. Thanks for the replies!
Posted 7/25/2013 12:24 AM (GMT 0)

garylouisville said...
I have never heard of UC being caused by eating too much protein. I have to respectfully say that your doctor has been snorting a little too much coke. If I were you I would search the internet to see if you can find any evidence of UC being caused by eating too much protein. I doubt you will find anything anywhere. It's hard to make progress on this disease as it is without having to start off with totally false information.

I was honestly caught off guard when she told me thats what "could have" caused it. My protein intake was through the roof. I would drink a shake in the morning and after workout. All my meals consisted of red meat, chicken, tuna, milk, potatoes, etc...This is why I believed her when she told me that was the cause.
Posted 7/25/2013 12:30 AM (GMT 0)
I'll have to backtrack just a little bit. Even though it is possible that a major change in diet could have been a factor in you coming down with UC, there is no proof of that anywhere that eating too much protein causes UC. I seriously doubt you will find any hard or soft evidence of it even being a possibility and your doctor is being totally irresponsible for pulling that out of her ass. She didn't read that in any textbook anywhere. She just pulled it out of thin air and made it up. If you ask 100 doctors if your diet had anything to do with you coming down with UC, 99 of them will laugh.
Posted 7/25/2013 1:13 AM (GMT 0)

garylouisville said...
I'll have to backtrack just a little bit. Even though it is possible that a major change in diet could have been a factor in you coming down with UC, there is no proof of that anywhere that eating too much protein causes UC. I seriously doubt you will find any hard or soft evidence of it even being a possibility and your doctor is being totally irresponsible for pulling that out of her ass. She didn't read that in any textbook anywhere. She just pulled it out of thin air and made it up. If you ask 100 doctors if your diet had anything to do with you coming down with UC, 99 of them will laugh.

It was quite odd man. I'm just curious of what can cause this. I work out every single day and take my multivitamins then this crap happens! What do you think the causes could be if I have no family history? I'm an accounting major so I usually like to have an answer for anything that happens lol thats why I hate hearing that I've been diagnosed with something but have no clue what caused it.
Posted 7/25/2013 1:22 AM (GMT 0)

woofwoof said...
I got hit with UC at the same age as you Luke. And it was rough. Living with it had its ups and downs. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to use alternative meds back then. All the meds my GI put me on were nothing but trash. I'm stuck with a j pouch now and there's no turning back. And believe me Luke, you don't want to do that. There's a night and day difference between having a colon and not having a colon. In many ways I've adjusted to living with no colon. But I still wish I was in your boots now and could try all the alternatives I could get my hands on. Back in my days, they just didn't exist, but neither did the internet. My only diet was what my GI suggested too.

I'm sorry to hear that and you are correct I really do not want to end up with a J pouch. Did you notice any alleviation in the symptoms whenever you changed your diet? I've noticed that red meat really messes with my system. I'm really hoping that the medicines will work and like you said luckily they have some I can test out. Thank you for sharing! I can already tell the I will need to adjust some of things I do in my life as well.
Posted 7/25/2013 1:28 AM (GMT 0)
Hey Luke,

1) Sorry to hear about the diagnosis... It's tough to go through this at that age... or more so "shocking" as it changes a lot of things that are hard to deal with. Was about that age for me when I was struck with this.

2) In regards to the protein intake, your morning and after workout shakes - Did you take flavored protein? Like Vanilla or Chocolate?

I'm curious because when I was struck this was one thing that always stood out in my mind over the years. I was I was taking the same - two shakes a day (strawberry flavored). Looking back I can't help but wonder if the artificial sweeteners sort of threw things over the edge so to speak. Not really the actual protein. These artificial sweeteners combined with beer/alcohol/fast food/excessive work and stress and wham... I was hit.

Anyway - Where you taking just plain unflavored powder or did you buy and take a lot of flavored?
Posted 7/25/2013 1:37 AM (GMT 0)
It is hard to understand how you come down with something like UC when you are so healthy, I felt the same way 15 years ago, but healthy people come down with disease all the time. The cause of UC is unknown. Some people have a family history of UC, but as far as I know, most do not. I do not. Don't beat yourself up trying to figure out what you might have done in your life to get UC. And it wasn't your protein intake!
Find the best GI in your area, it doesn't sound like your current GI is going to be found on any best of lists. I stuck with a mediocre GI for too long out of convenience, don't make that mistake.
Posted 7/25/2013 1:46 AM (GMT 0)
Luke I came down with UC during my 2nd trimester of pregnancy and I went through every scenario as to how this could have happened to me. My Dr. says they don't really know what causes UC.
I was on Accutane as a teen, but always had a weak stomach - esp. during intense workouts I got what is referred to as "runners colitis", drank diet coke as a primary beverage since 1982 (i'm 36 now) - could that be what caused this?
One of my former classmates just had her colon removed and we have similar backgrounds. Was it our mid-western upbringing? We worked at Sonic together. Eating the burgers/ff there all the time? Another friend who worked there has Celiac now too.
It's so strange how this could happen and you look around at all of the people who have it but also those who eat/live worse health-wise and they don't have any digestive issues at all.

Hope you feel better soon.
Posted 7/25/2013 1:49 AM (GMT 0)
I also hear for the first time the possible relation between protein intake and ulcerative colitis. When I was 16, I started going to the gym and take protein powder (chocolate flavoured). After 1,5 month I developed pancreatitis and after 2 years ulcerative colitis. Protein supplementation was assumed to be a trigger for pancreatitis, but I never imagined about its relation with ulcerative colitis.
Posted 7/25/2013 1:50 AM (GMT 0)

Canada Mark said...
Hey Luke,

1) Sorry to hear about the diagnosis... It's tough to go through this at that age... or more so "shocking" as it changes a lot of things that are hard to deal with. Was about that age for me when I was struck with this.

2) In regards to the protein intake, your morning and after workout shakes - Did you take flavored protein? Like Vanilla or Chocolate?

I'm curious because when I was struck this was one thing that always stood out in my mind over the years. I was I was taking the same - two shakes a day (strawberry flavored). Looking back I can't help but wonder if the artificial sweeteners sort of threw things over the edge so to speak. Not really the actual protein. These artificial sweeteners combined with beer/alcohol/fast food/excessive work and stress and wham... I was hit.

Anyway - Where you taking just plain unflavored powder or did you buy and take a lot of flavored?


Hey Mark,
From what you are describing it seems like we may be in the same boat. All of the protein powders I was taking were artificially sweetened either with vanilla or chocolate. Then at nights I would drink quite a bit and then head to a fast food joint for some late night grub. My diet also consisted of a TON of milk. I went through about a gallon of skim milk a week.
Do you workout often? If so do you still drink post workout shakes? I just started my workout routine again this week and eat a ham sandwich after. Not really interested in protein shakes after what the doc told me but after reading some of the comments on here it looks like too much protein isn't the cause...
Posted 7/25/2013 1:58 AM (GMT 0)

Gonk said...
It is hard to understand how you come down with something like UC when you are so healthy, I felt the same way 15 years ago, but healthy people come down with disease all the time. The cause of UC is unknown. Some people have a family history of UC, but as far as I know, most do not. I do not. Don't beat yourself up trying to figure out what you might have done in your life to get UC. And it wasn't your protein intake!
Find the best GI in your area, it doesn't sound like your current GI is going to be found on any best of lists. I stuck with a mediocre GI for too long out of convenience, don't make that mistake.


Thank you for the advice! I know I beat myself up about it but I've been an athlete all my life and I'm very health conscious thats why it gets to me. I've read from other posts that I should probably look for another specialist too...guess its time to change. Lol
Posted 7/25/2013 2:05 AM (GMT 0)
I'm just starting to now again... after all these years. I was always thin by nature, but back then I went from say 150+- down to 97 pounds at my worst... was crazy. Although I could actually bench 175 easily at that weight pre-UC - now I struggle at 100lbs but getting better each time finally. At my worst I couldn't even bench 65 pounds...

It can hit hard and sap your strength for some people... other not so much. As has been pointed out everyone is different. There's a few on here that work out like crazy. Not sure if their strength was effected or not.

I have zero issues with a high protein diet (meats, tuna, chicken) they all work for me. I recently (about two months ago) added protein shakes with plain unflavored and have had zero issues as well. I just mix it with Orange juice and water. Or make a fresh smoothie with it by using frozen fruit and honey as a sweetener. I buy the expensive stuff though... just cause well.. I'm not sure. I feel better buying it though it may be a waste of cash.

In any case maybe ask others on here or search protein powder and see if others react to it... then decide if you want to try it.
Posted 7/25/2013 2:08 AM (GMT 0)
Oh yeah - my post workout meal is usually a can of tuna with some gluten free or home made mayo, onions, celery and sometimes rice pasta as it doesn't bother me. Probably a heck of a lot more healthy than the powders and such. But in the mornings I like to have a shake as mentioned above.
Posted 7/25/2013 2:11 AM (GMT 0)

Adventureuc said...
Luke I came down with UC during my 2nd trimester of pregnancy and I went through every scenario as to how this could have happened to me. My Dr. says they don't really know what causes UC.
I was on Accutane as a teen, but always had a weak stomach - esp. during intense workouts I got what is referred to as "runners colitis", drank diet coke as a primary beverage since 1982 (i'm 36 now) - could that be what caused this?
One of my former classmates just had her colon removed and we have similar backgrounds. Was it our mid-western upbringing? We worked at Sonic together. Eating the burgers/ff there all the time? Another friend who worked there has Celiac now too.
It's so strange how this could happen and you look around at all of the people who have it but also those who eat/live worse health-wise and they don't have any digestive issues at all.

Hope you feel better soon.


I'm sorry to hear that you were diagnosed during a pregnancy that must have been a lot to manage! I never did drink many sodas but yes i did eat a lot of burgers and fries. Do you think red meat could be cause? Steaks and burgers are my favorite foods. For the health part I COMPLETELY agree with you! This was the healthiest I had been in my life I weighed 170 pounds with 6 % body fat. Once I was diagnosed I dropped a ton of weight and after about a month I weigh 157. It just goes to show that this disease is weirdly spontaneous among all people healthy or unhealthy. I can't believe your friend had to get their colon taken out at 36? Were none of the medicines working?
Posted 7/25/2013 2:12 AM (GMT 0)
Luke,

As to the working out, I have always been an athlete and I still am. At age 43 I am in the best shape of my life despite going through my worst flare the past 4 months (on the mend now). For me, and this is not the case for everyone (nothing is!), working out provided a relief for me from my UC, even at my worst. So, for me it was, and is, important not to miss any workouts, it gives me relief, makes me forget about the UC for an hour or two, and keeps me strong and otherwise healthy. Hopefully you will find your UC does not affect your athletics too.
Posted 7/25/2013 2:16 AM (GMT 0)

King of the Toilet said...
I also hear for the first time the possible relation between protein intake and ulcerative colitis. When I was 16, I started going to the gym and take protein powder (chocolate flavoured). After 1,5 month I developed pancreatitis and after 2 years ulcerative colitis. Protein supplementation was assumed to be a trigger for pancreatitis, but I never imagined about its relation with ulcerative colitis.


I love the name! haha
Thats interesting I'm going to look into that. And yes a lot of people are saying that the too much protein thing was just her "bull crapting" me.
Posted 7/25/2013 2:24 AM (GMT 0)

Gonk said...
Luke,

As to the working out, I have always been an athlete and I still am. At age 43 I am in the best shape of my life despite going through my worst flare the past 4 months (on the mend now). For me, and this is not the case for everyone (nothing is!), working out provided a relief for me from my UC, even at my worst. So, for me it was, and is, important not to miss any workouts, it gives me relief, makes me forget about the UC for an hour or two, and keeps me strong and otherwise healthy. Hopefully you will find your UC does not affect your athletics too.


This makes me feel better. Working out is one of my favorite hobbies, it's what I do when I'm tired of studying or just need to take my mind off of things. Can you tell me what supplements you take or if any? Also can you describe to me what a bad flare up is? I'm pretty sure I'm going through one right now too.
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