none UCers trying to give me 'medical advice'

You should look up the youtube video Things Not To Say to someone with IBD by Sara Ringer. Its called something like that.
and hilarious.

Everyone always offers me "i had a friend with problems like you and it was:"
(Gluten allergy, dairy allergy, pancreas issue, stomach ulcers, some weird bacteria found only in the water of 3rd world countries...)

People don't understand that I have a diagnosis... im just still flaring. Its not something magical that I've never heard of... its UC!

"Is your tummy bothering you again?"

"Oh, that's right, you can't eat spicy foods"

"My brother is lactose intolerant..."

"My sister also has IBS..."

And then of course the worst comment is no comment at all: "(silence, stare)"

LOLOLOL

most people really do care and are sincerely trying to help - unfortunately, they are also extremely unqualified -

oh well - I usually say in my stealthy sarcastic way, "uh no, I never thought of that - i'll give it a try"

Post Edited (soystud) : 2/2/2014 3:40:49 PM (GMT-7)

Fringe benefit of surgery. If anyone tries to give me unsolicited diet or nutrition advice, I give them a big smile and say "Oh, well I don't have a large intestine, so things work differently for me. Thanks!" Usually these are people who know so little that they don't even think a person can SURVIVE without a large intestine, so it shocks and shuts them up.

Best thing to tell people that *think* they know the cure/answers to feeling normal for those with IBD is telling those people how rich they'd be if only their advice was actually valid....people in general don't get that IBD is actually very individual for each patient....especially if the first IBDer they ever meet is mild, they'll assume that every IBDer is, same with if their first encounter is with an IBDer that is severe...sometimes first impressions when it comes to such an individual disease can be the deciding factor for the general public when it comes to their opinions/ideas...they'll only know what it's really like if they ever develop an IBD themselves (usually that's when people find they're eating their own words). Yes, many might have good intentions to be helpful, but they don't realize often they're really not.

It's really horrible how many people told me how jealous they were when I underweight from active disease. It upset me a lot at first but now I just feel bad for them... it goes to show what a screwed up relationship most people have with weight/diet/body image that they thought those comments were appropriate.

I kno right
weight/diet is all everyones concerned about right now. people starve themselves but they don't know how lucky they are.
I'd do anything just to be normal again and eat as much as I like.

I also have "the look" that will stop people on a dime. I only use it on people who have had my situation explained to some extent, have been thanked but told how my body is different from theirs, and who still persist.

For the few poor fools who don't respond to that, I've found this works EVERY time:
"I used to do that, but it gave me explosive bloody diarrhea."

Best way in the world to get rid of those fools.

Oh, and I'm stealing Pluto's response from now on.

Pluot, when I lost 15 pounds in 3 weeks last fall, a co-worker asked if she could lick my doorknob. I said "sure." She never did. Guess she wasn't so obsessed with losing weight that she was willing to slobber on filthy metal in the hopes of 'catching' a weight loss option. I wasn't well enough to bother to correct her view I was contagious.

I had another co-worker who was going through chemo for breast cancer and I was actually asked to not attend a meeting because she would be in attendance and was immuno compromised at the time...she couldn't risk catching what I had. Since I hate meetings, I let it pass without enlightening everyone and considered it a rare benefit of UC.

I used to ALWAYS get it. When this happens I always think to myself "Boy, everyone's a doctor now!" Although, the only person to ever get those educated guesses (only this person, other guesses/opinions were just flat out stupid) was my fiance. We were able to think of a GREAT protocol and what have you for me.

Milk.. right. With colitis and some people are lactose intolerant.. fabulous. Oh and milk makes your bloody product a truck load of mucus.. ever wonder why you have phlegm after a nice tall glass of milk? Yep!

Since I'm vegetarian I have my dad going "you want some *insert meat*.. oh right you can't have any.." thanks dad..