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Living with UC and IBS

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 2/4/2014 8:18 PM (GMT 0)
Anyone on here living with UC and IBS and constantly not feeling well? I don't ever feel "normal" My stomach always makes noises and I think its more the IBS than the UC but my GI doc won't listen to me. I have bloody mucous discharge and i've been putting off having children till I "get better" but I feel like that will never happen. I eat fruits or veggies with every meal, steel cut oats. My doc has changed up my meds but nothing seems to work. He prescribed me 3 800 MG asacol twice a day, 2 colace pills once a day and 25 MG amitriptyline. I feel like he thinks its in my head but my stomach is constantly irritated and bloated and I don't know what to do to help it. I also drink about a gallon of water every day. I was taking Lexapro for my IBS but it started making me bleed so I got off it. I turn 30 in April and my husband and I had agreed to start a family no later than then but I don't know if I can when I feel this bad every day. Is this just what normal life is like for a person with both of these conditions?
Posted 2/4/2014 8:50 PM (GMT 0)
Personally, I think you're treatment plan is totally messed up. It's like a bunch of tangled wires that you would have to untangle first before you could even start a new treatment plan. Some will disagree with me but I seriously wonder about your IBS diagnosis. Sometimes doctors just pull this out of their ass when they don't know what to do. You may not even have IBS. Do you actually need to take the antidepressant or are you just doing it for the IBS? Do you have hard stools and constipation and that's why you're taking the Colace? I could never eat a bunch of fruits,veggies, and oats without making my UC much worse. I also couldn't drink that much water per day. You say your doc has changed up meds but nothing seems to work. What is your med history? Some patients make the mistake of thinking that if you eat healthier it will be better for your UC. Sometimes the exact opposite happens. Some get better by eating healthier and some don't.
Posted 2/4/2014 8:55 PM (GMT 0)
Go to the store and get an align or tuzen probiotic. They fix +90% of IBS symptoms.
Posted 2/4/2014 8:56 PM (GMT 0)
There is lots of info for you on this site, and many who suffer from both IBS and UC. I'll assume you have had the UC confirmed via biopsy/colonoscopy. The IBS is tricky, because the symptoms vary and diet seems even more important than with UC. Why the Colace? Think you need a new GI. They told my daughter it was both IBS and UC, and when the UC wS in remission, all else was great. Think you too could be misdiagnosed...wondering why the blood from that med too....
Posted 2/4/2014 9:13 PM (GMT 0)
I was diagnosed with UC in 2009 and it runs in both sides of my family. My mother and brother both have IBS and we all have the same symptoms. In 2009 I was put on asacol and it was like night and day. I went from size zero being big on me to a size three. I felt a ton better but I was still going to the bathroom 12 - 15 times a day and anemic. It was normal just intense feeling when I had to go..never hard never loose. I still had mucous and GI doc wasn't listening to me so in 2012 I switched to this new doc and he changed my dosage and put me on 40 MG steroids for month then wean off second month... That was horrible but it seemed to work then months later I was in the same place.. The colace was so that I could hopefully get everything out in the morning since I live in the bathroom and while it has cut down the number of trips I still do find myself running to the bathroom and having an upset/nauseated/bloated/irritated stomach. The blood comes and goes and my doc said that's not UC. I've also tried probiotics but they didn't do a thing. I'm also planning a trip overseas in a couple months and i'm getting anxiety about traveling and not having a toilet. I've always had anxiety but prednisone intensifies it so he prescribed me lexapro for IBS and to help with anxiety...it didn't a thing for either and made me sick. I finally bought a bottle of folic acid pills to start taking which I was supposed to be taking since 2012 but I hate all these pills! I get so mad and angry at this situation I just wish someone would help me. :(
Posted 2/4/2014 10:19 PM (GMT 0)
You would benefit by seeing if diet modification helped you. Fruits are very bad for my UC/IBS as well as oats. Not all veggies are good either.

Have you ever kept a food journal to see what symptoms you have based on what you ate?
Forget asking doctors, they have little training in diet and how it affects out guts.
And if my doctor ever made me think he didn't take me seriously (all in my head) I'd get another doctor pronto.

Common food problems are: wheat/gluten, dairy, sugars including fruit and high fructose corn syrup. It took me over a year to reduce my symptoms but what a difference it made for me. No bleeding in over 1.5 years, no gas, no urgency (unless I drink caffeine but I do love it).

If I can look up a couple IBS books I'll try to post them.
Posted 2/4/2014 10:31 PM (GMT 0)
I think I would get another GI and start from square one.
Posted 2/4/2014 10:35 PM (GMT 0)
Yes, food does affect me but the things on my list are exactly what IBS people suffer from and then a few. I can't drink coffee anymore, chips are really hard on me, chocolate makes my stomach hurt and then there are veggies that give me gas..broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower. My family doctor told me to try a whole foods and gluten free diet but I work full time and its so hard to switch to whole foods. I'm so tired at the end of the day I don't feel like preparing everything from scratch so sometimes I just don't eat so I won't get sick but now that's not working either. I think having an empty stomach is starting to take a wear and tear on my intestinal linings. I can feel the acidity aggravating me... Tums do help but not for long. I also tried a seven day fast which I ate nothing for three days just drank water then went to juicing for 4 days and did whole foods (daniel fast after that). I did fine at first but then started bleeding and getting bloated. I get so depressed cuz it seems nothing works.
Posted 2/4/2014 10:44 PM (GMT 0)
I have also noticed that eating the same foods for long periods of time upset my stomach... Like greek yogurt was fine so then I started doing that for breakfast every day and my stomach started hurting and the same thing with oatmeal. Today I had a sandwich of raw bell peppers and squash and its not too terribly loud but I still hear it and its always hurting a little. I also throw up. I've had my gallbladder checked a couple of times but its fine. I've thrown up bile every morning since I was little up until I was around 27 years old. Now I only throw it up if i'm really excited, too cold or nervous. I also had extremely bad case of colic as a baby. Doc doesn't think those are related to UC though.
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