New and nervous

Hello,


I am new to the site and new to UC, was just diagnosed this past friday night. Ive been battling Diverticulitis for the past 6 months and now find out after a trip to the ER I have UC and it is flaring up. The Dr has me on a 5 day clear liquid diet and antibiotics even though there are no signs of infection. I have a follow up with my primary to get a recommendation to a GI Dr to schedule a colonoscopy. To say the least I am extremely nervous and dont know what to expect from this.

I am 27 and have a job that keeps me very active, (I am a Lt with a security company and am on my feet walking for 10 hours a day in the elements.) Needless to say, Friday this flare up put me almost out of commission. I am having a hard time with the clear liquid diet and have been depressed for the last 6 months as I am no longer able to eat some of my favorite foods.

Does anyone have any advice they can lend? I am married and have 2 kids and this means a diet change affects my entire family and they are all already picky eaters. Basically just looking for advice and tips on how to make this transition as easy as possible for me and my family.


Sorry for the long post, and thanks for any advice.

Hi,

As you may have seen, I'm also new here. I certainly have had some of the same concerns as you with family, work, etc. Back when I was first diagnosed with UC, I also had some issues with Diverticulitis. My best advice to you is to get connected with a GI doc that you can work closely with. It took me a bit of time to get comfortable having rather "unusual conversations" with him about stuff that most adults don't talk about. (I can now discuss my stool with anyone--much to my wife's dismay. :)) I got there with his encouragement. Being that I began having regular colonoscopies (every year or so) in my 40's I became the "content expert" for all of my friends/peers who were having their first one. (It's an odd knowledge base to have to share with your friends.)

My advice to you: (1) as I said, get connected with a good GI doc; (2) have that colonoscopy! Honest--the prep is worse than the procedure--and really, it's not that bad. It'll give both you and your GI doc important information--and that's a good thing.; (3) Hopefully, you can get this under control (I did for many years--see my post) and you'll be able to return to your normal life with maybe some minor modifications. But the first step is getting information. This last year has forced me to learn a lot more about my body--and why certain symptoms occur. And again--I got this info from my GI doc who does not hesitate to answer any question I have.

Good luck!

Thanks Rob. I am already planning on getting the recommendation for the GI Dr my mom uses. I think its going to be beneficial for me with him knowing my moms history.

Also Maurauder to answer your questions about meds, the Dr was going to prescribe me some steroids but after he researched some more he told me for my first flare up it is recommended to go on the clear liquid diet and antibiotics to see if that helps clear it up and if not then the steroids.

LtLash said...
Also Maurauder to answer your questions about meds, the Dr was going to prescribe me some steroids but after he researched some more he told me for my first flare up it is recommended to go on the clear liquid diet and antibiotics to see if that helps clear it up and if not then the steroids.

So he didnt prescribe any mesalamine/5-ASAs? The only way antibiotics and clear liquid diet will help is it he think there is an infection.

Definitely make sure you get yourself to a GI who knows what hes doing and can prescribe you the right meds ASAP.

So sorry you're having to deal with this. I also have UC and diverticulitis. For me, the UC came first. It was years later before I developed diverticulosis and then diverticulitis. My second bout was a few weeks ago and I ended up in the hospital. The liquid diet was no fun-- I was starving, but I guess my colon rested.

I was due for a colonoscopy anyhow so I'm having one in July to figure out what's going on. I saw a new GI doctor last week who explained that *they* are now thinking that there is a particular form of UC that is closely related to the diverticular pockets in people who have them. So I guess I'll have the scope and go from there.

I changed my diet after my first bout of diverticulitis, but many docs are now saying that you don't need to. I didn't want to risk it so I avoid hard seeds, popcorn, nuts (but not nut butters), and raw vegetables. Spicy food has never bothered me with either the UC or the diverticulitis, but everyone is different. The one thing I do miss is salad. But really, I still got a second bout three years later, so I don't know how much changing my diet helped. I think my flare ups have been stress related even though doctors don't think so. I'm still on a pretty low-residue diet even three weeks later. I'm slooooowly upping the fiber again.

I guess I don't have any great advice as my colon and I are still trying to get back to speaking terms, but I just wanted to offer support and let you know that there are people out here in your exact same position. I hope you feel better soon.

Chinamom

Hi, the best advice I can give you regarding food is that everybody reacts differently, what works for one person wont for another, so with that in mind I would start a food diary, even if it is only for a month, write down everything that you eat, by doing this you should at the end of the month have a fair idea of what you body likes or dislikes....for example I discovered I am lactose intolerant, alcohol, fruit juices,tea, all react badly for me, and only through keeping an eye on what I was eating could I determine what worked for me..you also need to read up on UC, because you simply cannot rely just on your GI for help, you need to be informed yourself...there is a resources section at the top of the page that is worth reading..

Sure but colitis can often get in the way.