New member diagnosed with ulcerative colitis

Hi all, I am new to the site but have been reading posts since having symtoms the beginning of August this year, following a horrendous flare up.
Symptoms were bloody diarrhoea, mucus, abdominal pain, a groaning to the left side of stomach, waking in the night to have BMs and constantly having an urgency to go (which is so embarassing when at work or in public) :-(
Had a colonscopy last week and doc says very probable UC but awaiting biopsies. My whole colon is inflamed, angry and red and I have now been prescribed pentasa....I take 4 x 2g tablets (2 on a morning and 2 evening) and by aren't they HUGE?! I actually have to dissolve them on a tablespoon of water first and drink them down.
I have been on these since Saturday and already my symptoms are settling but I still wake at 5am every morning for a BM and then several times after that up to around 8am when I leave the house for work. Very annoying and feeling so tired !
However the bleeding has subsided a lot and pain has lessened so all good. I'm also a lot better during the day and evening.

I find this support incredibly helpful an have found comfort in reading your posts to know I'm not the only one suffering.

I'm female 32 years and feel relived to have a diagnosis (well kinda a diagnosis!) now so I can treat it. Will I be on these meds forever? Have a follow up apt in 3 weeks time x

Sorry that you've joined our UC club! But it sounds like the pentasa is doing the trick for you which is great.

Please don't soak your meds first, that will dissolve the enteric coating, and the medicine won't release where it's supposed to. I know, they're absolutely massive... try putting some food in your mouth first, that works for me. You'll get used to them soon.

Doolittle32,
I'm 33 and was diagnosed with UC/colitis at age 22. It's definitely been a learning experience. I'd like to share some things I didn't know that I would have liked to have known early on.
What we let enter our mouth and what we do can greatly affect our gut and thereby our immune system. Everyone's experience with diet, medications and lifestyle adjustments will vary but don't get discouraged. Nomorecrohns.com was an eye opener for me. It suggests a really good book about how certain foods are processed by the gut.
Remember that knowledge is power. I've researched natural ways to control my ulcerative colitis and it's worked so much better than prescription medication for me. I use boswellia extract (from the Indian frankincense tree), turmeric extract (with black pepper extract to increase absorption), buffer vitamin C (with rosehips fruit to increase absorption), and vitamin B-12(also called methylcobalamin).
Also, I frequent a pharmacy that has staff knowledgeable in natural wellness products.
I hope your experience proves to be less eventful than mine. Take care

Cthlj try creating a new thread for advice on your subject :) I would suggest trying prednisone again and upping the Lialda to hopefully get back in remission. And be sure he stays on his maintenance dose of lialda 2.4mg or two pills a day) between flares - and no missing doses!

And to the original poster - once you find something that works STICK TO IT. here may be a time down the road that you can play with suppliments and herbals and find some relief... but for now I would suggest sticking with what works.