I am 15 and doctor said I (probably) have ulcerative colitis

jack3210111 said...
No, I won't end up discharged. The reason the navy has these medical requirements is because they don't want to train potentially unfit people. However if you are already trained, then get diagnosed, they won't discharge you unless it is really severe. So does that mean they won't reject me because the doctor said 'suspected ulcerative colitis'? And how do I remind you of your son?

They will discharge you as medically unfit to serve if your condition will interfere with the performance of your duties, can't adequately be managed with the medical care available on a warship or would be more costly to treat than they care to pay for. If you had hypertension it wouldn't be an issue. There are no overt symptoms and a couple of pills per day are all that are required to treat it. If you have to keep running to the WC whilst on watch and wind up needing an expensive treatment like Humira, that's a problem for the military.

You remind me of him because you're both a bit headstrong and don't react constructively to suggestions. For example, you could have setup a profile signature with your current symptoms, tentative dx's from your GP and what non-prescription treatments you're trying. That would save everyone reading your posts from having to hunt through your history to find out what your situation is.

It's alright. You're 15, so you're not expected to be particularly considerate of others.

Oh, if the Navy saw a suspected dx of anything serious on your chart they'd need to have it confirmed or rejected before considering your application any further. They won't take you as a "maybe".

And also, yeah they would discharge if it was really bad but if it didn't affect me that much there wouldn't be any reason to. And ulcerative colitis can range from mild to severe, I don't see why they would see it as serious. Serious is like something that is life threatening. Also, are you sure it went on my medical records? How would that work if it is not a diagnosis?

You misunderstood. I currently do not have a diagnosis. The doctor just said to me there are two types of inflammation and you have the milder one (ulcerative colitis). He didn't even mention the word ulcerative colitis. Probably thought I wouldn't understand. But then when he wrote a letter to the gastro and referred me it said 'suspected ulcerative colitis'. So will that be on my record? I am not going to get a colonoscopy here, I will get one in Spain, so the army wouldn't know that and they would just see suspected ulcerative colitis that hasn't been confirmed. Like I said, if I am in my 20s, why would they turn me down for a suspected ulcerative colitis back when I am 15?

I'm not sure how it works in the British military are far as recruiting goes. But lets say, for the sake of argument, that you manage to slip in under the radar with some form of IBD. It will eventually come to light because you'll need to seek treatment for it. At that point, you may well be discharged as medically unfit to serve.

Get a firm diagnosis, then figure out whether or not the military is a possible career for you.

jack3210111 said...
IamCurious, where did you get this source? The medical journal I read said 30% of kids with Crohn's have growth issues and only 10% with ulcerative colitis do. Which would make sense seeing as Crohn's usually affects the Ileum, by that time nutrients have been absorbed anyway.

My source was listed in my previous post The Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine. I really don't think it makes much difference whether the statistics for stunted growth are 30% for CD and only 10% for UC, or 75% for CD and 25% for UC.

For me all that matters is that the chances for stunted growth are greater if you have Crohn's vs UC. Crohn's may be more serious because the nutrients don't get absorbed in the small intestine in the first place. But with UC the nutrients may be absorbed but quickly lost in bloody diarrhea. If the small intestine can absorb nutrients from food then it should be fairly easy to absorb nutrients from supplements too, at least with UC.

I think it is a really good idea, for your own peace of mind, to get your blood levels of iron, B12, folate, zinc, and vitamin D checked.

Jack3210111, at this point you don't have a true diagnosis so it's a bit premature to worry so much about your future career, future medications, your growth and so forth. Rather, I'd focus on getting a true diagnosis and returning to full health as quickly as you can. Generally speaking, seeing blood in stool is a complaint that can lead to an IBD diagnosis like ulcerative colitis or crohn's disease, or it can be an infection like c diff or colorectal cancer. You've had multiple stool tests already, so I bet they've already ruled out an infection.

You need a colonoscopy with biopsies for a formal IBD diagnosis and I'd see what you can do to get one quickly and affordability done. Is the Spain option affordable or very expensive?

Try not to worry. Most of us do live pretty normal lives with uc, when we're in remission we're essentially normal. We have good jobs, families, and achieve our varying life goals and dreams. So having an IBD diagnosis is okay. Uc can be an extra challenge as everyone flares eventually. We just intervene quickly and try to make that flare as short as possible. We've got posters on the forum who've got real mild cases, moderate cases, and severe cases which covers the full spectrum of uc. Many have easy cases and uc is minimal trouble. A few have had surgery because their case was not responsive to any medicine treatment.

Certainly some of the worries and anxieties that you're expressing are normal, and ones we all share as well. As uc gives us anxieties about the future as there's a degree of uncertainty when we'll flare again, how bad, how long etc. IBD can lead to depression, health anxieties, body image issues (rapid weight gain and/or loss) among other things.

The military can be picky on applicants who have health conditions, it really depends what your diagnosis is and how well it is managed. You'd have to have new health screenings to join, and the military would comb through your health records in great detail. So, I doubt you can hide a diagnosis from them. You'd be better to say here's what I have and it's been well controlled and hope for the best. If you have ano interest in serving in the Navy, then I'd talk with recruiters and ask them how an IBD diagnosis would impact you as an applicant.

You seem quite smart, inquisitive and perhaps just a little head-strong, I'd be cautious of googling everything related to IBD as there's always horror stories and claims of miracle cures that aren't worth it. IBD can be a challenge and very individual on treatments. I understand your apprehension and cynicism toward medications but I feel that might hinder your treatment and quality of life as an IBD patient. Try to keep an open mind to any treatment and not close doors.

As a possible IBD patient I'd recommend avoiding NSAID's (aspirin etc) as they can worsen our symptoms. Fiber supplements like Metamucil can help our stools be more formed and reduce frequency. Certain things can aggravate our symptoms like caffeine, alcohol, and spicy hot foods (pepper oils are indigestible and burn from lips to anus).

If there's any hint that you might have a suspected health condition then they'd insist on diagnostics to prove you don't have it before you could join. As an example, a friend of mine wanted to join the coastguard in the USA here, a clerical mistake said asthma a lot of years back in her health records, for was really bronchitis. She had to have a breathing test done to prove she didn't have asthma before she was accepted as an applicant. So, if you had a blood in stool complaint or stool test ordered, then they might request a colonoscopy to prove you don't have IBD. They're very thorough so I'm not sure fooling them is possible.

You are worrying about something that can't happen for several years. Concentrate on your health now and let the rest of your life unfold as it will.

it does not say diagnosed with UC in my med records. Please understand that. So if your friend had a wrong diagnosis written in their med record that is a different story. I am worried if they will turn it down for being suspected. from years ago.

if that's the case then it looks like I am screwed. darn how could I be so stupid. the spanish side of my family is always pestering and worried about me so they said go to the doctor. I should have gone to spain and did it but I was too stupid. And I was diagnosed ADHD as a kid and I went through so much trouble getting the doctor to say it doesn't affect me anymore so I can be eligible for the navy and then I went and did something dumb like this. I never go to the doctor unless I believe there is a high chance of serious injury or death, and my family thought I was dying and I believed them because I didn't know what UC was and that it can flare so when the bleeding got worse I thought I had cancer spreading. But yeah medical records are no longer just medical records. They can be used against you in many ways. If you have some diseases you cannot do certain jobs where you are responsible for lives or dangerous things. Insurance companies can raise the price if they 'believe' that your disease can affect your chance of claiming on something. it can even be used against you in court. So apart from the army there are many reasons I don't go but I don't know what was going through my head when I thought. 'oh I'll go to the doctor I'm sure it is not serious and the army will accept me' when I am passing blood. I want to blame my family but ultimately I ruined my own dream by being an idiot. I guess I am just a 15 year old fool.

Wait I have an idea. If I go to spain and get medication from there, and go into a proper remission, and then do the colonoscopy here, will my colonoscopy and biopsy tests come back normal?

you'd be surprised the amount of people who put of seeing the doctor. And not for the reasons I have. They are lazy. I am not lazy, I just don't want it on my records. Like on Facebook you see memes 'just put off going to the doctor and hope I don't die'. I can still get treatment from Spain, but do you have any idea what I can do, or anything convincing I can say to try and make it look like I don't have IBD?