What caused the onset of your UC? Mine was onset by antibiotics.

I was 100% healthy, never even got colds and never had any GI issues....until I took 2 antibiotics that were prescribed to me at the same time for about 10 days. 5 days or so into it, I noticed my bm's were green. 6 days into it, I started seeing blood in my bm's.

The first doctor I saw was convinced I had hemorrhoids and gave me steroid suppositories. When I finally went to a GI a few weeks later, I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis and prescribed colazal. At this point, my UC was limited to my rectum/lower colon.

A few months later it spread to my entire colon and I was hospitalized. I was also tested for C Diff and that was positive - so they gave me prednisone, flagyl, and the works.

Anyway, the point of this post is to hear everyone's story of how UC onset for them. For me, it onset 5-6 days into treatment with 2 antibiotics (1 was Cipro, and the other started with a Z but I forgot the full name). So I am convinced my issue is imbalanced good/bad flora in my colon.

How did your UC first rear its ugly head?

At that period of my life I was constantly sick. I was on antibiotics almost continously for various infections. I only had sporadic bouts of D at that time UNTIL I had some of my hubby's grandmother's "toxic" turkey at Thanksgiving. Then all heck broke loose. So for me, it could've been a combination of antibiotic overusage and/or food poisoning.

Mine was triggered after antibiotic use as well. It was after the birth of my second child, so pregnancy could have also played a part, but prior to, during and immediately after pregnancy, I was completely normal in terms of my bowels. I had never had any trouble.

In the years prior though, I had been on a lot of antibiotics-I had incision problems after both births. My second time around, I had been put on a 3 or 4 week course of erythromycin, more as a precautionary measure, by my OB. At that time, no one told me anything about probiotics or even just eating yogurt or anything while on such a long course, not that I am sure it would have made a difference. Anyway, literally the day after the antibiotic course was finished, I started seeing blood in my stool. A few months later, I was diagnosed with UC and put on colazal. Got into remission very quickly, but my GI at that time didn't know much about UC, didn't explain things well to me, etc. I went off the meds, then when I started flaring again, going back on the meds didn't work. I ended up hospitalized in the end-much like you described. Ended up getting blood transfusions, iron transfusions, flagyl, pred, the works. Got into a trial for Humira and that worked like a dream for a while. It recently failed and I was hospitalized again. I am starting up on Remicade now-I have only had one transfusion thus far. It helped-along with the steroids-but I am still bleeding, having pain and nausea, etc. I am supposed to get my next transfusion tomorrow (there might be a hiccup with my PPD results from the hospital-argh), so I am hoping it will continue to kick in and help get me back into remission for a while.

I am scheduled also to see an Integrative doc this week and I am interested to hear what he has to say. I am not sure how much hope I have of controlling things with whatever methods he prescribes, but I feel like anything is worth a try right now.

In the end, I have a feeling I will have surgery at some point. Part of me wonders why I don't just move on to it now, but I guess I haven't given up hope yet of some long standing remission. I know most people seem to be very happy with having had surgery, but it scares me. The idea of still going to the bathroom so many times a day is just not where I want to be in my life just yet if I can help it. But I am not naive, and I realize it is likely going to happen at some point.

I also should mention that I have a genetic link to AI-my dad has psorasis and my brother has vitiligo. I don't know of anyone else in our families with AI, but there is that link. And I am terrified of giving my kids antibiotics. I try every natural method I can with them because of my UC (and often we have been able to avoid antibiotics), and when they do have to be on them, I make sure they are also on a probiotic during the course.

I am rambling now, lol. LOOONG story short, all of my docs have agreed that antibiotic use triggered mine. And most people feel there was some malpractice involved in the births of my daughters, but that was never something I had interest in pursuing. They are healthy and I have switched practices.

I think mine was caused by antibiotics too. I was first diagnosed with h-pylori and I was given antibiotics for it. I was feeling better and stayed on them longer than I should have and I ended up killing off everything in my digestive system. Seven months laters I was diagnosed with UC. The same thing happened to me as a baby and I think that losing all my gut flora twice was just too much for my immune system. I was also very sick as a kid. I was strep carrier and I was sick with it ALL the time. Because of that I was on antis a lot.

My first UC attack out of the blue, long long ago,  started in the form of non-stop diarhea following a spicy meal of spaghetti and spaghetti sauce cooked up by a friend (I am assumning one of the sauce ingredients had some e.coli or something but who knows, and it any case it was well cooked right in front of me), but I have had at least two big relapses occur following the use of oral antibiotics (once for strep throat and another time for dental surgery).

Is anyone on here?

Antibiotics.

It's actually the carbon monoxide that has an anti-inflammatory affect on the colon. My IBD was initially triggered from birth control pills and then the birth of my first baby, so I'd say mine is likely more hormonal as far as the trigger goes...I've hardly ever been on antibiotics before or after IBD.


:)

Amoxicillin for a mouth infection - for 20 days - then D and blood.  I have had IBS for many years but no bleeding until 3 years ago.

ElaineNY

After I got on antibiotics for wisdom teeth, my symptoms started. For me it seems something going wrong in the bacterial balance.

I know that most of the research says it is probably the Co2 but for me it is the nicotine. I am trying to stop again and have already cut my nicotine consumption in 1/2 by stopping all nicotine supplements (gum and lozenge) and the symptoms are increasing.  Friday I will switch to the patch from the actual cigs and I expect it to get better till I decrease to the minimum dose and then off.  That's what happened the last time.  I'd probably stay on the patches forever if they didnt' cause blisters on my skin. 

antibiotics did it to me too

6 months of doxycycline originally prescribed as a prophylactic against malaria. One a day. Every day. Six months

You think anything was alive in my gut then? that's when UC began -> more antibiotics in several courses as they thought the problem was amoebiasis.

What fixed it? Serious probiotics. The refrigerated ones at the chemist. As many different types and brands as possible. 5 different capsules morning and night. Plus resting the colon by having NO scratchy foods and eating only porridge and liquids or soups.

It went into remission almost immediately

It has not come back.

This is three months after diagnosis, it still has not returned.

Cheers everyone and good luck.

I even finally found a boyfriend! Life is looking up.

Queen of the Colon - can you elaborate on the probiotics you used? How did you get refrigerated ones from the Chemist, and which strands did you use? Are you talking about VSL#3 Double Strength?

Everyone, please keep your stories coming - what caused the onset of YOUR Ulcerative Colitis?