New to this whole thing

I guess "new" is a relative term. I started having symptoms of UC a little over a year ago to the date. I went to my GI, had a colonoscopy, and received no definitive answer. Tried Lialda and, for the most part, my symptoms went away.

Fast forward to May of this year and my symptoms started coming back with vengeance. I began to notice an increase in the blood, mucus, and diarrhea. Went back to my GI who determined I was in a flare. I was advised to take Lialda (4x daily). No affect. My symptoms got worse to the point where a few weeks ago I was seriously anemic (hemoglobin of 8.1) and running fever (102). I went to the hospital late one night and was admitted. While there, I had another colonoscopy which definitively proved it was, in fact, left-sided UC. It was a relief to finally have a name to put with what I was experiencing, but that honeymoon stage only lasted so long. After a week in the hospital, I'm out and feeling "better" than I was before. My energy levels are up. I'm able to concentrate more on work.

However, I'm still waiting on this infamous solid bowel movement I keep hearing about. I've been tapering off prednisone (now at 40 mg / day for the next week), taking ferrous sulfate to help the anemia, calcium, and vitamin D. Also, still on the 4x Lialda.

At this point I have a ton of questions, as I'm sure is the norm for anyone with UC. But mostly I'm concerned with the fact that I went to the doctor this morning for a CBC test and my hemoglobin was still at 9.1 - seriously low for a 23-year-old male. I'm curious to see if any of you have had any similar experiences and how you would suggest improving the hemoglobin levels.

And tips on normal poops if you got 'em :)

Yes, rectal meds (mesalamine retention enemas), in addition to the oral Lialda. Once you see no more blood you can probably taper the prednisone, but go slowly and do not continue your taper if bad symptoms return.

To rebuild your hemoglobin, you should probably take iron orally. Some kinds of iron can be hard on the stomach, so go easy on it.

Hemoglogin is still low because your body takes a while to build it up.

Expect your levels to go up in 3-6 months. In the meantime, eat iron rich foods or iron fortified foods you can tolerate. You could even cook with a cast iron skillet. Oh and take your iron tablet with vitamin c. It helps your body absorb it better.